The BBC Lord of the Flies adaptation premiered February 8, 2026, sparking debate about its modern reinterpretation. The three-part series updates the story to a pandemic lockdown boarding school setting.

Critical Reception

The Guardian awarded four stars praising visceral intensity. The Telegraph called it unnecessarily grim. Rotten Tomatoes shows 68 percent critic score versus 82 percent audience score. Oscar Dunbar received praise for his portrayal of Ralph.

Controversies

Some viewers objected to gender-swapped casting. Increased violence generated parental warnings. Overnight ratings show 4.2 million viewers with 1.8 million iPlayer streams within 24 hours.