Few people are legends in their own time - Bill was one of them. Immediately likeable, he carried so much gravitas as an academic. I would always look forward to chatting with him at the Cambridge Symposiums because I knew even a five minute conversation would deliver golden nuggets of wisdom. I will miss him and his brightly coloured vests at future symposiums. The Champion of the Thames pub in Cambridge (or "The Champ", as Bill called it) will also never be the same again.