Adrian had a superb knack of calling people just when they were insufficiently challenged by the day job. He would ask innocently: "do you have a couple of minutes for me, I want to pick your brain". 45 minutes later, your brain would have been thoroughly picked and you felt chuffed that you had been able to assist a charming gentleman with your crumbs of wisdom. It amused people greatly, when it happened, because there was no way one could say 'no'!