Pushy Parents (ITV1): IF there isn't a law against making your child impersonate a cat for hours on end there should be. Not that the police would be able to stop Kevin and Daphne Baines in their bid to make their daughter Marie famous.

For 26 years, Kevin has been the ultimate pushy parent - the cat incident came about when Marie won the role of the feline in Dick Whittington and her dad thought the best way to make sure she gave a lifelike performance was to get her a pet to study - for hours at a time. He cajoled her onto Blind Date in a desperate attempt, not to get her a husband, but an impromptu singing audition. As Daphne said: "Kevin doesn't push, he shoves!" but he is not alone.

Teresa Briggs has four kids - three are already signed up to a children's talent agency and the youngest, two-year-old Millie, is set to be a model. These poor children don't get a minute to themselves, with acting, sport and music filling their every waking moment. Teresa uses the old excuse of giving her brood the opportunities she never had but has obviously never thought to ask them what opportunities they would like to pursue.

Then there is Elena Prior who, despite derision from a host of record companies, refuses to give up on her ambition to see her son Alex make it as the new Pavarotti.

In their native Russia he has already made a name for himself but in London, there is little interest in the 11-year-old, who was even subjected to opera singing in his mother's womb.

And it's not just the world of music that spawns these terrible parents. Ten-year-old Charlie has been a water baby since he was five months old and he now spends hours in the pool, knowing he can never fully satisfy his dad's ambition.

Sophie, who is just eight, has been playing chess since she was two. Her mum thinks the world is so competitive that if she doesn't push her daughter she will be one of life's losers - without seeing the irony of what she is already losing out on.

On one level, it was funny watching these desperate wannabes trying to relive their misspent youths but it didn't take long to realise how these adults are setting out to smother their children's natural ambition and love of life.

Natural talent is a gift but to make it in any profession, you need a healthy dose of luck. As these parents will leave nothing to chance, it seems unlikely their little darlings will be making a name for themselves in the near future.

Published: 22/06/2004