Scare the kids, says Pam Ferris

SHE famously played Miss Trunchbull, a fearsome headmistress who threw little girls around by their pigtails.

And Pam Ferris, pictured, who starred in the 1996 film, Matilda, has complained that stories for younger readers are being toned down by adults who don’t want to frighten their children.

Miss Ferris, 68, said stories that scared children were good for them because they provided valuable life lessons.

She told Reader’s Digest: ‘I firmly believe that giving children – in a safe and loving circumstances – a dose of fear and anxiety and later telling them, “It’s OK, you can go to sleep now”, is one of the best life lessons.’