The BBC’s Lord of the Flies shows why diverse casting doesn’t always work | Darren Chetty

2026-02-19 - 10:23

William Golding’s classic tale is about civilisation, ‘savagery’ and empire – can a a colour-blind cast do that justice? Adolescence creator Jack Thorne’s new BBC series sees him return to the subject of masculinity, this time turning to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The novel, which remains a GCSE set text, has been a staple of secondary school English departments almost since its publication in 1954. The decision to include a diverse cast, including the excellent Winston Sawyers who plays Ralph, will probably be viewed by many as a progressive move, ensuring that not only white actors are offered roles and not only white people are represented on screen. But for all its progressive aspirations, an adaptation like this obscures some of the most interesting themes discernible in the book. It’s important to state at the outset that I am certainly not suggesting there are too many Black and Asian people on television. The opposite is often true. Instead, I’m questioning what aspects of Golding’s original story are obscured by the inclusion of Black and Asian actors in the series. Darren Chetty is a writer and academic, and co-author with Karen Sands O’Connor of Beyond the Secret Garden: Racially Minoritised People in British Children’s Books Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...