When It Hits the Fan

When everything's going really well, there's always a lurking fear that it can't possibly last.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at how the discussion around weight-loss injections is suddenly, subtly shifting. New research suggests that once you come off them, you put weight back on faster than if you'd shed the pounds in a more traditional way.The findings dominated the news agenda.So is the PR worm ever so slightly turning? David and Simon discuss what happens when a product leaves the ordinary world of day-to-day business and becomes something far bigger - something talked about by everyone.What's crucial is being able to look far enough down the track to see what pitfalls may lay ahead.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, we're talking black gold. Or rather, how the big oil firms are dealing with President Trump - especially after he claimed he'd briefed them before the US raid to capture Venezuela's President Maduro.David and Simon look at the skills required to PR an oil firm - and why they're more like states than businesses. They'll also explain why big tech has a lot to learn from how oil runs its communications.Also, there is a traitor in our midst - and she's a head of comms. It's no spoiler to say Rachel is one of the stars of the latest series of The Traitors. But what dark and mysterious PR genius is she bringing to the show to make her so successful? Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Call it smoke and mirrors, call it sleight of hand. The best PR is often invisible PR.In this latest episode of our mini-series on the Golden Rules of PR, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the risks of showing your workings.Increased transparency is admirable in many cases - but beware of just how much you reveal.A great example from 2025 was the Heathrow Airport crisis. A power outage caused the airport to shut down - and it quickly became known that Heathrow's CEO was asleep when the decision to close the airport was made. There may have been very good reasons for him not to be awake but the optics were terrible.Creating an illusion is part of the PR toolbox - you're trying to persuade people to come on a journey with you. If, like in the Wizard of Oz, the curtain is pulled back and the artifice crumbles, it could mean game over.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Most of us are guilty of it. A problem looms or a crisis kicks off and the knee-jerk reaction is often to ignore it and hope it goes away.Newsflash - it rarely does.In this latest episode of our mini-series on PR's Golden Rules, David Yelland and Simon Lewis explain why doing something is usually better than doing nothing.Two great examples from 2025 involve the BBC and the Royal Family. Both faced enormous crises - both faced accusations of not saying or doing the right thing quickly enough.David and Simon explain the perils of being paralysed by group-think in such situations and the difficulties of making yourself heard when you know you've got a solution. And sometimes you have to accept that there isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer - but you just have to say something.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

This episode will change your life. Seriously.It's a big claim and carries an enormous risk of over-promising.Welcome to the latest episode in our mini-series on the Golden Rules of PR. This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the risks of rolling the pitch - of laying the PR groundwork - for a forthcoming announcement.As the Chancellor Rachel Reeves found out in the run up to the Budget, trying to manage expectations can seriously backfire. But we all do it - we try to soften people up ahead of delivering some tricky news. David and Simon explain why there are very sensible reasons for doing this.The problem is - if you say what's going to happen and people react badly - how do you change your plans without being accused of making a U-turn?Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

It may be the season to be jolly but there's not a lot of good cheer going around at the moment. With so much unrelentingly bleak news, how do you persuade anyone that not everything's as bad as it seems? This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the power of optimism. It's not just a useful PR tool, it's vital. When optimism is authentic, it can inspire and be incredibly infectious. The trouble is, it can also feel totally out of step with people's own experiences.That's why it's such a tricky PR balancing act. You want to take people with you but not make them think you're living in a dream world.When people are crying out for good news, David and Simon look at why the phrase 'positive spin' is almost always used in a derogatory way - even though the very last thing you want is a pessimistic PR team.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, who's on the list and who isn't? The PR minefield that is Christmas cards. David and Simon discuss whether the festive staple is still a good way of judging where you sit in the business and social firmament.Should you send cards to all your contacts, should they each get a personalised message - and if someone suddenly stops sending one to you, what are you supposed to think? And given the cost of postage - how do you decide who is really worth the price of a stamp?Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: William Miller Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4