Former newspaper editor and royal spin-doctor to host Radio 4 podcast

A new Radio 4 podcast, When it Hits the Fan will be hosted by David Yelland and Simon Lewis.

David is a former editor of the Sun and Simon, former Communications Chief for the late Queen and Gordon Brown.

The podcast takes a look at who is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Each episode goes behind the scenes of the latest news stories to find out how, where and when it all began to hit the fan.

David and Simon will explore the different strategies used by the PR professionals, paid to manage the reputation of their clients, and shed light on the media machine and how it operates. What advice is being given behind closed doors?

David Yelland says: “My career is a game of two halves: the first half causing crises at The Sun and New York Post and the second half advising the companies and individuals actually in the middle of those crises.

“The time has come to lift a lid on what actually happens when ‘it’ hits the fan. I can’t think of a better person to be doing this with than Simon.”

Simon Lewis says: “During my career in communications, I have been in the room during some extraordinary moments in corporate and public life.

“Every crisis is different but what David and I are aiming to do in this series is to look under the bonnet of fast-moving situations to analyse and interpret what is actually going on when it hits the fan.

“I am really looking forward to working with David who brings marvellous insights from his unique career.”

Rhian Roberts, BBC Commissioning Editor for Radio 4 Podcasts, Formats and Digital, says: “David and Simon are our best guides to the exact moment the proverbial hits the fan and what’ll be going on behind the scenes to fix it. This is the podcast for anyone who’s ever wondered about the origins of a monumental PR cock up.”

When it Hits the Fan launches on BBC Sounds on 6 September and will air weekly every Wednesday at 9pm on BBC Radio 4.