Same thought occurred to me, Doctor John, but he does use the NATO alphabet sometimes. Even so, it strikes me as not up to his usual clueing standards. I'll say so when I send in my entry!
Thank goodness you spotted the mike / loiter connection, Quizmonkey. Like everyone else on here I thought it seemed extraordinarily unlikely viewing for Jonathan Crowther - ( I, personally hadn't even heard of it before finding the character on google) - but nothing better sprung to mind.