Arise, Sir Lancelot

Greying beard, dark suit, middle age spread, consultant status. Coincidence, or have I been subconsciously working on my image? Anyone over 50 feels like a youngster in an ageing body, but for a few of us, Simon Sparrow is trapped inside Lancelot Spratt.

Doctor in the House was published in 1952, when I was 4 years old. The film was produced in 1954 by Betty Box, who died recently. Sir Lancelot was played by James …