Where was Lord of the Flies filmed?

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The BBC’s recent version of Lord of the Flies remains faithful to the original novel, depicting a group of boys stranded on a tropical island after a plane crash and their struggle to survive without adult supervision.

Because of this, the show needed to showcase incredible settings. These locations had to feel like both a beautiful paradise at the start, and a frightening, dangerous place as the boys lose their sense of order.

Fortunately, the recent adaptation was filmed mostly on location in a stunning area. But where exactly was it shot?

Want to know where the story of Lord of the Flies takes place and where the movie was actually filmed? Here’s everything you need to know.

Where is Lord of the Flies set?

It’s never made clear exactly where Lord of the Flies takes place.

The story takes place in the 1950s, during an imagined worldwide war. It centers around a group of boys being flown to safety when their plane goes down. After the crash, which kills the pilot, the boys find themselves stranded on a Pacific Ocean island.

Exactly which island this is is never named in either the book or the TV series.

Where was Lord of the Flies filmed?

Lord of the Flies was filmed almost entirely on location in Malaysia.

During a recent event for the show, executive producer Joel Wilson explained that filming took place in a remote location, far from any towns or cities.

Wilson explained that he was a big fan of the TV show Lost and even watched documentaries about its production. He recalled learning that much of the show was filmed in a Hawaii parking lot – the actors would stand with their backs to the cars and pretend to be shooting into the jungle.

We did the opposite of what most productions would do. Instead of choosing easy locations, we deliberately sought out the most difficult and impractical ones. This meant long hikes through dense jungles, and often David had to be transported by chariot or carried when the terrain was especially challenging. We ended up filming in places that were incredibly remote and uncomfortable.

Director Marc Munden explained that the cast and crew were constantly wet during filming, whether from sweat, seawater, or heavy rain.

“But it was a lot of fun as well,” he added. “The boys really enjoyed it.”

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Working with a cast of only kids was definitely… lively! Honestly, it was chaotic on set, but in the best way possible. It was brilliantly chaotic, actually – a really beautiful kind of mess. As a movie lover, seeing that energy was amazing.

We only had six hours each day to film with the children. After the first few days, we found ourselves with downtime, so I decided to film the coconuts because I really liked them.

Each day, we dedicated time to filming – usually coconuts, but also birds, crabs, and the ocean. This practice started with our daily ‘coconut time’ and gradually expanded to include other subjects and creative shots, like sweeping aerial views of the sea.

Wilson explained they initially decided against air conditioning for the young actors’ tents, hoping it would help them adjust to the environment. However, they quickly realized this wasn’t working and installed air conditioning instead. While sunburn wasn’t a major issue, they went through a lot of sunscreen and umbrellas to protect everyone from the sun.

You can now watch the complete series of Lord of the Flies on BBC iPlayer. The first episode will also be shown on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday, February 8th.

Don’t miss Lord of the Flies! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app today for daily TV suggestions, articles, and more.

Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, a global TV production company. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre Studies, as well as a journalism diploma.

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2026-02-08 11:09