There was a time in the mid-2000s when TV executives thought it'd be a good idea to let 20 children run amuck in a house for a week - unsupervised.
Channel 4 was the home of unhinged documentaries back in the day, and it's no surprise that this controversial social experiment resulted in chaos, regret and a huge mess to clean up afterward.
It no doubt made for entertaining TV, but those involved may have been scarred for life afterwards.
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Check out some clips from the experiment here:
As part of the network's Cutting Edge TV series, one episode of Boys Alone was made featuring ten boys, aged 11 to 12, that were sent to live in a stunning Hertfordshire home for five days.
The catch? There would be no parents, no adults (apart from the crew), and none of them knew each other beforehand.
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Toys, paints, books and games were provided for the children, as well as a kitchen full of food, so it's not as unethical as it sounds.
Originally airing in 2002, the episode did so well that the network filmed another experiment doing the same experiment - however, this time with a group of ten girls.
It was a modern-day Lord of the Flies situation, and while thankfully no one died, it didn't take long for things to descend into chaos.
In the case of the boys, they split into groups and almost everything in the house was destroyed.
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Despite the variety of food on offer, they mostly lived off sugary cereal and fizzy drinks.
One of the boys named Michael was made to be a scapegoat by much of the group, and was even tied to a chair in the garden at one point.
When it came to the girls, chaos also ensued - no doubt due to the excitement of having no adults around.
But there was more organisation, with a couple of the girls taking it upon themselves to cook meals and clean up.
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In the footage above, they can be seen eating one of the meals together at the table before another two girls organise a fashion show as a form of entertainment for the group.
Although the documentaries proved an interesting watch for viewers back at home, there was some controversy at the ethics of allowing a bunch of kids to live alone for this length of time - and have it broadcasted on national telly.
Speaking to the Mirror in 2009, when Channel 4 organised a similar social experiment for a documentary, Ruth Lewis, a mum of one of the boys named Sam, spoke out and said she'd regretted allowing him to take part.
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"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," she said.
"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, who was 19 years old at the time of the interview, 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."
Topics: Channel 4, Documentaries, TV
Joshua Nair