In 1980, 2 years postqualification, flushed with the recent acquisition of the MRCP, I saw an advertisement in the BMJ for a research fellow post in clinical physiology at the Brompton. I came up to look around and be interviewed for a job which (rightly) I did not get, and first met David Denison, the professor and head of department. First impressions (subsequently confirmed and reconfirmed) were of a man with an incredibly sharp and original mind, lively in debate and with a great sense of fun, but who was also totally devoid of any pomposity or ‘side’, to use an old-fashioned phrase. We shared a love for many things, including Jaroslav Hasek's immortal creation, the Good Soldier Schwek (who subsequently appeared on my slides for my first ever BTS presentation, typically drawn by David—nothing was too much trouble if it tickled his fancy!). David clearly hugely enjoyed life, and enjoyed finding things out. Physiology was obviously an endless fascination to him, and these were the heydays of physiology. Incredibly now, the consolation prize for another unsuccessful candidate at the interview was a research job in a wet lab. I left the interview determined to make it back again.

During a subsequent registrar job, I did a physiology project in the department (which became the Schwek presentation, and a Clinical Science paper) and, subsequently, had a call from David offering me a research fellowship. I accepted with alacrity, and stayed for more than 4 years, obtaining an MD and having my career launched into a new direction, paediatrics, largely by Elliott Shinebourne. I met many fellows there who went on to great things—the current BTS president and the current Respiratory Tsar, to name but two. They were great years⇓.

David inspired huge …