Often Brian uttered the phrase ‘board of directors’ as if it were blasphemy. His regard for the abilities of most directors was low enough to be subterranean, and manifested itself in sharp asides that nearly always – either tacitly or explicitly – focused hard on what he saw as their impediments. His view of the perfect director is encapsulated in two lines: ‘The ideal director raises money, manages it and passes it on to me to spend as I see fit. If they don’t like what I do with it, they can sack me and get someone else.’ He honestly believed it.