Episodes

What happens when one of the most anticipated entertainment launches in the world is compromised by a major leak? How should a brand respond when confidential content starts circulating online, misinformation makes it harder to distinguish fact from fiction, and those responsible attempt to profit from the chaos? And can staying relatively quiet actually be the smartest crisis communication strategy? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton examine the leak surro...

When conventional protest appears powerless, what makes people turn to direct action against organisations? How should leaders respond when anger becomes disruption, criminal damage or violence? And could anxiety about artificial intelligence create the next flashpoint for public protest? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by crisis communications expert Rod Cartwright to examine why direct action is rising up risk registers and what organisatio...

What happens when a company challenges damaging media coverage in court? Can legal action restore commercial confidence, or does it simply revive the allegations and expose them to a much wider audience? And in an age when AI systems continually resurface past controversies, can a brand ever truly move on from a reputational crisis? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton examine Evri’s reported £1.2 million legal action against the BBC following a Panorama docu...

What happens when a brand makes a bold Pride statement and refuses to retreat when criticism follows? Can humour create genuine connection with LGBTQ+ audiences, or does it risk reducing a diverse community to a stereotype? And when opposition becomes loud and hostile, should organisations apologise, stand firm or reconsider how they demonstrate their values? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton examine the reaction to HelloFresh’s cheeky Pride Month social ...

How does a global brand make a mistake so culturally insensitive that it triggers boycotts, political condemnation, police scrutiny and store closures? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton discuss Starbucks Korea’s ‘Tank Day’ promotion, launched on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, when tanks were used to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations. They look at what happens when a local marketing campaign ignores historical trauma, and how far can acc...

What happens when employees turn a company’s own communication channels against it? How should organisations handle redundancies in an era where every meeting can be recorded, every internal message can be leaked and every disgruntled employee has a platform? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton revisit the 2013 HMV redundancy crisis, one of the most famous social media crises of the digital age, and examine why its lessons remain just as relevant today. Whe...

Ahead of the recent Championship playoff final, with the winners promoted to the Premier League and also set to benefit to the tune of £200 million, Southampton admitted to spying on Middlesbrough’s training sessions in an attempt to gain a competitive edge. What began as a bizarre story involving an analyst intern hiding behind a tree with a camera quickly escalated into a full-scale reputational disaster, culminating in Southampton being expelled from the playoffs by the EFL. In this episode ...

What makes an apology believable? And what turns an apology into a crisis of its own? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton revisit themes from their conversation with crisis communications expert Abby Mangold, exploring the messy, highly human territory of public apologies, CEO misconduct and organisational redemption. The discussion looks at the difference between a real apology and a non-apology, reflecting on the work of Dr Harriet Lerner and Brené Brown...

In July 2024, a faulty software update to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform caused around 8.5 million Windows devices to crash. The incident disrupted airlines, hospitals, banks, broadcasters and public services, with the UK economy alone estimated to have lost around £2 billion. In this episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, hosts Tamara Littleton and Kate Hartley are joined by managing partner at Clarity Kristin Ingraham to look at the reputational and legal fallout, including Delta...

When a fake pop-up shop called Mumumelon appeared just five doors away from a Luluemon store in London, eyebrows were raised. It turned out to be a climate-focused activist campaign focused on exposing a perceived gap between Lululemon’s sustainability messaging and its actual environmental impact. And it left the company in somewhat of a dilemma: start legal action and invite scrutiny, or risk trying to engage constructively with a provocative campaign? In this episode of WJH Shorts, Tamara Li...

Reputational damage rarely stems from a single incident, but from patterns of failure that expose deeper cultural issues. In 2024 a door blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight and, while not fatal, this reignited concerns rooted in 2018 and 2019 crashes involving Boeing aircraft that killed 346 people and were linked to design flaws and failures in safety processes. What emerged was not just a technical problem but a systemic one, where safety concerns were known, raised, and in some cases ignore...

After going into administration on 2nd March, the fallout for BrewDog’s investors, employees and reputation has been rapid and calamitous. The collapse led to the company being acquired by US beverage firm Tilray, saving some jobs but leading to 484 redundancies and the closure of 38 UK bars. Crucially, the “equity punks” – around 200,000 crowdfunding investors – have lost their investments, while co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickey had already exited with significant personal gains after s...

On 27th February, President Donald Trump ordered the US Government to stop using technology from AI company Anthropic, developer of the Claude LLM. “We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. The issue arose when Anthropic refused to accept new terms from the US Department of Defence that would have granted the military unrestricted access to its AI tools. According to Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, the company drew “red lin...

The Coldplay kiss cam incident in July 2025 was a great example of what can happen when a CEO is inadvertently caught in the line of fire for behaviour that is misaligned with company values. Leadership scandals can attract huge and intense public attention, and organisations need to prepare for such time as one of their senior leaders behaves badly. In this episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, hosts Tamara Littleton and Kate Hartley are joined by crisis communications expert Abby Mangold to discu...

In April 2025, Marks & Spencer suffered a significant ransomware cyber attack that severely disrupted its operations for several months and cost the company an estimated £300 million in lost profit. Among the impacts were the theft of customer data, the failure of online sales and empty store shelves. In this episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, hosts Tamara Littleton and Kate Hartley are joined by crisis management expert Jonathan Hemus to discuss how M&S handled communications, particularly the ...

Del Monte is a globally recognised brand that has been in existence for nearly 140 years. But in 2023, The Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism uncovered allegations that security guards at Del Monte Kenya had assaulted and even killed people suspected of stealing pineapples. Reports also revealed a decade-long pattern of brutality, including sexual violence, and claims that innocent passers-by were targeted while using a public road through the farm. In this episode of ‘What Jus...

In March 2022, Florida’s Senate passed a bill to ban discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary schools. The so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill stirred up major controversy at Disney, which has a complex history with the LGBTQ+ community, when it stayed silent despite having a significant presence in the state and being a major employer at the Disney World theme park. In this episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton explore Disney’s LGBTQ+ histo...

Until 2014 Shell had enjoyed a 50-year-long brand partnership with LEGO. But it came to an abrupt and high profile end after Greenpeace’s “Everything is Not Awesome” campaign, which targeted the long-standing partnership due to Shell’s Arctic drilling activities. Initially reluctant to end the deal, LEGO faced mounting public pressure after Greenpeace released a viral, emotionally powerful video that used LEGO imagery to highlight environmental damage. The backlash ultimately led LEGO to announ...

During the medal presentation at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Luis Rubiales, then-president of the Spanish Football Federation, forcibly kissed Spanish player Jenni Hermoso on the lips. The act, which Hermoso did not consent to, led to widespread condemnation and calls for his resignation. Rubiales initially defended his actions, but eventually faced suspension by FIFA and later was found guilty of sexual assault. In this episode of ‘What Just Happened?”, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littl...

In January 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 suffered a dual engine failure shortly after take-off from LaGuardia Airport due to a bird strike. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles conducted an emergency landing on the Hudson River and, remarkably, all 155 passengers and crew survived. In this episode of “What Just Happened?”, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by aviation psychologist Gill Green to discuss the extraordinary calm and leadership demonstrat...

This episode of “What Just Happened?” explores the widespread abuse committed by former Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed and its lasting impact on the Harrods brand. Decades of sexual assault allegations came to light after Al Fayed’s death in 2023 and, despite previous media investigations and survivor reports, systemic failures – including legal threats, NDAs, and a culture of fear – prevented accountability. Harrods has since accepted vicarious liability and faces compensation claims from hund...

This episode of “What Just Happened?” explores the growing threat of deepfake technology in corporate settings. In 2024, a major incident involving engineering company Arup saw a finance employee tricked into transferring £20 million after a video call with deepfaked colleagues. Hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by legal expert Emma Woollcott to discuss the criminal side of the activity and the current gaps in legislation. The episode looks at the increasing sophistication and ...

In this episode of “What Just Happened?”, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton talk to the whistleblower at the heart of one of the biggest corporate bribery scandals in history, Jonathan Taylor. A former lawyer for SBM Offshore, Taylor uncovered and reported a $240 million bribery scheme involving governments and oil companies worldwide. Despite alerting the authorities, he faced years of retaliation, including legal battles, extradition attempts, and personal hardship. Taylor reflects on ...

The TalkTalk data breach of 2015 was one of the most high profile cybersecurity incidents in the UK. Initially attributed to sophisticated hackers and feared to have exposed the personal data of over 4 million customers, it was later revealed to be the work of teenagers using basic techniques to exploit vulnerabilities in the company’s database. But the damage was already done for TalkTalk. In this episode of “What Just Happened?,” hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by seasoned ...