Alas WH Smith and Jones

Alas WH Smith and Jones

Author: BBC Radio 4 September 10, 2025 Duration: 31:36

Rebrands, name changes, financial black holes. Just what is going on with WH Smith?

This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the reputation of a high street institution. With stores up and down the country now being called TG Jones, what sort of messaging - if any - has taken place between the new owners and Smith's existing customers? And with most of us looking for a cheap online deal, they'll also explain why retail PR is no longer the glamorous industry it once was.

And in the extended edition on BBC Sounds, who wants to live forever? Well the answer seems to be the leaders of China and Russia. President Xi Jinping and President Putin have been overheard discussing how the advances in biotechnology could lead to eternal life. This happened just before a social media frenzy suggesting President Trump had died. He hadn't. But in a world of increasingly elderly leaders, what are the PR challenges of persuading the rest of us that they're alive and well and fit for office?

Plus it's Coldplay versus KitKats. Yes, the summer has been bookended by two big sex scandals. One of them revealed very publicly at a Coldplay gig - the other, behind the closed doors of Nestle. But as Simon and David explain, the level of coverage a scandal receives doesn't always dictate how serious it is.

Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4


Tune in to When It Hits the Fan for a masterclass in reputation management, hosted by two insiders who have lived through the pressure of the headlines. David Yelland, former editor of The Sun, and communications expert Simon Lewis, bring their unparalleled experience to this BBC Radio 4 podcast. Each week, they dissect the most spectacular public relations meltdowns making news, offering a rare glimpse into the frantic world of crisis managers and spin doctors. You’ll hear them trace the origins of a scandal, pinpointing the exact moment strategies began to unravel and public perception shifted. This isn't just commentary; it's a forensic breakdown of how modern media storms are weathered or worsened by those in charge. The analysis is grounded in real-world stakes, exploring the political and personal consequences of every misstep and recovery attempt. For anyone fascinated by the intersection of media, power, and human error, this podcast provides an essential and gripping narrative. Listening feels like being in the room for a candid, post-mortem between two veterans who understand the game better than most. Their conversations reveal the mechanics behind the news cycle, making sense of how stories explode and what happens when control is lost.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

When It Hits the Fan
Podcast Episodes
Why Optimism is a PR Superpower [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:37
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, Davi…
Simon Cowell's PR: Judged! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:15
It's panto season and panto villains don't come much bigger than Simon Cowell.The music mogul's made a career and fortune playing the Bad Guy on TV talent shows. But is there more to him - and crucially, is it good PR fo…
Nuns on the Run [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:14
It's not easy winning a PR fight when you're up against three octogenarian nuns whose story has become a global smash.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the case of Sister Bernadette, Sister Regina and Sist…
Power, PR and the 'Epstein Class' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:43
Imagine being able to read the private emails sent between some of the most powerful people on the planet. This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis do exactly that. The release of thousands of pages from the so-called Ep…
Is the BBC 'hopeless at PR'? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:34
"They make really stupid basic mistakes and they are hopeless at PR."If you're a podcast about PR, then that quote - made about the BBC this week - is a good place to start when assessing the reputation of the Corporatio…
Two Weeks that Shook the Palace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:43
It was barely a fortnight - but in that time everything seemed to change.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the dramatic way Buckingham Palace responded to the growing crisis over the then-Prince Andrew. Go…
The Strictly Bombshell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:06
As PR moves go, it would surely have earned a '10 from Len'.But what about the BBC's own communications team, who were seemingly as surprised as everyone else when Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they were leav…
The Prince Andrew Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:59
No more Duke of York, no more Order of the Garter. But he is still Prince Andrew. And he is still the King's brother.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at how Buckingham Palace is trying to distance the Royal…
What Victoria Beckham's revelation reveals about PR [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:48
Victoria Beckham is no stranger to headlines. And now she's revealed that intense media scrutiny led to her developing an eating disorder. Cue more headlines. One particular article stood out, which asked why those aroun…