I have always considered the former MP to be odd on many levels, but having caught sight of him briefly on 'Celebrity', I realised I had never noticed that his face is all odd angles - especially his chin and jaw which seem to be out of alignment, giving him something of a 'hall of mirrors' aspect.
On 13 April 1998 Öpik came close to death in a near fatal paragliding accident. He fell 80 feet (24 m) onto a Welsh mountain in his constituency, and broke his back in twelve places, as well as his ribs, sternum and jaw.[16][17] This experience caused him to take a keen interest in the Spinal Injuries Association,[18] of which he is a member. Despite the accident, he continues with his interest in aviation. He has since become a glider pilot at the Midland Gliding Club in Shropshire. He holds a pilot's licence and spoke for British Gliding in the House of Commons. Öpik also rides motorcycles and is a member of the Motorcycle Action Group.
His mother is the client of a friend of mine. She is, apparently, a rather posh but very likeable and charismatic lady, so if he's anything like her, it's easy to see why he's so popular.
I did also hear a story about a pub being hassled by a local authority about its regular biker nights, despite the locals backing them and the nights being well-behaved affairs. Lembit got to hear about it and backed them (pulled some rank, as I seem to recall) and, lo and behold, biker nights continued.