When It Hits the Fan

The King’s PR, Shell and a million-dollar handbag

As the King marks his 75th birthday, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at how the Palace is using artificial intelligence to track public sentiment, what series six of The Crown means for the Royal PR strategy, and the thorny issue of Prince Harry’s court crusade. Also in this episode – Shell’s drive to change how 18 to 24 year olds feel about fossil fuels. And Pharrell Williams' million-dollar handbag for Louis Vuitton – why it is good PR to make people jealous and mad as hell?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.