‘We are bringing them up to be themselves’

‘I read about the idea and it sort of chimed with how I was with the kids. I didn’t want to be stressed, shouting and screaming at them all the time.’

She is certainly a chilled-out mum. During filming, there is disruption in the house as Theo, four, spills fruit juice everywhere while the 11-month-old crawls over the table. She deals with it by smiling. ‘What’s the point of telling Theo off? He is four. He doesn’t understand.’

Then Jessica, seven, decides she would like purple hair. What to do? She helps her dye it, of course.

There are some interesting conundrums explored in this programme. The Rawnsley family face a huge challenge when two of their children — Skye and Finlay — decide they want to go to school. ‘That took us a little by surprise,’ says Gemma. ‘But we went with it because, again, it was their call.’

Gemma insists this is not an easy option. ‘The easy way is to wave your kids off to school and let someone else take on the responsibility.

‘But we didn’t have kids for someone else to raise them.

‘And every single decision we make is controlled. We think about it very carefully.’

Jenna points out that their lifestyle choice is, if anything, harder for the parents — because it is all about the children. ‘I had to give up my own job to create this sort of life. In many ways, I’ve sacrificed a lot of myself.’

To watch these ‘feral’ children at play is joyful. When they are grownups, however, will they thank their parents for their unconventional upbringing? Yes, says Gemma. ‘Because we are bringing them up to be themselves. They can only gain from that.’