Fortunately for the British, his Anglophilia survived the rebuff he received as a young man when his admiration for William Pitt the Elder had led him to knock on the door of Pitt's house in London, by then the home of the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

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Take some steps to prevent a repeat performance: Install a lock on your bedroom door, encourage kids to knock, play soft music or the TV for white noise at night, and schedule "private parent time" when your child knows not to disturb you.

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They knock on the door and ask the partyers to make less noise, and then leave.

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Now committee member and Labour MP Louise Ellman has warned Lord Birt that he could receive "a knock on the door" if he fails to give evidence.

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But it's not easy to reassure a child when parents are afraid themselves of the knock on the door with bad news.

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And Employment Secretary David Blunkett said the government wanted to ensure there was "one door to knock on" for people of working age.

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It is getting to the point where, at least for a certain but significant part of the population, you can now communicate as confidently for persuasion or GOTV (Get Out The Vote) with somebody online as you would by sending a canvasser to knock on their door or sending mail into their mailbox.

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The 22-year-old answered a knock to the front door of her home in Third Avenue in Luton at 13:10 GMT on Thursday.

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