When It Hits the Fan

You’re fired! Everton and political PR

After a week in which some top people in British politics have lost or given up their jobs, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the strange case of OpenAI’s Sam Altman, the artificial intelligence superstar whose overnight ousting – and very quick re-employment – sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley. Everton Football Club in crisis – how do you utilise PR in the emotional cauldron that is the Premier League? And we take you into the world of schmoozing that is political PR – it’s the return of the Prawn Cocktail Offensive.This episode was recorded before Sam Altman's surprise return to OpenAI as CEO with a new board.Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Researcher: Sophie Smith
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4

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.