The first television adaptation of William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies has premiered on Netflix, following its initial broadcast on the BBC. Written by Jack Thorne, the four-part series expands on the original story by giving each of four main characters their own episode and adding personal histories not present in the novel.
Episode Structure and Character Focus
The series assigns one episode each to four characters:
- Piggy (played by David McKenna)
- Jack (Lox Pratt)
- Simon (Ike Talbut)
- Ralph (Winston Sawyers)
According to Thorne, this "relay race structure" was intended to provide a deeper understanding of each boy by following the story from each character's perspective.
New Character Backgrounds
The adaptation introduces backstories not included in Golding's novel:
- Piggy: His real name is Nicholas, and he is depicted as a fan of Groucho Marx.
- Jack and Simon: Both boys have harsh fathers, and they bond over being left alone at school with the headmaster. The series implies a friendship developed during school holidays, with Simon writing a diary that Jack reads.
- Ralph: His mother recently died, and flashbacks show his father (played by Rory Kinnear).
Adaptations to Key Scenes
Piggy's death: In the series, Piggy dies slowly over several hours while hiding with Ralph, diverging from the novel where he is killed instantly by a boulder.
Other notable changes include:
- Jack's tribe's first pig kill: The series depicts this event.
- The dead paratrooper: The paratrooper's parachute is mistaken for a monster, consistent with the novel.
- Final episode: Ralph apologizes to Nicky (Piggy) for revealing his nickname; Nicky responds, "You weren't to know ... that you'd like me so much."
Dialogue and Visual Motifs
The adaptation uses the novel's original dialogue and adds new lines, such as Jack saying, "I'm bored of worrying about being cruel. Time to get waxy." A recurring visual motif focuses on individual faces of the boy extras.
Source Material and Comparisons
Peter Brook's 1963 film adaptation adhered closely to the novel's limited character backgrounds. Thorne's series adds significant new details to the characters' personal histories.
Creator's Commentary
Jack Thorne, also known for the series Adolescence, described the novel as a psychological study of both the post-World War II period and masculinity. He noted parallels between Lord of the Flies and Adolescence, which examined the influence of misogynistic online communities on teenage boys.
Thorne stated that his feelings toward the character Jack evolved over multiple readings of the novel, and he expressed that Golding wrote Jack with tenderness. He said the series aims to present complex questions rather than easy answers.