Ten boys vs ten girls were left unsupervised in house for a week and the results are absolute chaos

I miss the old UK TV shows - ones where you could happily watch the weird and wonderful ways of Britain.

A great banger that encapsulates all of the above is the show where ten boys and ten girls are left unsupervised in a house for a week as part of a social experiment.

Oh, how the chaos ensued.

Watch segments from the experiment below:

It was obviously a 2000s show, where Channel 4’s Cutting Edge put together a documentary titled Boys Alone.

That’s pretty much what it was as well.

They took ten boys aged 11 to 12 to live in a wonderfully large home in Hertfordshire for five days without any supervision (apart from cameras).

The house and garden were stocked with toys, paints, books and games, as well as a kitchen full of food so that they could cook meals for themselves.

Airing in 2002, it was shortly followed by another experiment, which was conducted with a group of ten girls.

When it came to the boys and girls, the differences were obvious from the offset.

The boys split into groups and destroyed almost everything in the house.

They also refused to make food and lived off cereal and fizzy drinks.

Channel 4

One boy, Michael, was the group’s designated scapegoat and was even tied to a chair in the garden at one point.

But the girls were prepared to win this experiment.

Though chaos did happen, it was more so from the excitement of being left to their own devices.

But there was actual organisation, with a couple of the girls deciding to be the cooks and cleaners of the house.

In the footage, you can see them eating one of the meals together at the table before another two girls organise a fashion to entertain the group.

Even though it was an entertaining watch, there was a lot of backlash about the ethics of allowing a group of kids to live alone for this length of time - and have it broadcasted on national TV - too.

Channel 4

Speaking to The Mirror in 2009, Ruth Lewis, a mum of one of the boys named Sam, spoke out about Channel 4’s choice to try another similar stint.

She said: "That show was awful. 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."

Sam, then 19, added: "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."

LADbible has reached out to Channel 4 for comment.