Nanny McPhee 
If you thought Mary Poppins had cornered the magical nanny market, then think again. Weighing in at the red corner is Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson, who also wrote the screenplay) - a governess with a body like a bag of spanners but a heart of gold and a rod of iron. Widow Cedric Brown's seven-strong brood might have scared off 17 nannies but the mischievous scamps are no match for warty McPhee. Things quickly take a mysterious turn with the help of her magical walking stick and as the children's behaviour improves, so too does Nanny's gruesome appearance. With strong support from Angela Lansbury and Imelda Staunton as mean moneyed aunt Adelaide and fretful cook Mrs Blatherwick, there's plenty of escapist fun for parents and kids in this fine adaptation of Christianna Brand's Nurse Matilda books.
