GONE are the days when the beautiful Julie Andrews flies into your house on her umbrella, gently singing songs to teach your children how to behave - armed with her carpet bag packed with excitingly large objects and a magic potion to make you feel better. Oh no, now the person you need is Nanny McPhee - not Mary Poppins

Seven naughty children have successfully driven away 17 nannies in an attempt to get their widowed father Cedric Brown (the delectable Colin Firth) to notice them.

At the end of the agency list and his tether, Cedric is approached by the ugly figure (warts and all) of Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson).

Using her magic and great stick to rein in the unruly children, she is able to teach them the importance of saying please and thank you, doing what they are told and learning the consequences of their actions.

The cast is a fantastic mix of recognisable stars and Colin Firth makes it worthwhile for mums to watch.

The costumes have a bright, innocent look, with great use of bold colours and shiny fabric to give all the characters a somewhat magical appearance.

One of the best scenes for this is the wedding (look out for the lambs) and the food fight is something not to be missed (who wouldn't enjoy seeing Angela Lansbury hit in the face by a colourful pie?!)

This is not so much a spoonful of sugar but more a spoonful of black, bubbling measles medicine which young and old have to swallow.

This film is sweet and easy to watch and a must-see for naughty children and their long suffering parents.

CF