Lord of the Flies has reignited interest in a ‘lost’ Channel 4 reality show so controversial it’s now almost impossible to watch online.
The BBC adaptation of Lord of the Flies tells a familiar story: schoolboys stranded on an uninhabited Pacific island, trying – and failing – to build order without adults.
It raises the same unsettling question: what would actually happen if children were left to govern themselves?
Back in 2009, Channel 4 tried to answer it. It didn’t go well.
Lord of the Flies fans hunt down Boys and Girls Alone
Boys and Girls Alone aired on Channel 4 in February 2009.
Ten boys and ten girls, aged between eight and 12, were left alone for two weeks in separate cottages in Cornwall. No parents, and no direct adult supervision unless things became serious.
On paper, it reads like social experiment inspired by Lord of the Flies, and it proved to be just as uncomfortable.
There were tears, bullying, and loads of arguments, with the kids clearly overwhelmed and homesick. As one Reddit user recently put it, it was “pretty bleak”.
Ofcom received hundreds of complaints, including from the NSPCC. Author Michael Morpurgo signed a letter accusing the broadcaster of “child abuse and cruelty”.
Despite the backlash, Ofcom ruled in Channel 4’s favour, stating the programme had “employed an extensive range of measures and procedures”.
Some parents defended it, with one mum of a participant describing fears of lasting trauma as “ridiculous”.
But the fallout was real. Shortly afterwards, ministers ordered a major review of child employment laws.
Can you watch Boys and Girls Alone now?
Boys and Girls Alone was once available on Channel 4’s on-demand service. It has since been removed and isn’t legally streaming anywhere.
Clips exist on YouTube, but full episodes have been taken down.
Without a DVD release or licensing deal, it’s effectively vanished – turning it into a piece of modern “lost media” (until someone finds it).
Interest has surged again thanks to the BBC’s Lord of the Flies. Viewers have also pointed to Boys Alone, a similar experiment that aired seven years earlier.
“The boys quickly singled out the boy with the gentlest personality and made a rule that none of the others were allowed to speak to him,” one Redditor recalled.
“They went full feral very quickly,” another wrote.
A former participant hosted a Reddit AMA in 2023, reflecting on the experience.
“It got a lot of hatred because it was like… Lord of the Flies,” they wrote.
“They should have taken more action when we were in troubling times like when we were eating the worst things.”
Read more: Lord of the Flies BBC cast includes Harry Potter’s new Draco Malfoy and unexpected cameos
Lord of the Flies is available on BBC iPlayer now.
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know if you’ve seen it?