The BBC is bringing William Golding’s Lord of the Flies to screens in a much-anticipated adaptation — yet the fictional tale once mirrored a terrifying real-life ordeal experienced by six teenagers.

Published in 1954, the renowned novel follows a group of boys marooned on an island without adults following an aircraft disaster. Their attempts to establish a functioning society quickly descend into savagery as they turn on one another.

While the disturbing events involving iconic characters such as Jack, Piggy, Simon and Ralph are purely fictional, the work sparked unsettling debates about human nature and what might truly unfold should young boys find themselves isolated on an island.

Astonishingly, 11 years after the book’s publication, six Tongan teenagers decided to skip school for an adventurous escapade in June 1965, earning them the title of the real-life Lord of the Flies.

The six youngsters, aged between 13 and their late teens, hailed from Tonga and chose to commandeer a small fishing vessel rather than attend their lessons. Reports suggest they set their sights on reaching Fiji, nearly 500 miles distant from Tonga.

Yet they were soon engulfed by a storm which wrecked their boat, leaving them adrift for over eight days as they were swept increasingly off course. Recalling the harrowing ordeal, the eldest boy, Sione ‘Ulufonua Fataua, then aged 18, revealed to People magazine: “The boat was all torn up – no rudder, no sails – and for eight days we drifted with no food, no rain to drink.

“We prayed, knowing only God could save us.”

Their desperate pleas were eventually met when the teenagers glimpsed an uninhabited island on the horizon named ‘Ata, which had been deserted since 1863.

Rather than descending into the savage chaos depicted in The Lord of the Flies, the youngsters demonstrated extraordinary courage and teamwork to endure their predicament.

Astonishingly, they remained marooned on the island for 15 months, with each boy taking responsibility for the others’ wellbeing.

They sustained themselves on a diet of fish, coconuts and wild taro plants, fashioned shelters from banana leaves, and created fire by rubbing sticks together.

The six teenagers even maintained morale by improvising exercise equipment from tree stumps for group training sessions.

Perhaps their greatest test arrived when one boy tumbled from a cliff, suffering a broken leg — yet his companions ingeniously crafted splints from sticks and leaves before resetting the bone, which ultimately healed completely.

Discussing how they managed disputes and friction, Sione explained: “If anybody had something they didn’t like, they talked about it and we say ‘Sorry’ and then pray and everything’s okay.

“If someone got really mad — like, if I planned something and they didn’t do it — you disappear for a few hours, look at the ocean and clear it out of your mind.”

Despite the odds, the boys managed to survive until their rescue on September 11, 1966. Their saviour was Peter Warner, an Australian fisherman who noticed smoke billowing from the supposedly deserted island.

Overwhelmed with relief and joy, the boys boarded Warner’s boat, ready to return to their families who had mourned them as lost. Before setting off, however, Warner radioed in their names and received the astonishing response: “You found them! These boys have been given up for dead. Funerals have been held. If it’s them, this is a miracle!”

Boarding Warner’s yacht, one of the boys recalled: “I could not explain how we feel, all of us, we are full of tears, happy, and like we walk through to heaven.”

Upon their return, hundreds of people on the island of Haʻafeva gathered to welcome the six boys home. Even King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV of Tonga sent a message to Warner, thanking him for his heroic rescue and asking: “Thank you for rescuing six of my subjects. Now, is there anything I can do for you?”

To which Warner responded: “Yes! I would like to trap lobster in these waters and start a business here.”

Reflecting on their survival years later, Sione told CBS: “I think the culture where we come from. We are close. Really close family. We share everything. We poor, but we love each other.”

However, for a more sinister exploration of a dystopian nightmare, The Lord of the Flies will air on BBC One at 9pm tonight (February 9). This marks the first instalment in a four-part series.