I worked with Professor Martin Boddy on the Swindon Futures Project twenty-five years on from his book ‘City for the 21st Century: Globalisation, planning and urban change in contemporary Britain’. Professor Boddy was a pleasure to work with, he demonstrated how to combine evidence with compelling storytelling, and how to use simple and clear data presentation techniques rather than over-complicate things. Whilst the time I worked with Martin has only been a short amount of his professional life, it’s had an impact on my own, with Martin challenging our Business West team to produce and use high-quality research and to communicate it well. Martin liked to use popular advertisements to illustrate his discussions, adding a unique touch to his work, (usually the Skoda Fabia, AA, and Carlsberg ‘(Probably) the Best’ adverts). Martin’s kindness, wisdom, and dedication will be greatly missed.