When It Hits the Fan

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BBC Radio 4 FM

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When It Hits the Fan Podcast

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Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Factual: Politics

News

Who's in the news for all the wrong reasons? With David Yelland and Simon Lewis.

Inside the world of crisis managers and spin doctors as David Yelland and Simon Lewis watch the week's biggest PR disasters unfold.

Inside the world of crisis managers and spin doctors as David Yelland and Simon Lewis watch the week's biggest PR disasters unfold. In each episode our hosts go behind the scenes of the latest news stories and find out how, where and when it all began to hit the fan. 

When It Hits The Fan is hosted by two of the most influential and experienced people in the game; David Yelland is the former editor of the Sun and alongside him is Simon Lewis, former trouble-shooter for the Queen and Gordon Brown, as well as for major corporations like the Nat West, Vodafone and British Gas. Together they bring decades of experience in both creating and managing crises. They'll share all they know about what's keeping those big stories in and out of the news.

BBC Radio 4 LW

When It Hits the Fan: Dorothy Byrne special

Dorothy Byrne special

BBC Radio 4 - When It Hits the Fan, Dorothy Byrne special

David and Simon discuss truth-telling with former Channel 4 News boss Dorothy Byrne.

David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss truth-telling with Dorothy Byrne, the former head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4.

On When It Hits the Fan, we often talk about crises as if they should be avoided at all costs. But Dorothy Byrne, the former head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, is living proof that walking towards the fan is often a hallmark of people that effect positive change.

In this special deep-dive interview, David Yelland and Simon Lewis talk to Dorothy about the relationship between PR and journalism, being lobbied, and her fearless approach to reporting the truth – including her 2019 MacTaggart lecture when she called the then prime minister a “known liar”.  

Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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When It Hits the Fan

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