So assuming David Gyngell will be in control of Nine, what should he do? He could hold a séance in Nine’s third floor boardroom in Sydney and seek guidance from the departed.

That might make a great TV show idea… “Kerry, are you there”, Gyngell intones, holding hands with John Westacott, Michael Healy and others. But assuming that he’s not a new age spiritualist, what other avenues are available?

His PR agent, Gerald Stone, author of the book Who Killed Channel 9? isn’t available: he’s facing his own problems being deputy chairman of SBS. Stone’s book probably was the catalyst for Ian Law to recognise who Gyngell was when he tore himself away from penny-pinching.

Possible recruits who spring to mind are David Barbour and Julian Cress, producers of the The Block and favourites of Gyngell. They delivered his only hit, although the idea started before Gyngell was put in charge on Nine. They were hard done by the incompetent duo of Eddie McGuire and Jeff Browne, and Browne’s demotion to Melbourne might encourage them to return from Los Angeles, where they had been working with Gyngell at Granada.

Hilary Innes, another for Nine executive, now at Granada, might also be encouraged to return with the likes of Packer and Alexander out of the mix.

Nine’s former head of drama Posie Graham Evans is another former colleague Gyngell liked. I hear they have kept in touch at a distance, so it wouldn’t surprise if she was asked, or has already been asked to return.

One potential clash to watch when Gyngell returns is with John Westacott. Not only has he praised former CEO Sam Chisholm (and by implication bagged Gyngell), but Westie also has form from 2002 when he tried to take Peter Overton and himself off to Seven. But Gyngell is returning in a much stronger position and Westie knows he has to mend relations.

Having Browne and McGuire running the show in Melbourne will not make it easy for Gyngell. They were not particularly good at controlling costs or running a business when they ran Nine, so Melbourne could very well be Gyngell’s first test.