When It Hits the Fan BBC Radio 4

In a special episode of When It Hits the Fan, Simon Lewis and David Yelland talk to Matthew Freud about his 40-year career at the head of one of the most influential PR businesses in the world. Freud Communications has promoted and protected the reputations of the biggest names in Britain.
Born into the famous Freud family, he married into a global media dynasty to become Rupert Murdoch's son-in-law. He has kept the secrets of the rich and the powerful as well as advising prime ministers and pop stars.
In this rare broadcast interview, Matthew Freud discusses power, politics and his views on British public life from his unique perspective at the pinnacle of public relations.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4

On When It Hits the Fan, we often talk about crises as if they should be avoided at all costs. But Dorothy Byrne, the former head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, is living proof that walking towards the fan is often a hallmark of people that effect positive change.
In this special deep-dive interview, David Yelland and Simon Lewis talk to Dorothy about the relationship between PR and journalism, being lobbied, and her fearless approach to reporting the truth – including her 2019 MacTaggart lecture when she called the then prime minister a “known liar”.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4

In this special episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis talk to Mick Lynch, the leader of the RMT, about how to get your point across.
We seem to be living through a time when words too often fail us. But there are some people in our body politic whose words cut through - regardless of our own thoughts on their views. Many of Mick Lynch's head-to-heads with journalists and politicians have gone viral. Like - when speaking directly to a government minister - “He’s lying… you are telling lies.” To a journalist: "You do come up with the most remarkable twaddle,” and, during a speech, his rallying call: "We refuse to be poor anymore.” He even managed to win public sympathy for that most unpopular of disruptions – a nationwide train strike.
How does he do it?
Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4

In this episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the lessons learnt from the Princess of Wales’s video announcement that she is undergoing treatment for cancer.
It raises some important issues for the Royal Family in a social media age. And for all of us. What is privacy in the online world? How can people in the public eye manage their privacy in the global village that is social media? And for the Royal Family going forward, what can the Palaces do to protect individual members while also promoting the royal brand?
The Royal Family are in the vanguard here. What Kate is experiencing is what many others may have to face in the future. Will this be a turning point?
Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Assistant Producer: Sophie Smith
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4

In this episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis are talking TikTok. In the US, the social media platform is facing an existential threat. But behind it is a world of Chinese PR that’s not making the headlines. How does it work? And what are all the western PR agencies embedded in China doing there?
Also, as the risk of IT system crashes and cyber attacks escalates, David and Simon lift the lid on the role of communications in the booming cybersecurity sector.
And following the short video of the Princess of Wales released on The Sun’s website, they ask if this is a PR master stroke, or something else. What is going on?
Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Assistant Producer: Sophie Smith
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4

As a former editor of The Sun, and the late Queen’s first communications secretary, David Yelland and Simon Lewis used to be on opposing sides of a Royal PR disaster – David working to expose a story that Simon was trying to control. In this special episode, they bring everything they know about how Palace PR works to shed some light on the events surrounding Kate Middleton’s absence and the controversy surrounding her Mother’s Day family photo.
What’s really going on behind the scenes? And does a failure to master 21st century communications pose a genuine, real danger to the Royal Family’s survival?
Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Assistant Producer: Sophie Smith
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4