Shortly after the Samaritans began its phone helpline in the 1950s, many male callers began phoning to masturbate, and the charity needed a way to handle them. Founder Chad Varah routed these calls to a special line and trained female volunteers for the task. To avoid linking the Brent branch to the calls, the callers became known as Brenda callers, and the approach was called Brenda befriending. The manual grouped callers into categories, such as those seeking a laugh, lonely men, exhibitionists and manipulative people, with advice for each. Varah argued that many callers could still be helped and that the volunteers needed patience and humility.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.