Access someone else's Time Machine backup drive?

Hi,
I have a friend whose Macbook has just been stolen, but he had used a USB harddrive for Time Machine backups. Is it possible for us to plug his HD into my Macbook in order to retrieve some of the files that he needs urgently. We will be able to do a proper restore when a he buys a new Macbook but until then it's just the file access he needs.

I use a Time Capsule myself and hope that won't get confusing for the TM software.

Any ideas?
Many thanks

Ben