Any parent battling to get their child to eat their greens, stay off screens and go to sleep at a respectable time will know the merits of a strict nanny. Yet one couple from Ascot in southern England is taking authority to a new level: they're seeking a "Victorian" nanny to bring up their child.

In an advert placed on childcare.co.uk, they hope to find a live-in candidate who will raise their seven-year-old son in "the Victorian way": to speak the Queen's English, to read history books and learn arithmetic, and to "act properly at all times". There is to be no screen time, no affection (other than shaking hands and a kiss on the head at bedtime "if necessary"), and the little boy must wear his best clothes until bedtime. It's got to be a wind-up, right?

The Telegraph London