firstlook

The BBC has dropped a chilling first-look trailer for its new drama which is set to hit screens next month.

The BBC has unveiled a haunting first glimpse of its new adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

The iconic novel is being reimagined by Adolescence screenwriter Jack Thorne, and is scheduled to arrive on screens next month.

Featured in an ensemble of 30 boys are Winston Sawyers as Ralph, Lox Pratt as Jack, David McKenna as Piggy, and Ike Talbut as Simon. Joining them are additional castaways, including Thomas Connor as Roger, Noah and Cassius Flemyng as twins Sam and Eric, Cornelius Brandreth as Maurice, and Tom Page-Turner as Bill.

The series, marking the first television adaptation of Lord of the Flies, chronicles the terrifying tale of schoolboys marooned on a tropical island without adult supervision following a catastrophic plane crash.

Whilst battling to stay alive and as hostilities mount, they turn against one another with deadly results, reports the Express.

In a bid to maintain order, they establish a hierarchy under Ralph’s leadership and Piggy’s cleverness.

Yet as Jack grows increasingly obsessed with hunting and competing for control, he lures the other boys away, leading to devastating outcomes.

The BBC production will stay true to the source material, positioned in the early 1950s on an unidentified Pacific island, though Thorne’s version will explore more profoundly the novel’s key themes: mankind’s nature, the erosion of innocence, and masculine boyhood.

Each of the four instalments bears the name of a protagonist central to the narrative – Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Jack – presenting their individual viewpoints in their fight for survival.

In a spine-tingling first glimpse trailer, the lads start learning to survive independently on the island, scavenging for sustenance and seeking refuge.

As one declares, “We need to help each other, and we need to be good campmates,” another responds, “We’re going to hunt pigs and get meat for everybody.”

Their politeness descends into chaos as they clash with one another, with fires blazing ominously in the backdrop of certain sequences, whilst the youngsters resort to brutality and even killing.

The BBC revealed: “A classic reborn for television – Lord of the Flies is the story of a group of young schoolchildren who find themselves stranded on a tropical island with no adults, and where civilisation turns to violence and chaos.”

The riveting preview has already captivated audiences, with one commenting: “This looks incredible, I can’t wait!”

Another remarked: “Still traumatised from reading this,” whilst a third penned: “Looking forward to it.”

During a recent chat with The Times, Jack discussed the adaptation, revealing: “The world in which Golding was writing and the pain he was observing – I think we’re living in a very similar age now.”

“I find the ending of the book bleak and I find the journey of the book bleak, but I find the portrait of children not to be bleak,” he continued.

Lord of the Flies will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from February 8.