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Parents regret letting kids on 'Lord of the Flies' show that saw 20 girls and boys left alone

Home> Entertainment

Published 19:45 18 Jan 2023 GMT

Parents regret letting kids on 'Lord of the Flies' show that saw 20 girls and boys left alone

The Lord of the Flies-inspired show did not have the desired effect.

Emma Guinness

Emma Guinness

A group of parents have admitted that they regret letting their kids on a chaotic Lord of the Flies-esque reality show.

The premise of Boys and Girls Alone was simple: a group of 10 boys and girls would be filmed in houses without adult supervision to see what happened. Watch the trailer below:

As you can imagine, total chaos erupted.

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The boys' group totally trashed their house and split into two smaller groups, living off junk food despite having a number of options.

They even made one member of their group, Michael, into a scapegoat and tied him to a chair.

The girls, meanwhile, were also chaotic, but they did try and come together to cook food - which, compared to their male counterparts, was comparatively civilised.

The 2009 reality programme, which spanned four episodes, also featured the children trying to complete tasks which included managing money and organising a three-day camping trip.

For its finale, the two groups of children - who were aged between eight and 11 - got to live together.

However, over a decade on from the programme which was accused of 'child abuse and cruelty', their parents say they wish they'd never allowed them to take part.

At this point it's worth noting that there were adult chaperones on set who were allowed to intervene if things got particularly out of hand.

Ruth Lewis, whose son Sam took part in a similar show in 2002, Cutting Edge's Boys Alone, said she struggles to even think about what happened.

The boys' house was particularly chaotic.
Channel 4 / Boys and Girls Alone

"That show was awful," the mum said. "If I had my time again I would say no to allowing him on the show. It was just chaos and mayhem.

"Watching this new show, I did think I can't believe I did that to my son. It was horrible watching it again. It's an awful lot for a child to go through at that age."

Her opinion was also echoed by Sam, who told the Mirror when he was 19 that he wished he'd never taken part.

"If someone asked me if I want to do it again, I'd definitely say no," he said.

"Any boy would say yes to an opportunity like that, but that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. I'd never missed my mum more in my life.

"It was mayhem and became depressing as the house divided into the two gangs and war broke out.

"The place was trashed and I'm ashamed to say that I even turned into a bit of a hooligan."

The girls' house was comparatively civilised.
Channel 4 / Boys and Girls Alone

Another participant in the 2002 incarnation of the show, Alex Lipman, said that while it sounded like fun at the time - it was everything but.

"It sounded like a really exciting prospect - 10 boys alone in the house with no rules," he says.

"I was psyched up for a fun time when I walked in.

"There was a massive banner above the stairs saying there were no rules and inflatable chairs full of sweets.

"The cupboards were full of pot noodles and water pistols. But soon I realised it was going to be horrible.

"We'd descended into hell."

Featured Image Credit: Channel 4

Topics: TV and Film

Emma Guinness
Emma Guinness

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