When It Hits the Fan

How do you fight a PR battle when everyone's already decided you're the bad guys?
That's the problem facing the water industry on the eve of a new Channel 4 factual drama called Dirty Business. The clue is in the title. It focuses on a 10-year investigation into sewage-polluted waters.
Sticking to the facts is a basic rule of PR - but when coming up against raw anger and emotion, do you need more than facts? How do you appeal to hearts as well as minds?
On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, PR itself is in the dock. Two firms have found themselves making rather than shaping the news in recent weeks - over the Epstein files and allegations of trying to journalists. Put mildly, the companies involved have a battle on their hands to protect their own reputations. David and Simon explain why.
And if you think Heathrow is too crowded, you're very much mistaken. According to the CEO of the airport, it's simply because people are 'walking in the wrong places'. He might have a point, but the problem is, if you say something that sounds ridiculous, it doesn't matter how right you are - you're wrong.
Producer: Duncan Middleton
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: Eve Streeter
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Some jobs just can't be done. Circumstances, events and a changing world simply make them undoable.
This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis ask whether one such job is communicating on behalf of the Prime Minister. Not just this Prime Minister, but any Prime Minister.
After only five months, the PM's Director of Communications, Tim Allan has quit. He's the fourth person to hold the role under Sir Keir Starmer.
The old levers of PR clearly aren't working and there seems to be a general bafflement has to how to get the public onboard.
Put simply, is Downing Street now beyond PR?
On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, how Buckingham Palace is rapidly changing its PR game. Widely criticised for being too slow to react to the scandal around Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the Palace is going on the front foot - with two statements that would've been inconceivable just months ago.
Plus there's nothing like a formal letter from the Government to put you in the mood for love. That's the hope anyway. In France, all 29-year-olds are being written to - to remind them of their duty to have babies. As you might expect, there's been something of a backlash.
Producer: Duncan Middleton
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: Eve Streeter
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

How close is the Palace to being sucked into the Epstein reputational black hole - again?
In this episode David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the latest revelations from the Epstein files about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Can a reputation ever be so utterly ‘nuked’ that there is no coming back and anyone close gets sucked in? What is the Royal Family's PR calculus to avoid the gravity pull of the Epstein PR black hole?
On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, David and Simon look at another man in a PR black hole, Lord Mandelson. Is it really the end of the road for the king of spin, or can the ultimate political survivor find a way out?
Also, the Sunday Times Tax List and why being one of the UK’s biggest tax payers is good PR.
Producer: Duncan Middleton
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: Eve Streeter
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

It started with a bombshell but the aftershocks are only just getting started.
This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis ask whether David and Victoria Beckham's seemingly bulletproof brand is under threat. The cause is of course the incredibly emotional social media outburst from their son, Brooklyn.
Theirs is a brand built on family - so what are the PR challenges when threads start to unravel? And crucially, what say will the money men have about how the Beckham's handle the fallout?
On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, where best to see where the worlds of PR, power and business collide than Davos? Simon spent the week there and reveals what's really going on behind-the-scenes. It's certainly not as glamorous as you might think.
Plus, how to take on Elon Musk and win. Ryanair's Michael O'Leary delivered a PR masterclass as the two men had a very public spat - using a killer blend of humour and facts. It seems to have done wonders for the airline's business - and given us a timely reminder of how to use your opponent's strength against them.
Producer: Duncan Middleton
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: Eve Streeter
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Reputations supposedly take years to build and seconds to destroy. But what if that's no longer the case?
What if the normal rules about earning - and keeping - a reputation simply don't apply any more.
This week, David Yelland is joined by Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, from the BBC podcast Fame Under Fire. Together, they venture into some distinctly dubious corners of the internet to see how public opinion is really being shaped.
Examining the trial of rapper Diddy, they explain how he may have actually benefitted from the wild accusations being made about him on social media before the case came to court - and how his PR team realised they could capitalise on the fact he was being portrayed as the Devil.
On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, David and Anoushka look at how the PR world might want to take some tips from Candace Owens - however unpalatable that may seem.
The right-wing influencer promotes conspiracy theories and has repeatedly made claims about Brigitte Macron being born a male. The Macrons have filed a defamation lawsuit against her.
But Candace Owens has millions of followers and arguably influences more people than many newspapers, news channels or politicians. It's why Anoushka describes her as a 'personal PR powerhouse' - and explains that whatever you think of her, the way she spreads her message should be closely examined - and followed.
Producer: Duncan Middleton
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: Eve Streeter
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4