Many stories are told by old ITV hands about Brownrigg's idiosyncrasies, especially his dominant - or domineering - manner, his name-dropping, his willingness to outrageously generalise on any subject and his requirement for very junior staff to salute him and his fellow directors. However, personal friends also point out that he had a great sense of humour and an ability to laugh at himself - many of the anecdotes about him may therefore have derived from him in the first place.