First look at Lord of the Flies: Jack Thorne’s bold BBC adaptation brings Golding’s classic to life

The first images from the BBC and the new Stan adaptation Lord of the Flies they arrived, giving us a look Jack Thorneis the version of William Golding’s timeless and disturbing novel.

The four-part limited series marks a first Lord of the Flies was adapted for television, with Marc Munden (National treasure) as director and Thorne (Adolescence) writing the scripts. The project was developed with the full support of the Golding family.

Produced by Undici (Sex education) for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, and co-produced with Stan, the series will also air in Australia, with Sony Pictures Television handling international distribution.

Newly released photos capture the young cast deep in the Malaysian wilderness, bringing the chaos of Golding’s story to life. Many of the kids are newcomers to acting, which adds a raw authenticity to the project.

The cast includes Winston Sawyers as Ralph, Lox Pratt as Jack, David McKenna like Piggy, and Ike Talbut like Simone. Thomas Connor plays Roger, Noah and Cassius Flemming they are the twins Sam and Eric, Cornelius Brandreth portrays Maurice, e Tom Page Turner appears as Bill. They are joined by more than 30 others who make up the “biguns” and “littluns” of the island.

Originally published in 1954, Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of British schoolchildren stranded on a remote island after a plane crash.

At first, they attempt to maintain order and build some semblance of society, with Ralph trying to lead and Piggy acting as his rational advisor. But Jack’s obsession with hunting and power slowly unravels their fragile civilization, leading the boys from structure to savagery.

Thorne’s adaptation stays true to Golding’s vision, remaining set in the early 1950s on an unnamed Pacific island, but promises to dig deeper into the emotional and psychological layers of the story. It explores the darkest corners of human nature, the collapse of innocence and the unstable energy of infantile masculinity.

Each of the four episodes is named after one of the central characters… Ralph, Piggy, Simon and Jack, offering a focused perspective on the unraveling of the group and the moral decay that follows.

I can’t wait to watch it.