Boys Have Adventure of a Lifetime Filming Lord of the Flies

A Once-In-a-Lifetime Adventure for Young Actors

You might think this is new, but… a group of 30 young actors, aged between five and twelve, embarked on an adventure that turned their lives upside down. They were cast to film the BBC One series adaptation of “Lord of the Flies,” an original novel by William Golding about schoolboys stranded on a tropical island after a plane crash.

The boys flew out to Langkawi, Malaysia, for several months of filming. They spent their days trekking through mountain tops and jungles, facing extreme humidity, all without adult supervision. And you’d think they would have been bored, but no—these kids turned it into an experience to remember.

The Filming Experience

Seven-year-old Fred Jones, who plays Johnny in the show, shared his story with BBC Essex: “A monkey broke in the hotel restaurant, climbed down a pole and stole my croissant and omelette.” The boys also had their fair share of wildlife encounters. Fred, an enthusiastic wildlife lover, spotted scorpions, snakes, monkeys, monitor lizards, eagles, hermit crabs, geckos, and flying lemurs.

Beau Thompson, another cast member from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, had a cheeky moment with the local monkeys. “The food in Malaysia was really nice and I got to see these monkeys; they’re called dusky leaf monkeys. They’re so cheeky – they once stole my banana,” he said.

Life Off Set

When not filming or being tutored, the boys spent their time swimming in the sea and hotel pool, fishing, exploring local waterfalls, playing pool, and even staging their own talent show. “It was hard sometimes but getting dressed up every day, and spending months in the tropics with 30 of my friends was so much fun,” said Blake Williams from Basildon, Essex. “I am so glad it happened as it has been such a wonderful experience.”

Director Marc Munden highlighted the boys’ natural performances: “We were mostly starting from square one, and that threw up all sorts of challenges, but also joyful surprises.” He added, “They learned that they didn’t have to present a character and say the lines like you might in a school play; that the character came out of what they were doing.”

The Challenges

Despite the tropical paradise setting, filming posed its own set of challenges. Director Munden had initially to remind the younger ones not to look at the camera but quickly found that they excelled in their roles. “They watched each other act, learning from one another, and everyone tended towards a higher level of performance as a result,” he said.

For many boys, it was their first professional acting job. They had no adult actors on set to learn from, and lots of sunscreen and insect repellent were required.

Rafael de Belligny, 13, from Maldon, Essex, said he felt very lucky to have been chosen for the project: “I think it was almost a year from the first audition tape to when we actually started shooting.” He enjoyed exploring Langkawi in his downtime and playing with his friends on the beach.

But not all moments were perfect. Fred Jones recounted an incident where he was surprised by a cheeky thief during breakfast, which turned out to be a mischievous monkey. “They were called mudskippers and they were really hard to catch,” he said about a scene filmed with his friend Beau.

A Lifelong Bond

Cast members said they had made friends for life after spending months together, on and off set. One of their favorite memories was the talent show they performed at their hotel. “It felt incredible to finally get that call that I’d got in and get to go out to that island,” Blake Williams explained.

The series continues on BBC One at 21:00, offering viewers a glimpse into the lives of these young actors who turned their once-in-a-lifetime experience into a groundbreaking production.