When It Hits the Fan
BBC Radio 4
When It Hits The Fan takes you behind the headlines and into the high-stakes world of power, influence and reputation. Each week, it unpacks the PR playbook used by some of the world's most powerful people and asks how the hidden hand of the communications industry shapes what you see, hear and believe.
Hosts David Yelland and Farzana Baduel dive into the week's biggest media storms, scandals and corporate crises, revealing how PR disasters unfold in real time. From political controversies to celebrity missteps and brand meltdowns, they trace where the story began, how it spiralled, and who ended up in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Bringing sharp insight and insider knowledge.
David Yelland is the former editor of The Sun and Farzana Baduel is an award-winning communications strategist and crisis management specialist. Together, they draw on decades of frontline experience shaping narratives, handling reputational firestorms and understanding what really drives the news cycle.
- 155 episodes
- Updated July 15
Episodes155
- February 4 · 29 min
- January 28 · 24 min
Is the Beckham Brand in Jeopardy?
- January 21 · 31 min
A New Blueprint for PR
- January 14 · 25 min
Is the Worm Turning on 'Fat Jabs'?
- January 7 · 9 min
3. Don't Break the Fourth Wall
- Dec 31, 2025 · 10 min
2. Don't Delay PR
- Dec 24, 2025 · 10 min
1. Rolling the Pitch
- Dec 17, 2025 · 24 min
Why Optimism is a PR Superpower
- Dec 10, 2025 · 29 min
Simon Cowell's PR: Judged!
- Dec 3, 2025 · 30 min
Nuns on the Run
- Nov 26, 2025 · 30 min
Power, PR and the 'Epstein Class'
- Nov 19, 2025 · 28 min
The Secrets of the List: Putting Yourself in the Frame for a Top Job.
- Nov 12, 2025 · 27 min
Is the BBC 'hopeless at PR'?
- Nov 5, 2025 · 31 min
Two Weeks that Shook the Palace
- Oct 29, 2025 · 36 min
The Strictly Bombshell
- Oct 22, 2025 · 25 min
The Prince Andrew Crisis
- Oct 15, 2025 · 27 min
What Victoria Beckham's revelation reveals about PR
- Oct 8, 2025 · 32 min
Michelle Mone: Her PR Rise and Fall
- Oct 1, 2025 · 28 min
Prince Harry and the Men in Grey Suits
- Sep 24, 2025 · 30 min
Why the Macrons are willing to bare all