''Supernanny'' is a British

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

programme about parents struggling with their children's behaviour, mealtime routines, potty training, etc. The show features professional

nanny A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...

Jo Frost, who devotes each episode to helping a family where the parents are struggling with child-rearing. Through instruction and observation, she shows parents alternative ways to discipline their children and regain order in their households. Frost is a proponent of the " naughty chair" theory of discipline and is strictly opposed to

spanking Spanking is a form of corporal punishment involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the buttocks of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or implem ...

. The programme aired on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

from 7 July 2004 to 8 October 2008. A follow-up programme titled '' Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance'' ran from 9 February 2010 to 5 August 2012. ''Supernanny'' has been adapted in other countries, including an American version (also with Jo Frost).

History

''Supernanny'' was originally broadcast in the UK on

on 7 July 2004, following the success of Channel 4's '' Cutting Edge'' programme "Bad Behaviour". ''Supernanny'' is one of Channel 4's most popular shows, reaching nearly 5 million viewers in the first series, with consistently high ratings throughout the series. The premiere episode for the third series attracted 3.1 million viewers with a 14% audience share. These values are half of those from the previous two series.

Reception

In their book ''Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Treatment, Children and Adolescents'', Michel Hersen and David Reitman state, "With considerable skill, ''Super Nanny'' Jo Frost implements standard, evidence-based contingency management procedures, as well as heavy evidence of creating alternative positive activity structures." The show has had its critics, and not all child-care experts agree with her approach. Some people find that the children's

right to privacy The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions that intends to restrain governmental and private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals. Over 185 national constitutions mention the right to privacy. Since the globa ...

has been violated and that children are embarrassed when put on the "naughty step".

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...

media and cultural-studies lecturer Tracey Jensen believes that the format results in the mother being "shamed before she is transformed". The show, viewed by six million people in its first year, was an "instant success." Shows were created in 48 countries by 2014 that were tailored after ''Supernanny''.

Home media

A DVD release of ''Supernanny'' entitled ''When Little Kids Cause Big Headaches'' was released in the UK on 12 April 2010.

Episodes

International versions

'' Supernanny'' has been broadcast or slightly adapted in other countries.

References

External links

* {{Jo Frost, state=collapsed 2004 British television series debuts 2008 British television series endings 2000s British reality television series Channel 4 documentary series Channel 4 reality television shows British English-language television shows Television controversies in the United Kingdom Television controversies in Australia Parenting television series Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series about nannies