星空传媒

Considerably enhanced.

One of our readers got a tad over-excited in response to our legal competition last week. Our headline for the brain-teaser, with tongue firmly in cheek, offered the tantalising prize that is socks for life (it was 50 quid's worth of M&S vouchers in actual fact).

At the bottom of his answer the legal egghead added: "In case I'm right, my shoe size is an eight and for what it's worth I do find that a little Lycra in the weave makes for considerably enhanced comfort!" A little too much information I'm sure you'd agree.

I hope that the staffer from Davis Langdon (we won't name you, Crispin Cockman) said this purely in jest.

Down on the farm

Word reaches us that EC Harris boss Richard Clare is going back to his roots. Born of farming stock, the dapper chairman has now sought some respite from spreading his consultancy across the globe by buying a farm in Herefordshire.

Clare's imminent rural decampment has already led to an interesting meeting of business minds. Popping in for a couple of jars at a local hostelry, Clare got chatting with a resident, who when they swapped cards turned out to be none other than than the founder of legendary London record shop Honest Jons. And his second name? Clare, no less.

Pet-name pique

It's often said there is no such thing as bad publicity. We recently caught up with a certain lively industry personality who begged to differ. He could barely contain his indignation over his recent treatment in a (former) rival publication.

Dr Joe Giordano, the effervescent director of consultancy Devsol, had been compared to the famously bouncy cartoon character Tigger. He has apparently suffered more than his fair share of ribbing as a result. In a sombre, frankly Eeyore-like manner QS News solemnly swore never to mention the T word or any other references to Giordano's, er, irrepressible disposition in any following write-ups. Imagine our surprise then, when we got an email from the doctor signed off "Joe (Tigger)". We're wondering whether the business development expert might be trading on the Tigger tag after all.