How close does Lord of the Flies stick to William Golding's novel?

All four episodes of the BBC's new adaptation of Lord of the Flies are now available to watch on iPlayer, marking the first time the classic novel has ever been brought to TV.

Like the book before it, the series, which has been adapted by Adolescence scribe Jack Thorne, follows a group of schoolboys who are stranded on a tropical island with no adults, following a deadly plane crash.

At first they organise themselves, with one boy, Ralph being elected as leader. He is advised and and supported by the group’s intellectual, Piggy.

However, when another boy, Jack, becomes interested in hunting and vying for leadership, he begins to draw other boys away, leading to tragedy.

But how closely does the book actually follow the novel, and what has Thorne said on the topic?

Read on for everything you need to know about how closely the series Lord of the Flies follows the book.

Which book is Lord of the Flies based on?

The BBC's four-part Lord of the Flies series has been based on the novel of the same name by William Golding, which was first published in 1954.

The novel, which was written during the Cold War by Golding, who had also fought in the Second World War, was inspired by both experiences, and looks at themes such as leadership, chaos and morality.

It has gone on to be considered a classic, and is often studied in schools throughout the UK.

How closely does Lord of the Flies follow the novel?

Writer Jack Thorne, who adapted the novel, has stressed his intention to make sure it was a faithful interpretation of the text, which is his favourite book.

Speaking at a Q&A for the series about how the project came about, Thorne said: "I was at Joel [Wilson, executive producer]'s house. I had a nice dinner with my wife and his children and my child, and it wasn't supposed to be about work, and Joel broke the creed by saying, 'What is it? What's the one book you're desperate to do that you've never had the chance to do?'

"And I said, 'Lord of Flies. It's always been Lord of the Flies for me, and I've tried a few times'. And he said, 'I think I can get the rights,' and I said, 'Okay'. And then it sort of started from there.

"And then we worked up quite a careful pitch for our first conversation with Judy and then she seemed to get some of it, and then we worked on it some more, and talked to her again, and then we talked to the entire estate and thankfully, they gave us the opportunity.

"But I think it's a perfect book. I think it's wonderful, and I think it gets misappropriated as being a book that's about black and white. I think what's wonderful about his writing, and what I hope we bring out in this adaptation, is that it's about glorious shades of grey.

"No one's perfect, no one's imperfect on that island - with the exception of Roger, who might be a bit of a trouble kid - and I think, and I hope that's what we've done. I hope we've sounded every note of his wonderful, wonderful text."

Perhaps the biggest 'change' between the book and the series is the latter's structure - its four episodes have each been named after one of the central characters, and takes on their perspective.

This allows the series to give more interiority to characters such as Jack, than is necessarily available in the book. However, even this Thorne says he took from his own reading of the text.

Speaking about the structure, he said: "I think that's what the estate went for, because we were able to show them, actually, it works beautifully with how he told the story. That you've got the democracy with Piggy, and then you've got the breakdown of democracy with Jack, and then you've got the chaos with Simon, and then you've got war with Ralph.

"And actually, each different piece of that puzzle, there's bits of key information that has to be carried by that child, but also it allows you to spend time with them. There's a phrase that Hitchcock wrote, I think I've misappropriated, which is 'dialogue is just the words actors say while their faces tell the story.'

"And I think there's something so powerful about watching these kids, and spending time with them. Particularly with Jack, I think - it allows you into his world. And when you see episode 2, you realise that this person that's very aggressive in episode one has a lot more to him.

"And I think by doing that, you see what could be, and then what, sadly is. And I think it's the 'could be' that you need. And that allows us to do that."

While speaking at the Q&A, Thorne was asked whether he had in the back of his mind that the book has been so widely studied in schools, and is often considered in an academic context.

"No, no," he confirmed. "What I had in the back of my mind was 'This is an incredible book, and we just need to do it justice'. I didn't study it at school. My mum taught it, she taught it in school, and the copy that I read was one that she stole from her English department."

Lord of the Flies will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Sunday 8th February 2026.

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