Now then, now then, did you know that:
- By 1972 he was already an OBE?
- By 1991 he'd already been knighted by the Queen, and made a Knight Commander of Saint Gregory the Great by the Vatican?
- He was made an honorary Commando Green Beret, having completed the Royal Marine Commando speed march: 30 miles across Dartmoor carrying 30 lb of kit?
- He was made a Knight of Malta and a Freeman of the Borough of Scarborough?
- He worked as a live-in porter at Stoke Mandeville, for which he raised over £40 million?
- He sponsored undergraduates to research spinal injuries to the tune of £60,000 a year?
- He was a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists?
- He was a member of MENSA?
- He invented the disco?
He was, by any standards, an eccentric, strange to look at, but above all, a bloody good bloke.