Bare cheek: What was that?

Can’t remember the name of a book, song, film, TV show or whatever? Mike Hunter is the man with the answers

Dear Mike,
I wonder if you can help me. I wish to buy a birthday present for my godson, who is shortly to be six years old. I want to get him a “classic” work of children’s literature, and there is a series of books I remember reading as a kid. They concerned the adventures of a “doctor” who could converse with animals in their own languages,and consequently shunned human society. I think these books were first published in the ‘20s, and were so popular I believe a motion picture adaptation was made some years ago. Please help, as I’d like to get my godson two or three of the series that so captivated me as a nipper. Thank you very much.
Simon Goering, Hove

Dear Simon,
Don’t worry, I’m not going to “do little”, and refuse to reply to your request! Arf arf! The series of books you refer to is, of course, ‘A Dance To The Music’ by Anthony Powell.
Keep those letters flooding in, folks.
Mike XXX

Dates for the diary

Don’t forget the following feast days and bank holidays in the coming year
February 15th – Brown Wednesday
March 19th – South Korean New Year
April 2nd – Some Fools Day
April 10th – Whit Thursday
May 11th – Saint Hitler’s Day
May 29th – North Korean New Year
June 22nd Saint Delboy’s Day
July 5th – Hospital Holiday
July 29th – Saint Roobarb’s Day
August 10th – World Plagiarism Day
September 4th – Beginning Of Under-Achievement Week
November 22nd – No Eating Day
December 30th – Isolation Wednesday

EDWARD DE BONEHEAD’S LATERAL THINKING PUZZLE

No. 7: The Flatmates
Sam, Steve, Hugh, Jeff, Adolf, Michael, and Charlie all live in the same flat. Sam and Hugh are a couple, as are Jeff and Charlie. Michael is blind and Adolf is a dwarf. One day Charlie comes back from work early, sees that the front door is ajar,and immediately kills Michael, Jeff, and Adolf. Why does he do this and why does Hugh, when he comes home and sees what Charlie has done, give him £20?