Lord of the Flies
BBC1/iPlayer
***
Just as Jack Thorne’s Adolescence will forever be a calling card for its teenage star, Owen Cooper, so this adaptation of Golding's novel will open doors for many of its young cast. As well it should. The first television version of William Golding’s 1954 novel (there have been two films), it contains some unforgettable performances - and scenes I'd be happy never to revisit.
The story is told in four parts, each focusing on the main characters: “Piggy”, the sensible one, the thinker; noble Ralph; Jack the hunter; and gentle Simon. Together, they set out what happens when a plane crashes on a remote island, leaving a group of schoolboys to fend for themselves. Spoiler alert: it does not go well.
Bullies triumphant, kindness vilified, reason mocked. The parallels with today hardly need pointing out, and to his credit, Thorne doesn’t. He is more interested in the eternal truths about human nature than in any particular political regime. But the central question remains: left to our own devices, will chaos reign or civilisation triumph?
Filmed in Malaysia, Thorne’s drama revels in its spectacular setting. There are enough insect shots to put an Attenborough documentary to shame, most showing some creature being eaten by another. When it comes to feeding themselves, the boys have options other than fruit. Be aware: the worst of the pig-hunting scenes is kept for later.
Telling the story in parts allows Thorne to add complexity to the characters. Nothing and no one is black or white, not even Jack. But filling four hours requires a lot of padding. When the boys climb a hill, it feels as though we are with them every step of the way.
It's astonishing to think that most of the young actors are making their debut here. All four of the main characters are excellent, but young David McKenna from Northern Ireland is outstanding as Piggy.
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The attention to character detail pays off in the latter stages when the going gets even tougher. We know these children by then, or think we do, and are invested in their fate.
Thorne’s drama won’t be everyone’s idea of Sunday evening escapism, but it’s a thoughtful and ultimately very moving take on Golding.
Betrayal
STV/STV Player
***
No, it's not a drama about current events in Westminster - you'll have to wait a little longer for that to play out - but David Eldridge’s four-parter is solidly entertaining in its own right.
Shaun Evans plays John Hughes, an MI5 agent who is more Slow Horses than The Night Manager. Not that he is incompetent, far from it, but he’s a but he’s a working‑class lad who joined the service during the “war on terror”. Now times and targets have changed (there are women bosses, for pity’s sake), and Hughes looks increasingly dinosaur-like.
At the same time as his career is faltering, Hughes's marriage to his GP wife Claire (Romola Garai, The Hour) is in trouble. She complains that he never talks about work, which seems a bit rich given what he does. She is also tiring of his laddish behaviour, including not pulling his weight with the kids. All this, and he has a shocking case of piles. Yes, you read that right. Now you know why James Bond never married.
Hughes - who I would like to think was named after Yosser - hears from a contact that a terror attack is planned. Instead of handing the info up the food chain, Hughes goes it alone with embarrassing consequences for the service. “We all know you want to prove you've still got it,” says his (female) manager. But Hughes carries on regardless.
The maverick investigator and the grumpy boss who has his back, really, are not the only cliches and conveniences in Betrayal. While listening in to the bad guys, for instance, Hughes fortunately catches them at the exact moment they outline their plans. Some of the lines are well-worn (would any therapist today really say, with a straight face, “How does that make you feel?”), and Hughes’s laddish banter grates after a while.
The character ought to be hard to like, but who are we kidding? Evans rescues him from that fate with all his young Morse charm. While the mix of spy tale and domestic drama might come unstuck in time, it is holding together so far.
Best of all is the way Hughes and Clare spark off each other. As someone attracting enemies left, right and centre, Hughes could do without one on the home front. Those piles won't heal themselves, you know.
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