IT sounds like every parent's worst nightmare - swapping places with their children.

But that's exactly what two North Yorkshire couples did when they agreed to take part in the BBC1 programme, Kids On Top.

Trevor and Dawn Boswell, from Copmanthorpe, near York, and David and Liz Roberts, from Tadcaster, allowed their children to rule the roost for a week and boss them about like adults.

The story of the seven nightmarish days will be screened tonight at 7pm, with the second episode on January 15. The "fly-on-the-wall" fun show is narrated by celebrity presenter Lilly Savage.

The Boswells were approached by the show's producers after they saw their daughter Sarah, 16, in a school drama group.

Mr Boswell, a chocolate maker at Nestl, said: "Sarah is a bit of a character and caught their eye. We weren't too keen at first, but were eventually badgered into it by the kids."

A camera crew followed the Boswells round for three weeks, both at home and at work, as they adapted to the shift in power.

There were a few rude awakenings for both mum and dad as their three daughters, Sarah, Katie, 14, and Lucy, 12, were allowed to lay down the law. Mrs Boswell, 39, who works at Asda, in Huntington, was ordered to kick her 30 cigarettes-a-day habit and to undergo a makeover.

Said Mr Boswell: "The girls thought Dawn's mini skirts and low-cut tops were not really suitable for a woman of her age, so she was fitted out with a new wardrobe and hairstyle."

The results, he says, were "stunning." Mr Boswell, a self-confessed "neat freak", was also banned from tidying up.

He said: "It was a real eye-opener to see how far they could push us - but revenge was certainly sweet when we resumed control."

Drama teacher Liz Roberts, also 39, was approached by the show's producers after they met her sons, Elliot, 12, and Barney, nine, at a school drama workshop. Liz said the agreement was that the boys could introduce five rules that would make their lives more enjoyable.

They chose to have mobile phones, go to bed whenever they wanted, eat more junk food instead of vegetables, make their parents stop smoking, and not have to do poop-scooping for their pet dog in the garden.

Mrs Roberts said: "The boys were tucking us up in bed at 10pm, but then taking full advantage and staying up way past midnight watching videos."

Updated: 11:43 Wednesday, January 08, 2003