When It Hits the Fan

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When It Hits the Fan Podcast

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Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Factual: Politics

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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.

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When It Hits the Fan: Private school PR, Lib Dem tactics and Trump's conviction

Private school PR, Lib Dem tactics and Trump's conviction

BBC Radio 4 - When It Hits the Fan, Private school PR, Lib Dem tactics and Trump's conviction

David and Simon discuss the PR of private schools and VAT, Ed Davey and Donald Trump.

David and Simon discuss why independent schools seem to be losing the PR battle over VAT, Ed Davey's 'tactical disruption', and Donald Trump's reputation in a post-shame world.

David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at why private schools seem to be losing the PR battle over their VAT exemption. A core principle of PR is to anticipate problems and mitigate them. This one has been coming down the track towards independent schools for years - why did they get it so wrong?

Also, the Liberal Democrats' election strategy of "tactical disruption" - which mainly involves Sir Ed Davey getting wet and apparently having the most fun of all the leaders on the campaign trail. As David and Simon continue to look at the use of PR by different political parties during the election campaign, they ask if the Liberal Democrats are adopting the PR tactics pioneered by disrupters like Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic and Airbnb in the US. It's winning the party precious press coverage, but is there a downside to the election stunts? 

And what does it mean for the concept of a Fan Hitting crisis if being a convicted felon is not necessarily career ending? David and Simon are, of course, talking Donald Trump's guilty verdict in his hush-money trial. Does reputation matter in a post-shame world?


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

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When It Hits the Fan

Private school PR, Lib Dem tactics and Trump's conviction

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