both had lots and lots of flight sim playing.
I suspect that sort of factor is the key..
It would be interesting
to take a non pilot, non simmer, plonk them in front of something like MS flight sim ( or something better), and try talking them through a descent from the cruise and the landing....without the "instructor" being able to see the PC screen...........( oh, and you have to land within an hour
).
I think in the real world if the OPs scenario happened your best chance of success wouldn't be on a short haul sector, it would be at the start of an Ultra Longhaul sector..... ATC and our mythical Duty pilot could stick the flight on radar vectors (e.g out of LHR use heading select to fly up and down the North Sea) and spend the next X hours teaching/explaning and even dictating procedures before commencing the approach......