I have explained that, initially at least, Checkland had reacted in a dignified way to his hole-in-corner displacement by John Birt and the prospect of a difficult and uncomfortable interregnum. For his part, Birt made every effort to give Checkland his (inevitably diminished) place. He was, of course, involved in such issues as reacting to the views and recommendations of the several task forces, but much of his time was being spent on reflection, and in close colloquy with consultants from McKinsey, the internationally active advisers on business practices.

John Birt had a strange, shy, veiled and uncommunicative personality. He was a son of Liverpool and a product of a Christian Brothers education there. Things may or may not have been different in England, but in Ireland the Christian Brothers had the reputation of being strict and rigid disciplinarians, intolerant of idiosyncrasy or dissent. On going up to Oxford (St Catherine's College) he opted, like many others before and after him, to read for a degree (in his case in Engineering), which failed to engage his interest or exploit his talents. At the early age of 21 he had married a charming American, Jane Lake, an artist of some ability. By his mid-twenties he had become well established in independent television, where he was involved in the production of a number of prestigious programmes, including World in Action, The Frost Programme, Weekend World and The Nixon Interview.