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{{Short description|British science fiction television series (1967–1968)}}
{{otheruses6|The Prisoner (disambiguation)|Prisoner}}
{{about|the 1967 British TV series|other uses|Prisoner (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Television
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
| show_name = The Prisoner
{{Use British English|date=November 2020}}
| image = ]
{{Infobox television
| caption = ''The Prisoner'' intertitle
| image = Prisoner sm.jpg
| format = ], ]
| genre = {{Plain list |
| camera =
* ]
| picture_format =
* ]
| audio_format =
}}
| runtime = approx. 50 minutes
| caption =
| creator = ]<br>]
| camera =
| developer =
| runtime = 50 minutes
| producer = David Tomblin
| executive_producer = Patrick McGoohan | creator = ]
| director = {{Plain list |
| starring = Patrick McGoohan
* Patrick McGoohan
| voices =
* ]
| narrated =
* ]
| theme_music_composer =
* ]
| opentheme =
}}
| endtheme =
| developer =
| country = {{UK}}
| producer = David Tomblin
| location =
| executive_producer = Patrick McGoohan
| language =
| starring = Patrick McGoohan
| network = ]
| voices =
| first_aired = ] ]
| narrated =
| last_aired = ] ]
| theme_music_composer = ]
| num_series =
| opentheme =
| num_episodes = ]
| composer = {{Plain list |
| list_episodes =
* ]
| preceded_by =
* ]
| followed_by =
* ]
| related =
* ] etc.<ref>The Prisoner, Original Soundtrack – 3 disc set – Network</ref>
| website =
}}
| imdb_id =
| endtheme =
| tv_com_id =
| country = United Kingdom
| location = {{Plain list |
* ], ]
* ], ]
}}
| company = Everyman Films<br>]
| language = English
| network = ] (])
| first_aired = {{Start date|1967|9|29|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1968|2|1|df=y}}
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 17
| list_episodes = List of The Prisoner episodes
| related =
}} }}
'''''The Prisoner''''' is a ] ] ] ] ] starring ]. It follows a 1960s (contemporary) Englishman who, after abruptly resigning from his position as a top-level government agent, is held captive in a small, colourful village by unknown people who are concerned about his resignation. Each episode typically features the imprisoned former agent, labelled "]" by his captors who refuse to use names, failing to escape "]", but resisting the interrogation and brainwashing attempts by his captors.

The show was created by McGoohan and ], with exteriors filmed primarily on location at the ] in ], ]. Only seventeen episodes were produced, with the first originally broadcast in ] on ] ],<ref>As noted in Matthew White & Jaffer Ali's 1988 ''The Official Prisoner Companion'' book, the world premiere broadcast was July 16, 1967, by the ] (CBC). The first UK premiere was September 29, 1967 on ].</ref> and the last airing on ] ].

Although sold as a ] in the mould of McGoohan's previous series, '']'', the show's combination of ] ] themes and its surreal setting had a far-reaching effect upon ]-]-] ] and also ] in general.

In 2006, ] revealed plans for a remake for the ] channel, which will take "liberties" with the original.<ref></ref> However, in May 2007 it was reported that Sky One had pulled out of the project.<ref>Midgley, Neil. , ''The Telegraph'', ] ]. Accessed ] ]. </ref> Until a new broadcaster is found it can be assumed that production cannot continue.

==Origins==
The show combined two concepts. One concept was devised by McGoohan, years earlier, in reaction to the surreal appearance of the Welsh resort Hotel ], where location filming for three episodes of the first '']'' TV series was done. McGoohan felt that something ] and meaningful should be done with the place.

In a 1977 interview, McGoohan said: "...initially came to me on one of the locations on ''Secret Agent'' when we went to this place called Portmeirion, where a great deal of it was shot, and I thought it was an extraordinary place, architecturally and atmospherewise, and should be used for something and that was two years before the concept came to me."<ref name=mcgoohan> "An Interview with Patrick McGoohan", conducted by Warner Troyer, March 1977</ref>

The other concept came from ], when McGoohan began complaining that the revival of ''Danger Man'', on which the other was script editor, was becoming stale and uninteresting to him.

Markstein remembered that during ] some people were incarcerated in a resort-like prison and suggested that the lead character John Drake could suddenly resign, and find himself kidnapped to such a locale, having to identify his captors without giving them any information and escape.

McGoohan: "It was a place that is trying to destroy the individual by every means possible; trying to break his spirit, so that he accepts that he is No 6 and will live there happily as No 6 for ever after. And this is the one rebel that they can't break."<ref name=mcgoohan> "An Interview with Patrick McGoohan", conducted by Warner Troyer, March 1977</ref>

Many critics and TV historians agree that another inspiration was an episode of '']'', entitled ''Colony Three'', first aired in 1964 <ref>''Cult TV'' by Jon E. Lewis and Penny Stempel, published by Pavilion Books Limited</ref>. In this episode, McGoohan's character, ], goes to a spy school in ] during the ]. The place is based in the middle of nowhere and is made up of many British nationals who, by will or by force, are made to help train potential spies. The instructors themselves are virtual prisoners who have little or no hope of ever leaving, and some have settled in quite willingly. Unlike Number 6 though, Drake does manage to escape eventually <ref>TV.com overview of '']'' episode ''Colony Three'' </ref>.

McGoohan grafted this onto the material he had developed in the intervening years and pitched it to ] of ]. (McGoohan invariably denies The Prisoner and John Drake are the same character. Producer ] who created and owned the John Drake character has never received credit or payment.)

"I'd made 54 of those and I thought that was an adequate amount. So I went to the gentleman, Lew Grade, who was the financier, and said that I'd like to cease making ''Secret Agent'' and do something else. So he didn't like that idea. He'd prefer that I'd gone on forever doing it. But anyway, I said I was going to quit."

"So I prepared it and went in to see Lew Grade. I had photographs of the Village... So I talked for ten minutes and he stopped me and said, 'I don't understand one word you're talking about, but how much is it going to be?'... I told him how much and he says, 'When can you start?' I said 'Monday, on scripts.' And he says, 'The money'll be in your company's account on Monday morning.' " '<ref name=mcgoohan> "An Interview with Patrick McGoohan", conducted by Warner Troyer, March 1977</ref>

Grade bought the show and it was produced for broadcast on ] and overseas.


'''''The Prisoner''''' is a British television series created by ], with possible contributions from ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/aug/17/features.theguardian |title=Merciful release |author=Steven Paul Davies |website=] |date= 17 August 2000 |access-date=28 March 2019}}</ref> McGoohan portrays ], an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a ] after resigning from his position.<ref name="BFI">{{cite web |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/478691/index.html |title=The Prisoner (1967–68) |author=Anthony Clark |website=] |access-date=23 March 2019 }}</ref> The ] plotlines of the series contain elements of ], ], and ].<ref name="NYT" /> It was produced by Everyman Films for distribution by ]'s ].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|work=]|title=A Spy Trapped in a Nightmare of Psychedelia|first=Thomas|last=Vinciguerra|date=19 October 2008|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/arts/television/19vinc.html?_r=0}}</ref>
For the script writers McGoohan wrote a 40-page "...history of the Village, the sort of telephones they used, the sewerage system, what they ate, the transport, the boundaries, a description of the Village, every aspect of it..."<ref name=mcgoohan />


A single series of 17 episodes was filmed between September 1966 and January 1968, with exterior location filming primarily taking place in the Welsh seaside village of ]. Interior scenes were filmed at ] in ], ]. The series was first broadcast in Canada beginning on 5 September 1967, in the UK on 29 September 1967, and in the United States on 1 June 1968.<ref name="Pixley">{{cite book |last=Pixley |first=Andrew |date=2007 |title=The Prisoner: A Complete Production Guide |publisher=Network |page=7 }}</ref> Although the show was sold as a thriller in the mould of '']'', McGoohan's previous series, its ] and ] setting and reflection of concerns of the ] have had a far-reaching influence on ] and cultivated a ].<ref name=Rogers>{{cite book|last=Rogers|first=Dave|title=The Prisoner & Danger Man|year=1992|publisher=Boxtree|location=|isbn=978-1852832605}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=29 September 2017 |title=Celebration as cult show The Prisoner turns 50 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-41427458 |access-date=28 March 2019 |website=]}}</ref>
He also wrote and directed several episodes, often under various ]s. Specifically he wrote "]" as Paddy Fitz (Paddy being the Irish abbreviation for Patrick and Fitzgerald being his mother's maiden name) and directed "]" and "]" as Joseph Serf. He wrote and directed the last two episodes - "]" and "]" &mdash; and directed the aforementioned "Free for All" under his own name.


==Premise== ==Premise==
The series follows ] (Patrick McGoohan), an unnamed British intelligence agent who, after abruptly and angrily resigning from his highly sensitive government job, prepares to go on a trip. While packing his luggage, he is rendered unconscious by ] piped into his home in ].
The ], played by McGoohan, is apparently a former ] of the British government during the ]. He is never identified by name and the exact nature of his job is never explicitly indicated, though numerous episodes provide clues. After resigning his position, he is kidnapped and held prisoner in a small, isolated, eccentric seaside resort town known only as ].


Upon waking, he finds himself in a re-creation of the interior of his home, located in a mysterious coastal settlement known to its residents as "]". The Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on the other.
The authorities in control of the Village (whose identity and allegiance are never made clear) call him ] and attempt to find out, "by hook or by crook," why he resigned. These efforts are made even though they have Number Six's letter of resignation, which by implication would have stated his reasons.


The man becomes acquainted with the residents, hundreds of people from all walks of life and cultures, all seeming to be peacefully and mostly enjoyably living out their lives.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mrporter.com/daily/is-the-prisoner-the-most-underrated-tv-show-ever/1256 |title=Is The Prisoner the most underrated TV show ever? |author=Jack Ford |website=] |date=August 2016 |access-date=31 March 2019 }}</ref> They do not use names, but have been assigned numbers which, aside from designations such as Two, Three, and Six, give no clue as to their status within the Village with most being captives, but some are guards. Prisoners, therefore, have no idea whom they can and cannot trust. The protagonist is assigned Number Six, but he refuses to accept the designation: "I am not a number! I am a free man!"<ref name="BFI" />
In "]", Number Two states that he believes Number Six's resignation was a matter of principle, but that he himself was charged with performing "a double check." It may be that the letter did not explain the specific cause of Number Six's decision, only the principles and sentiments that motivated him.


Although the residents can freely move about the Village, they are constantly under the surveillance of numerous high-tech monitoring systems and cannot leave. Security forces, including a balloon-shaped automaton called ], recapture or kill those who attempt to escape.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/wales/articles/portmeirion-wales-the-oddest-holiday-village-on-earth/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/wales/articles/portmeirion-wales-the-oddest-holiday-village-on-earth/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=The odd Welsh holiday village that looks like it's in Tuscany |author=Marcel Theroux |website=] |date=13 April 2017 |access-date=28 March 2019 |author-link=Marcel Theroux }}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Throughout the series, Number Six attempts to escape while defying all attempts to break his will. He also tries to discover for which "side" his captors work and the identity of the mysterious "Number One" who presumably runs the Village.


{{Quote box
==Format and setting==
| quote = I will not make any deals with you. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own.
]
| salign = left
The series features striking and often surreal storylines, and themes include ], ] experiences, ], ], ], and various forms of societal ].
| source = Number Six in the first episode ]
| width = 18%
| align = left
}}


Number Six is a particularly important target of the constantly changing Number Two, the Village administrator, who acts as an agent for the unseen Number One. Number Two uses techniques such as ], ], ], ] manipulation and forms of social ] and physical coercion in attempt to make Number Six reveal why he resigned from his position. The position of Number Two is assigned to a different person in each episode, with two making repeat appearances. This is assumed to be part of a larger plan to disorient Number Six, but sometimes the change of personnel seems to be the result of the failure of the previous incumbent, whose fate is unknown.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Steven Paul |date=2007 |title=The Prisoner Handbook |publisher=Pan |page=14 |isbn=978-0-230-53028-7 }}</ref>
In a 1977 interview McGoohan said: "I thought the concept of the thing would sustain for only seven, but then Lew Grade wanted to make his sale to CBS, I believe (first ran it in the States) and he said he couldn't make a deal unless he had more, and he wanted 26, and I couldn't conceive of 26 stories, because it would be spreading it very thin, but we did manage, over a week-end, with my writers, to cook up ten more outlines, and eventually we did 17, but it should be seven..."<ref name=mcgoohan />


Number Six, distrustful of everyone in the Village, refuses to co-operate or provide the answers they seek. He struggles, usually alone, with various goals, such as determining for which side of the ] the Village functions, if either, remaining defiant to its imposed authority, concocting his own plans for escape, learning all he can about the Village, and subverting its operation. His schemes lead to the dismissals of the incumbent Number Two on several occasions. Despite foiling the system, however, Number Six never manages to escape successfully. By the end of the series, the administration, becoming desperate for Number Six's knowledge, as well as fearful of his growing influence in the Village, takes drastic measures that threaten the lives of Number Six, Number Two, and the entire Village.<ref name="Pixley"/>
There is debate as to whether the series ended by mutual agreement or cancellation. According to ''The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series'' by Robert Fairclough, the series was indeed cancelled, forcing McGoohan to write the concluding episode "Fall Out" in only a few days.


A major theme of the series is the conflict between ], as represented by Number Six, and ], as represented by the Village. According to McGoohan, the series aimed to demonstrate a balance between the two ideologies.<ref>{{Cite book | title = Be Seeing You--: Decoding The Prisoner | isbn = 978-1860205217 | first = Chris | last = Gregory | pages = 101–102 | publisher = ] | date = 1997 }}</ref>
In the 1977 interview McGoohan contradicts this: "...it got very close to the last episode and I hadn't written it yet. And I had to sit down this terrible day and write the last episode..."<ref name=mcgoohan />


==Cast==
Like '']'', the viewer sees much of the story from the point of view of a protagonist who often does not comprehend what is going on. In their attempts to understand, some people started watching it compulsively. In the original ] run, the final episode caused so much confusion that the television network was besieged by phone calls and McGoohan was even hounded at home by baffled viewers demanding explanations. He later claimed to have gone into hiding.


===Main cast===
===The opening and closing sequences===
* ] as ]
==== Introduction ====
The opening main series ] (seen in all but two episodes, but it has several extra shots scattered throughout in the opening installment, "]") begins with a visual of a clouded sky and the sound of thunder, the latter ] becoming that of a jet plane engine. As the theme music begins, the view pans down to reveal an angry man, the future ] , driving in his ], registration number KAR 120C, past the Houses of Parliament in London, into an underground car park. He is then seen striding forcefully down a corridor which seems to end in the office of a superior. The man mounts a fierce (but inaudible) argument before this superior, delivers an envelope marked "Private - Personal - By Hand" (presumably his resignation), and smashes his fist onto the desk, knocking a teacup out of its saucer and spilling its contents (coffee or tea) onto the desk. He then drives home. A ] follows him. Returning to his ], he quickly packs his possessions, including photographs of a tropical white sand beach (possibly a clue to his intended destination). The hearse pulls up and a tall ] approaches the front door. A white gas then floods the room through the keyhole, which renders our hero unconscious. He awakens in what appears to be his apartment, but is in fact a recreation of his home in the Village, where the decor and the residents' clothes are of brightly coloured and peculiarly nautical style.


===Recurring cast===
The following ] runs over the opening titles (that is, the title of the episode, guest star lists, and credits for line producer, writer, and director) of most episodes. It is not heard in "]", as it is a condensation of much of what that first episode establishes, "]" or "]" as none of the standard opening is present, or "]", for no known reason. The questioner is Number Six and the respondent is Number Two, the Village ], a role occupied by a different man or woman in almost every episode (as indicated by the reference to the "new Number Two"):
* ] as The Butler
: "Where am I?"
* ] as Supervisor
: '''"In the Village."'''
* ] as The Shop Keeper
: "What do you want?"
* ] as The Announcer/Telephone Operator (voice only)
: '''"Information."'''
: "Whose side are you on?"
: '''"That would be telling.... We want information. Information! INFORMATION!"''' (Some fans hear "In formation!")
: "You won't get it."
: '''"By hook or by crook, we will."'''
: "Who are you?"
: '''"The new Number Two."''' (This occasionally varies — see below.)
: "Who is Number One?"
: '''"You are Number Six."'''(May be an answer - You are, Number Six) - see below.
: "I am not a number — I am a ]!"
: ''(Laughter from Number Two.)''

In most cases, the voice of Number Two in the above exchange is provided by the actor playing the character in that particular episode. In a few episodes, Number Two is not shown at all in order to not spoil the surprise as to the true identity of the character (such as the episodes "]" and "]") -- in these episodes a different voice (specifically that of ]) is used without the image of the actor playing the role being shown. In "]", while ] plays Number Two and is seen here, his first several lines of this are actually spoken by ], presumably lifted from one of his two episodes in the role. In a couple of intros, Number Two says simply, "I am Number Two". This was used on "]", originally intended to be screened after "]", which featured ] as the character for the second time — therefore, he was not the ''new'' Number Two. It is worth noting that in one episode, the opening response from Number Two has an odd pause in his delivery. ] questions, "Who is Number One?" Number Two replies with an inset pause, "You are...Number Six."

==== Tag ====
At the close of each episode (except, arguably significantly, for the ]), the face of The Prisoner rises up from a birds-eye view of the Village (both clearly still photographs), advancing toward the camera until it all but fills the screen, but is stopped at the last second by clanging bars that slam shut, serving as the episode's tag, just before the closing credits. (According to ''The Prisoner: The Complete Scripts Volume 1'', this sequence is all that remains of a rejected, early realisation of the series' opening credits.)

==== Closing credits ====
The ] appear over a slowly assembling drawing of the ], the logo of the Village. After the bicycle is fully assembled, footage of ], the large white balloon-like device that chases and pacifies or kills would-be escapees (]), rising through water and bursting above the surface is shown, and Rover then bounces into the distance.

In the originally planned version of the closing credits, seen in the alternate version of "]," Rover is not shown. Instead, the image of the bicycle frame fades out to leave only the wheels. The wheels then begin to spin faster and faster transforming into the Earth (little wheel) and the Universe (big wheel). The camera then zooms in towards the Earth which explodes into the word "POP". (This is an acronym for "Protect Other People" which is referenced in the episode "]," and also in the show's occasional use of the song "]" in the soundtrack.) In the transmission prints, there is no consistency as to when the cut to replace these graphics with the clip of Rover occurs. In a couple of episodes, the last piece of the bicycle has yet to appear, and in another, its entire framework has faded away from the wheels. The finale, "]", presents a further variation, i.e., the complete bicycle maintains its visual presence during the closing strains of the theme, instead of being replaced by either the cosmic animation or the live-action footage of the balloon.

===The Village===
{{Main|The Village (The Prisoner)}}

]The location of the Village is unknown. In "]", its location is estimated to be somewhere near the "coast of ], southwest of ] and ]." Number Six (after a brief escape) works out the locus with old colleagues using navigation notes and maps and, upon searching this area from an airplane, finds it — which suggests this estimate may be correct. On the other hand, definite ] by his captors, including substitution of the airplane pilot, strains credibility of anything beyond placement of the Village on a small island within the craft's range from ]. Then, again, given the demonstrated capabilities of Number Six's adversaries, even this locus may not necessarily be accurate (e.g., arguably the Prisoner might have been placed in enforced sleep and carried to an exact duplicate location). In another episode, "]," ], on the ] coast "30 miles from the Polish border," is stated although again the denouement leaves this a deception. In the unbroadcast version of the episode "The Chimes of Big Ben", Number Six constructs a device that allows him to work out the Village's location; this scene was cut presumably to remove the reference to navigation by stars which would have allowed an estimation of the Village's region, at the least. This episode is not considered part of the series canon. The final episode, "]", while it never reveals the Village's exact location, strongly suggests that it is within a single tank of fuel's driving distance of ], and shows a sign for a road which is in ]. Neither does the finale give a suggestion of ferry travel, not to mention the ] from ] was still decades away from completion.

The Village has a ] in the form of a canopied ] bicycle which appears on almost everything, including the daily newspaper called the ''Tally Ho''. The place is under the control of Number Two (see below). "Work units" or "credits" serve as ] in its shops, and are kept track of with a hole-punched ]. Throughout the Village, music plays in the background, nearly all of it alternating between rousing marching band music and lullabies, periodically interrupted by public announcements. The media and signage consistently incorporate sailing and resort themes.

The exact size of the environs of the Village is never established on screen. Besides the townsite, which is known to include a hospital building, there are forested, mountainous and coastal areas. The Village is large enough that one episode ("]") established that an entire Old West town was built somewhere in the vicinity. In "]" (and other episodes) Number Six views the Village from the air, yet is apparently unable to spot any surrounding towns or cities. In other episodes (depending upon the camera angle), buildings can clearly be seen on the far side of the bay. Nevertheless, all maps of the Village seen in the series display little beyond the central townsite.

Scenes of the Village were filmed in the grounds of ]' ] ], a resort near ] in ]. Principal location shooting took place over four weeks in September 1966, with a return visit for additional, second unit-style shots for later episodes in March 1967. Sections of the resort (such as No. 6's residence interior with exterior) were replicated at MGM ] Studios in ]. Later episodes were shot almost entirely on the sets on MGM's sound stages and backlot and locations within easy reach of the studio at Borehamwood, (e.g., in "]", "]", "Living in Harmony", and "]"), and by reusing Portmeirion footage from earlier episodes the production company was able to save a great deal of money that further principal photography at Portmeirion would have cost.

===Security and surveillance in the Village (Rover)===
]s painted to look like the taxis in The Prisoner]]
An underground control centre monitors ] cameras located throughout the Village. Regular observers continually spy on Villagers and foil Number Six's escape attempts with the aid of ], a large white balloon-like device that chases and pacifies or kills (suffocates) would-be escapees. Rover was originally intended to be a ]ic machine, rather like a ] {{Fact|date=July 2007}} (see '']''), but when the prototype failed to work during the first episode's shoot (supposedly entering a body of water but failing to reemerge), the crew (this is usually attributed to ] himself) noticed a ] in the sky and used this out of inspiration.

One book on the series, ''The Official Prisoner Companion'' by Matthew White and Jaffer Ali (Warner Books, 1988), reported that research had cast some doubt on this story. It had been proven, they wrote, that there had never been an appropriate installation located anywhere that could have launched weather balloons to be seen over Portmeirion (official production history having filming beginning with the big location shoot there, although some London-based scenes for the opening credit sequence had been filmed the week before). The authors further stated that at the time of their writing--twenty years after the event (1966)--no direct evidence proving that the original Rover had ever been built was known to exist.

However, in the mid 1990s, TV historian Steven Ricks located home-movie footage taken in 1966 which showed that the original version of Rover had existed, and had been taken to Portmeirion; the device seen there did broadly fit the descriptions, being a domed shell (with a flashing blue light on top) fitted over a go-kart chassis and completely hiding the driver. This footage has been included as an extra in the 2001 Australian DVD release of the series by Umbrella Entertainment. This original Rover is shown in front of the Portmeirion Hotel, apparently being prepared for use in the scenes following Number Six and Number Two's Alouette helicopter (registration F-RMKZ) ride in "Arrival", which were originally scripted to be filmed in this part of the Village. Its failure - a combination of the driver being unable to see, fumes from the engine, and the inability of the small-diameter wheels to cope with the rough terrain of Portmeirion's steep cobbled streets, led to the filming of this scene being re-scheduled for a later date, by which time ] had left Portmeirion and his part as Number Two (in the scene as finally shot in Portmeirion's Piazza) was played by an extra, his face concealed by a megaphone, with close-ups of Doleman filmed in the studios at Borehamwood.

Despite White and Ali's claims, at the time of filming ], about six miles south west of Portmeirion, was still active and used weather balloons for meteorological monitoring.

Said McGoohan in 1977:

{{quote|"...the first day of shooting, Rover was supposed to go down off the beach into the water, do a couple of signals and a couple of wheelspins and come back up. But it went down into the water and stayed down, permanently. And then we had to shoot. We had Rover in every scene that day. So we had no Rover and Rover didn't look as though he was going to be resurrected at all. So we're standing there. My Production Manager, Bernard Williams (wonderful fellow), standing beside me, and he says, 'What're we gonna do?' And he went like that and he looked up and there was this balloon in the sky. And he says, 'What's that?' And I said, 'I dunno. What is it?' He says, 'I think it's a meteorological balloon.' And he looked at me. And I said, 'How many can ya get within two hours?', ya see. So he says, 'I'll see.' And he went off and he called the meteorological station nearby. And I did some other shots to cover while he was away and he came back with a hundred of 'em. He took an ambulance so that he could get there and back fast because it was quite a ways to the nearest big town. And he came back with them and there were these funny balloons, all sizes, and that's how Rover came to be. And sometimes we filled it with a little water, sometimes with oxygen, sometimes with helium, depending on what we wanted him to do. And in the end, we could make him do anything: lie down, beg, anything... Really. We used about six thousand of them..."<ref name=mcgoohan />}}

Rover is last seen in ''Fall Out''. Whilst the rocket is being launched, Rover drops down a hole to an underground 'cave' like area, where it shrinks to a small size and becomes still as if it is deactivating itself now that it is no longer needed in the village. However, this scene was not in the script and was inserted to give Rover its finale.

Citizens use the phrase "Be seeing you" as a farewell, accompanied by a waving gesture consisting of thumb and forefinger forming a circle over the eye, then tipped forward in a ]. This may be a reminder that in the Village you are under constant surveillance; anyone may be a Warder, a stooge working for Number Two - although a simpler theory of the salute could be that the fingers are formed into the shape of a number 6.

Most (but not all) guards wear the same style of resort clothing and numbered badges as the prisoners, and mingle seamlessly among the general population. Thus, it's nearly impossible for prisoners to determine which Villagers can be trusted and which ones can't.

===Number Six===
{{main|Number Six (The Prisoner)}}

Number Six typically wears a black jacket with white piping trim, a dark blue or black mock-turtleneck shirt, tan slacks, black boating shoes with white soles, and forsakes his "6" ID badge. There were at least two dark jackets, with slight differences in the white piping. Little is known about Number Six's background other than that he fought in a war and was born on ], ] (which is also McGoohan's birthday). The flashback setup in "]" suggests that Number Six was a bomber crewman, most likely with RAF Bomber Command. His seated position relative to the pilot (portrayed in illusion by Number Two) indicates that he was a bombardier/navigator. In the episode ] the prisoner, in another man's body, reveals that he was at one point engaged to the daughter of one of his superiors. It is not known whether the proposed marriage ever took place but fans have speculated that it did not due to the lack of "The Lover" in the Seven Ages Of Man sequence in ]{{Fact|date=October 2007}}.

He refuses to cooperate, despite constant efforts by Number Two to get information from him.

Number Six initially spends his energy seeking ways to escape, and later in the series turns his attention to finding out more about the Village and its ]. His attempts are easily rebuffed; however, their efforts to extract information necessitate increasingly drastic measures through the course of the series.

The later episodes feature fewer escape bids and more psychological themes such as the nature of ] and ], and their relationship with ]. His cunning and defiance only increase while in captivity: in "]" he reduces Number Two to a mad, paranoid wreck through deception. As the Number Twos become more coercive and desperate, Number Six's behaviour becomes progressively sharp, uncompromising, and ].

] has been quoted as saying he chose '6' because it is the only number that becomes another number when turned upside down. Despite McGoohan's claim, the allegorical nature of the show has led many fans to speculate it was chosen for symbolic reasons. The ] is related to various cultural, scientific, and religious ideas. Ambiguities such as this fueled the show's popularity.

===Number One===
Number Six always assumed that someone designated "''Number One''" was in charge of the Village, but only twice do any of the Village's visible authorities directly acknowledge the existence of such a person. In the final scene of "]", Number Six, having trounced Number Two, is asked by the Supervisor, "What do you desire?" When Six answers, "Number One," the Supervisor responds, "I'll take you." At the end of "]," the character of the Colonel implores of Number Two, "You must contact Number One and tell him I did my duty." It is unclear if the Colonel is simply assuming that Number Two's superior is Number One or if he has actually met Number One. The Colonel is certainly not part of the Village's usual operating staff and does not have a number himself. Perhaps significantly, Number Six does not appear to hear his statement. In the ], Number One appears as a masked, hooded figure. When unmasked, he is wearing a mask of an ape, but when this mask is removed, the face of Number Six is revealed. He then climbs up a ladder and seals a hatch behind him, laughing madly all the while.

A clear, direct statement regarding Number One is never forthcoming even when it is the subject of discussion in the series, with Number Two in "]" declaring, "It doesn't matter who Number One is." In "]", when The Prisoner and Number Two are discussing the consequences of being elected Number Two, the older man states, "Number One will no longer be a mystery to you, if you know what I mean." Both statements may be conceding the existence of an actual Number One, or may simply refer to Number Six's desire to meet Number One. It is also possible that Number One is, like ], not a human being. In their official functions, Number Two and the Village operations staff even avoid referring to Number One by title. Some have interpreted this as indicating that there actually is no "''Number One''" in the personal sense, much like the non-existent ] in George Orwell's '']''. It is evident, however, that there is someone who certainly seems to give direct orders to Number Two, because in several episodes, Number Two appears intimidated by telephone calls from a person addressed only as "]".

According to co-creator George Markstein, "Number One is the villain in charge."


===Number Two=== ===Number Two===
The episodes featured guest stars in the role of Number Two.
The Village is openly administered by an official designated as "Number Two". The person assigned to the position is changed on a regular basis.<ref>Established in ].</ref> There are two Number Twos with repeat appearances: ] appeared in three episodes, and ] in two. With the exception of "]", this was the result of the actors performing their roles in two consecutive episodes filmed back to back. Colin Gordon was filmed in "]" followed immediately with "]" McKern was featured in the series' second transmitted episode, "]," and then featured in the next production episode to be filmed "]." Three actors who portray Number Twos also appear in other episodes, possibly as different characters - ] ('']'' as party guest & '']'' as Mrs Butterworth/No. 2), ] ('']'' as Schnipps/No. 2 & '']'' as The Judge) and ] ('']'' as Thorpe, & '']'' as No. 2) - although this is ambiguous, particularly in the case of Kenneth Griffith's character.
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* ] (three episodes)<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/08/20/did-prisoner-ever-get-made/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/08/20/did-prisoner-ever-get-made/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=How did the Prisoner ever get made?|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=20 August 2017|last1=Sweet|first1=Matthew}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
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===Guest cast===
The various Number Twos seem to make use of several symbols of their authority. One of the most striking is the Seal, a large golden medallion, somewhat in the style of a mayoral chain, with the penny-farthing logo and the official title "Chief Administrator". This is only seen in one episode, "]". The two more visible signs are a multicoloured scarf and a colourful umbrella stick (used as a cane). Most, though not all, of the Number Twos seem to use these symbolic objects.
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McGoohan was the only actor credited during the opening sequence, with Muscat the only actor considered a co-star of the series. Several actors (including Alexis Kanner, Christopher Benjamin and Georgina Cookson) appeared in more than one episode playing different characters. ], McGoohan's ], who is seen running across the beach in the title sequence, also appears extensively in "]" and in "]".
Throughout the series, the various Number Twos try to break Number Six with their will. A variety of ], ], ], and ] techniques are used by sequential Number Twos. Number Six's importance usually prevents the use of brutal methods — routinely employed on other prisoners — against him (this policy was ignored by the female Number Two at the end of "]").


==Episodes==
The first episode, "]", established that the people holding the position of Number Two were rotated on a regular basis. Some fans have interpreted the removal of a Number Two exclusively as a punishment for failure, but there were only two individuals who actually fit this categorization. The episode "Free for All" initially suggests that Number Twos are "democratically elected by the people." However, this was ultimately revealed to have been part of the attempt used by the Number Two(s) of that episode to break Number Six.
{{main|List of The Prisoner episodes}}
] Series II, as seen in the title sequence]]
''The Prisoner'' consists of 17 episodes, which were first broadcast from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968 in the United Kingdom. While the show was presented as a serialised work, with a clear beginning and end, the ordering of the intermediate episodes is unclear, as the production and original broadcast order were different. Several attempts have been made to create an episode ordering based on script and production notes and interpretations of the broader narrative of Number Six's time in the Village.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://ew.com/tv/2017/09/29/the-prisoner-50/ | title = The Prisoner is 50 years old and has been never more relatable | first= Darren | last= Franich |date = 29 September 2017 | access-date = 27 March 2019 | magazine = ] }}</ref>


===Opening and closing sequences===
One of these Number Twos was recalled to the Village as the final Number Two (as played by McKern). This Number Two appears to hold a position of some distinction. In the final episode, "Fall Out", McKern's character uses the ] in the ], indicating that he is a Member of ], having either inherited a title through birth or received a title from the Crown. An alternative interpretation is that the ] is a symbol of democracy, in contrast to the theme of totalitarianism and the suppression of the individual.


The ] have become iconic, cited as "one of the great set-ups of genre drama",<ref name="crimetime">{{cite web|url=http://www.crimetime.co.uk/features/prisoner.php|title=''The Prisoner'' – the classic British TV series|
==McGoohan's summary==
author=Mike Patterson}}</ref> by establishing the ] and ] themes of the series.<ref name=Sardar>{{cite book | last = Sardar | first = Ziauddin | title = Postmodernism and the other: the new imperialism of Western culture | publisher=Pluto Press | year = 1998 | location = London| pages = –3 | url = https://archive.org/details/postmodernismoth0000sard | url-access = registration | isbn = 978-0-7453-0749-7}}</ref> The high production values of the opening sequence have been described as more like those of a feature film than a television programme.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99355656|title=Patrick McGoohan, TV's 'Prisoner' Number Six : NPR| publisher=npr.org|date=15 January 2009|access-date=11 March 2009|last=Cole|first=Tom}}</ref>
"I think progress is the biggest enemy on earth, apart from oneself... I think we're gonna take good care of this planet shortly... there's never been a weapon created yet on the face of the Earth that hadn't been used..."


==Production==
"...We're run by the Pentagon, we're run by Madison Avenue, we're run by television, and as long as we accept those things and don't revolt we'll have to go along with the stream to the eventual avalanche... As long as we go out and buy stuff, we're at their mercy. We're at the mercy of the advertiser and of course there are certain things that we need, but a lot of the stuff that is bought is not needed..."


===Development===
"...We all live in a little Village... Your village may be different from other people's villages but we are all prisoners." &mdash; 1977 interview<ref name=mcgoohan />
''The Prisoner'' was created while Patrick McGoohan and ] were working on '']'', an espionage show produced by ].<ref name="Davy">{{cite book |last=Davy |first=Rick |date= 2017|title=The Prisoner – The Essential Guide |url=http://www.quoitmedia.co.uk/essentialguide.htm |publisher=Quoit Media Ltd |page=4 |isbn=9781911537052 }}</ref> The exact details of who created which aspects of the show are disputed, as there is no "created by" credit. Majority opinion credits McGoohan as the sole creator of the series, but a disputed co-creator status was later ascribed to Markstein after a series of fan interviews were published in the 1980s.<ref name="Davy"/>


Some sources indicate that McGoohan was the sole or primary creator of the show.<ref>{{cite news|last=O'Connor|first=John J.|title='Prisoner' on TV Tonight|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/16/archives/prisoner-on-tv-tonight.html|access-date=21 July 2011|newspaper=]|date=16 January 1978}}{{subscription required}}</ref> McGoohan stated in a 1977 interview that, during the filming of the third series of ''Danger Man'', he told ITC Entertainment managing director Lew Grade that he wanted to quit working on ''Danger Man'' after the filming of the proposed fourth series.<ref name=Troyer>{{cite episode|series=The Prisoner|title=The Prisoner Puzzle}}</ref> Grade was unhappy with the decision, but when McGoohan insisted upon quitting, Grade asked if McGoohan had any other possible projects, and McGoohan later pitched ''The Prisoner''. In a 1988 article in British telefantasy magazine ''Time Screen'', though, McGoohan indicated that he had planned to pitch ''The Prisoner'' before speaking with Grade.<ref name="Pixley"/> In both accounts, McGoohan pitched the idea orally, rather than having Grade read the proposal in detail, and the two made an oral agreement for the show to be produced by Everyman Films, the production company formed by McGoohan and ].<ref name="Pixley"/> In the 1977 account, McGoohan said that Grade approved of the show despite not understanding it, whereas, in the 1988 account, Grade expressed clear support for the concept.<ref name="Troyer"/>
==Cast==
* ] ... ] (17 episodes)
* ] ... The Butler (14 episodes)
* ] ... Supervisor (8 episodes)
* ] ... ] (3 episodes)
* ] ... ] (2 episodes)
* ] ... The Shop Keeper (2 episodes)
* ] ... The Announcer/Telephone Operator (voice only; unseen and uncredited, 6 episodes)


Other sources, however, credit Markstein, then a script editor for ''Danger Man'', with a significant or even primary portion of the development of the show.<ref name="Davy"/> For example, Dave Rogers, in the book ''The Prisoner and Danger Man'', said that Markstein claimed to have created the concept first and McGoohan later attempted to take credit for it, although Rogers himself doubted that McGoohan would have wanted or needed to do that.<ref name=Rogers/> A four-page document, generally agreed to have been written by Markstein, setting out an overview of the themes of the series, was published as part of an ITC/ATV press book in 1967. It has usually been accepted that this text originated earlier as a guide for the series writers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fairclough |first=Robert |date=9 June 2005 |title=The Prisoner: Original Scripts Vol.1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VBhcSAAACAAJ |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn Ltd |pages=9–10 |isbn=9781903111765 }}</ref> Further doubt has been cast on Markstein's version of events by author Rupert Booth in his biography of McGoohan, entitled ''Not a Number''. Booth points out that McGoohan had outlined the themes of ''The Prisoner'' in a 1965 interview, long before Markstein's tenure as script editor on the brief fourth series of ''Danger Man''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Booth|first=Rupert|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/756782296|title=Not a number : Patrick McGoohan : a life|date=2011|publisher=Supernova Books|isbn=978-0-9566329-2-0|location=Twickenham |oclc=756782296}}</ref>
The above list includes only actors who each played the same role in more than one episode. A number of other actors played Number Two in one-off appearances, while several actors including ], ], ], ] and ], and appeared in more than one episode, playing different characters each time. McGoohan was the only actor credited in the opening sequence, with Muscat the only actor considered a "co-star" of the series. ] appeared in "]" and "]." While Griffith played Number Two in "]," his character in "Fall Out" may be the same character after the assignment of Number Two was passed to someone else (or, given events here, abandoned). There is also the theory that Cargill played the same character in his two episodes; the Number Two that Cargill plays in "]" may or may not be the same character of Thorpe, the aide to Number Six's superior, from "]."
Stuntman ] also appears in every episode as McGoohan's stunt double. In particular he can been seen at the start of almost every episode in part of the running across the beach scene and he also appears extensively in the episode "]," as that story required the appearance a doppelganger to the Number Six character. He also appears in "]" in the role of 'Third Gunman'.


Part of Markstein's inspiration came from his research into the ], where he found that some people had been incarcerated in a resort-like prison in Scotland called ], near ].<ref name=Fairclough>{{cite book|last=Fairclough|first=Robert|title=The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series}}</ref> Markstein suggested that ''Danger Man''{{'}}s main character ] (played by McGoohan) could suddenly resign and be kidnapped and sent to such a location.<ref name=Fairclough/> McGoohan added Markstein's suggestion to material he had been working on, which later became ''The Prisoner''. Furthermore, a 1960 episode of ''Danger Man'' entitled "View from the Villa" had exteriors filmed in Portmeirion, a Welsh resort village that struck McGoohan as a good location for future projects.
{{See also|List of The Prisoner cast members}}


According to "Fantasy or Reality" — a chapter of ''The Prisoner of Portmeirion'' — the Village is based, in part, on "a strange place in Scotland" operated by the Inter Services Research Bureau, wherein "people" with "valuable knowledge of one sort or another" were held prisoners on extended "holidays" in a "luxury prison camp".<ref name="Hora">{{Cite book|title = The Prisoner of Portmeirrion|last=Hora|first=Max}}</ref> ''The Prisoner''{{'}}s story editor, George Markstein, this source contends, knows of "the existence of this 'secure establishment'". However, this "Scottish prison camp, in reality, was not, of course, a holiday-type village full of people wearing colourful clothing."<ref name="Hora"/>
==Crew==
* ] ... Director (4 episodes)
* ] ... Director (1 episode)
* ] ... Music Editor (13 episodes)
* ] ... Director (2 episodes)


Further inspiration came from a ''Danger Man'' episode called "Colony Three", in which Drake infiltrates a spy school in Eastern Europe during the ]. The school, in the middle of nowhere, is set up to look like a normal English town in which pupils and instructors mix as in any other normal city, but the instructors are virtual prisoners with little hope of ever leaving. McGoohan also stated that he was influenced by his experience from theatre, including his work in the ] play '']'' (1955) and in a BBC television play, ''The Prisoner'' by ].<ref name=Fairclough/> McGoohan wrote a forty-page ], which included a "history of the Village, the sort of telephones they used, the sewerage system, what they ate, the transport, the boundaries, a description of the Village, every aspect of it."<ref name=Troyer/> McGoohan wrote and directed several episodes, often using pseudonyms. Specifically, McGoohan wrote "]" under the pen name 'Paddy Fitz' (Paddy being the Irish diminutive for Patrick and Fitzpatrick being his mother's maiden name) and directed the episodes "Many Happy Returns" and "]" using the stage name 'Joseph Serf', the surname being ironically a word meaning a peasant who is under the control of a feudal master. Using his own name, McGoohan wrote and directed the last two episodes—"]" and "Fall Out"—and directed "Free for All".<ref name="Pixley"/>
==Episodes==
{{main|List of The Prisoner episodes}}


In a 1966 interview for the '']'' by reporter ], McGoohan stated, "John Drake of ''Secret Agent'' is gone." Furthermore, McGoohan stated in a 1985 interview that Number Six is not the same character as John Drake, adding that he had originally wanted another actor to portray the character.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Talking With McGoohan|journal=New Video|date=1985|last=Calia|first=Barrington}}</ref> However, other sources indicate that several of the crew members who continued on from ''Danger Man'' to work on ''The Prisoner'' considered it to be a continuation, and that McGoohan was continuing to play the character of John Drake.<ref name="Pixley"/> Author, Dave Rogers claims that Markstein had wanted the character to be a continuation of Drake, but by doing so would have meant paying royalties to ], the creator of ''Danger Man''.<ref name=Rogers/> The second officially licensed novel based on ''The Prisoner'', published in 1969, refers to Number Six as "Drake" from its first sentence: "Drake woke."<ref>{{cite book | last=McDaniel | first=David | author-link=David McDaniel | date=1969 | title=The Prisoner #2 | page=1 | location=New York | publisher=] | asin=B001Q6TDUU}}</ref> The issue has been extensively debated by fans and television critics.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs 1947–79|last=Terrace |first=Vincent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=TV Detectives|author=A.S. Barnes and Company|year = 1981|page=113}}</ref>
===Unproduced episodes===
Unproduced storylines and scripts for the series are known to exist, several of which were published in a two-volume collection of ''Prisoner'' scripts edited by ] and published by Reynolds and Hearn in 2005 and 2006.
* "The Outsider" by ] (complete script included in Volume 1)
* "Ticket to Eternity" by ] (synopsis included in Volume 1)
* "Friend or Foe" by Mival (synopsis included in Volume 1)
* "Don't Get Yourself Killed" by ] (complete script included in Volume 2)


McGoohan had originally wanted to produce only seven episodes of ''The Prisoner'', but Grade argued that more shows were necessary in order for him to successfully sell the series to ].<ref name="Troyer"/> The exact number that was agreed to and how the series was to end are disputed by different sources.
==George Markstein's original ending==
According to author James Follett, a protege of ''Prisoner'' co-creator George Markstein, Markstein had mapped out an explanation for the Village. In George Markstein's mind, a young Number Six had once submitted a proposal for how to deal with retired secret agents who posed a security risk. Six's idea was to create a comfortable retirement centre where former agents could live out their final years, enduring firm but unintrusive surveillance.


In an August 1967 article, Dorothy Manners reported that CBS had asked McGoohan to produce 36 segments, but he would agree to produce only 17.<ref>{{cite news|last=Manners|first=Dorothy|title=The Prisoner|newspaper=Washington Post|date=August 1967}}</ref> According to a 1977 interview, Lew Grade requested 26 episodes, but McGoohan thought this would spread the show too thin managing to come up with only 17.<ref name=Troyer/> According to ''The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series'', the series was originally supposed to run longer, but was cancelled, forcing McGoohan to write the final episode in only a few days.<ref name=Fairclough/>
Years later, Six discovered that his idea had been put into practice, and not as a benign means of retirement, but as an interrogation centre and a prison camp. Outraged, Six staged his own resignation, knowing he would be brought to the Village, hoping he could learn everything he could of how his idea had been implemented and expanded upon and find a way to destroy it. However, due to the range of nationalities and agents present in the Village, Six realized he was not sure whose Village he was in – the one brought about by his own people, or by the other side. Presumably, Markstein intended this revelation to follow ''Once Upon A Time''. However, Markstein's falling out with McGoohan resulted in Markstein's departure, and his original intent was discarded.


''The Prisoner'' had its British premiere on 29 September 1967 on ], and the last episode first aired on 1 February 1968 on ].<ref name="Pixley"/> The world broadcast premiere was on the ] in Canada on 5 September 1967.<ref name="Pixley"/>
According to Markstein: "The Prisoner was going to leave the Village and he was going to have adventures in many parts of the world, but ultimately he would always be a prisoner. By that I don't mean he would always go back to the Village. He would always be a prisoner of his circumstances, his situation, his secret, his background... and 'they' would always be there to ensure that his captivity continues."<ref></ref>


===Filming===
==Spin-offs and continuations==
Filming began with the shooting of the series' opening sequence in London on 28 August 1966,<ref name=Davy/> with location work beginning on 5 September 1966, primarily in ], ].<ref name="bbc 50">{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-37232329 | title = In pictures: The Prisoner at 50 | work = ] | date = 5 September 2016 | access-date = 6 September 2016 }}</ref> This location partially inspired the show.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/travel/29journeys.html | work=The New York Times | title=A Man's Whim on the Welsh Coast | first=Eve M. | last=Kahn | date=29 July 2007 | access-date=25 May 2010}}</ref> At the request of Portmeirion's architect ], the main location for the series was not disclosed until the opening credits of the final episode, where it was described as "], ], North Wales".<ref name="bbc 50"/> Many local residents were recruited as ].<ref name="bbc 50"/> The Village setting was further augmented by the use of the backlot facilities at ] in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elstree-museum.org.uk/blog.php?id=4|title=Generous Donation :: Blog :: Elstree & Borehamwood Museum|website=elstree-museum.org.uk}}</ref>
===Documentaries===
{{wide image|Portmeirionpiazza.jpg|1000px|Panoramic view of the central piazza, ] village}}
At the conclusion of its repeat presentation of the series in 1985, ] presented a 45 minute documentary entitled ''Six into One: The Prisoner File''. Although its central premise was to establish a reason why Number 6 resigned, the presentation anchored around a new Number 2 communicating with staff (and Number 1), reviewing scenes from Danger Man, particularly the episodes i) incorporating a location shoot in Portmeirion (deputising for an Italian location), ii) 'Colony Three' (a finishing school for foreign spies ready to adopt their new identities within the West).
]'s home]]
Additionally, filming of a key sequence of the opening credits ——and of exterior location filming for three episodes— took place at 1 Buckingham Place in ], which at the time was a private residence, presented as Number Six's home.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/buckplace.htm|title=The Unmutual Prisoner Locations Guide|publisher=Theunmutual.co.uk|access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref> The building is now a highlight of ''Prisoner'' location tours, and currently houses the headquarters of the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalwarrant.org/|title=Royal Warrant Holders Association website}}</ref> The episodes "Many Happy Returns", "The Girl Who Was Death" (the cricket match for which was filmed at four locations, with the main sequences filmed at ] in Cambridgeshire) and "Fall Out" also made use of extensive location shooting in London and other locations.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/locationsguide.htm | work=The Unmutual Website | title=Complete Locations Guide to The Prisoner}}</ref>


At the time, most British television was broadcast in black and white, but the show was filmed in color to reach the American audience.<ref name="bbc 50"/>
The premise of Colony Three was that John Drake, in being substituted for a Public Servant who expected to be transferred to the 'Village', was a key support worker for the spy network. Other volunteer workers were employed in other contexts, including electricians, librarians etc. John Drake travelled with two others, Randall ] and Janet ]. Janet, we discover, intended to find out about her brother, who had previously volunteered to work in the Village but who had since disappeared. Within a social gathering, we discover noted British Defector Lord Denby (]) accompanied by Lady Denby (]) who ostensibly defected to the USSR. Although viewers learned that the Village serviced different competing Spy Agencies (including the ], ], ]), and whereas employees working in the Village entered the Village, their only departure was to the graveyard. Shortly after entering the facility, Janet discovers her brothers grave in the Village Graveyard. John Drake, working in the Citizens Advice Office, acquired a dossier in agents passing through the Office, was subjected to interrogation by Peter Arne (a codirector of the facility), and in fear of being discovered, managed to generate a message to his emergency handlers.


===Crew===
By this time, Randall (who volunteered on the basis of helping the Communist brothers - and who was disappointed at working as an electrician) had made one attempt to escape the facility into a desolate mountainous terrain, was located by John Drake just as a helicopter gunship was ready to kill the escaping Randall, and upon returning home, had discovered John Drake's secret radio transmitter and reported this to Colony Three Senior Managers Donovan ] and Richardson ] . Novel interrogation techniques were applied within the facility, Richardson being the key interrogator.
* ] – Script editor
* ] – Director
* ] – Director
* ] – Director
* Brendan J. Stafford – Cinematographer
* ] – Production manager
* ] – Music editor
* ] – Musical director and composer
* ] – Fight/stunt coordinator
* ] – Casting director<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11986686/Rose-Tobias-Shaw-casting-director-obituary.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11986686/Rose-Tobias-Shaw-casting-director-obituary.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Rose Tobias Shaw, casting director – obituary|work=The Telegraph|date=10 November 2015|access-date=11 November 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


===Background of the Village===
Subsequently, Donovan and Richardson receive transfer orders for John Drake's immediate transfer out of the facility (they assumed he was sent in to spy on the facility), and was recalled to report to his handler. Rather than raise the risk that he would report the operation to other spy agencies (either the CIA, KGB, MI6, Mossad), Richardson was ordered to accompany John Drake out of the facility with orders to kill him. Upon his departure, Janet passed a note to John Drake asking for his help in escaping from the facility, was noted by Richardson. Drake passed the note onto Richardson, and this was destroyed. John Drake survived the assassination attempt, returned home, passed on his dossier on agents which had been sent to the West using legitimate identities. However, John Drake was venomous that the identity of Janet, who entered the Colony to locate her brother, could not be located and that no action could be taken to rescue her.
According to the writer ], a friend and protégé of George Markstein,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.james-follett.co.uk/george.html|title=A tribute to George Markstein}}</ref> Markstein had developed a backstory explaining the origin of the Village and its connection to Number Six's resignation.


Markstein's concept was that John Drake (of ''Danger Man'') had once proposed a strategy for dealing with retired secret agents who could still pose a security risk. Years later, Drake discovers that his proposal was put into practice, not as a benign means of retirement, but an interrogation centre and prison camp known as The Village.
The docudrama also reviewed scenes from the series, incorporated interviews with cast members (including McGoohan), addressed the political environment giving rise to the series, and McGoohan's heavy workload. Whilst fitting in a commitment to '']'', McGoohan returned to continue with The Prisoner, and, according to '''this''' programme, discovered key production staff had left. It is further claimed here that he then learned that ITC had reduced its commitment to 17 episodes (Lew Grade demanding an early conclusion), and continued with the show unabated.


Outraged, Drake resigns, knowing he will be taken to The Village, where he planned to learn everything he can about how his idea has been implemented and find a way to destroy it. However, due to the range of nationalities and agents present, Drake realises that he can't be sure whose Village he is in—his own, or one belonging to the other side.<ref>{{cite video|people=James Follett|title=The Making of Shakedown & DreamWatch '94 Highlights|medium=]|publisher=Dreamwatch Media Ltd|location=London|date=1994}}</ref>
Another documentary was the ] production, '']''. This was a 48-minute collection of clips, including a few from both versions of '']'', with voice-over narration discussing the origins of this series, but mostly possible interpretations, meaning, symbolism, etc., with a format clearly modeled on the 1988 book, '']'' by ] & ], Warner Books. It was released in 1990 by ], then the licensed label for both/all three series in the USA. The copyright notice (the only credit) is ascribed to Maljack Productions, apparently the real company behind the name MPI.<ref></ref> The documentary was subsequently released to DVD in the early 2000s as a bonus feature with A&E's release of the ''Prisoner'' series. MPI also issued a "best of" video (''The Best of The Prisoner'') containing excerpts from the series.


Markstein later commented:<blockquote>The prisoner was going to leave the Village and he was going to have adventures in many parts of the world, but ultimately he would always be a prisoner. By that I don't mean he would always go back to the Village. He would always be a prisoner of his circumstances, his situation, his secret, his background{{nbsp}}... and 'they' would always be there to ensure that his captivity continues.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-prisoner-6.freeserve.co.uk/markstein.htm |title=An Interview with George Markstein |publisher=The-prisoner-6.freeserve.co.uk |access-date=10 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325215529/http://www.the-prisoner-6.freeserve.co.uk/markstein.htm |archive-date=25 March 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref></blockquote>
===Novels===
] in the United States published three novels based upon the television series.


==Reception==
The first of these, titled initially ''The Prisoner'' by ] (later republished as ''I Am Not a Number!''), was issued in 1969 (some editions carry a 1967 copyright date but this refers to the ''series'', not the book). Considered non-canonical, it details the recapture of the Prisoner after he had been brainwashed to forget his original experience in the Village, and his struggles to remember what was taken from him and to escape again from the Village (or another Village). Disch is often erroneously credited as the creator of the TV series, as he is the writer of the first novel based upon the show.
The finale of ''The Prisoner'' left numerous open-ended questions, generating controversy and letters of outrage.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2017/09/29/554067095/number-six-at-50-the-fiftieth-anniversary-of-the-prisoner|title=Number Six At 50: The 50th Anniversary Of 'The Prisoner'|work=NPR.org|access-date=29 September 2017|language=en}}</ref> Following the final episode, McGoohan "claimed he had to go into hiding for a while".<ref name=":0" />


==Home media==
Also in 1969-70 Ace published two additional original novels based upon the series. These books, believed by some to be set after the events of "]," are notable for stating explicitly that Number Six is John Drake from ''Danger Man''. The two books are also not considered canonical.
===Video tapes===
* ''The Prisoner: Number Two'' by ] (also published as ''Who is Number Two?'')
Numerous editions of ''The Prisoner'' were released in the UK by companies such as Carlton, the copyright holder of the TV series. The first VHS and Betamax releases were through Precision Video in 1982 from 16mm original prints. They released four tapes, each with two episodes edited together: "The Arrival"/"The Schizoid Man", "Many Happy Returns"/"A. B. and C.", "Checkmate"/"Free For All", and "The General"/"The Chimes of Big Ben", thus omitting the final storyline. In 1986 Channel 5 Video (a now-defunct home video brand owned by ]) released a series of all 17 episodes on ] and ]. In 1993 ] released the entire series plus a special feature called ''The Best of The Prisoner'' on five VHS cassette tapes.<ref name=Davy/>
* ''The Prisoner: A Day in the Life'' by ]


In North America, ] released a total of 20 VHS videotapes in 1984 encompassing the entire series: one tape for each of the 17 episodes plus three more containing "The Alternate Version of 'The Chimes of Big Ben'", a documentary, and a "best of" retrospective. MPI also released editions of nine LaserDiscs in 1988 and 1998, the last disc of which comprised the final Episode 17, "Fall Out", plus "The Prisoner Video Companion" on side two.
All three novels have been reprinted numerous times over the years; most recently the Disch and Stine books were republished in 2002. Additionally, all three books were republished in omnibus form. The reference work ''The Whole Story: 3000 Years of Sequels & Sequences 2nd edition'' by ] erroneously lists an additional volume by McDaniel entitled ''Prisoner 3'' being released in 1981, but no such book was ever published.


===DVD===
In the 1980s, Roger Langley of the Prisoner Appreciation Society wrote three novellas based upon the series:
In 2000, the first DVD release in the UK was issued by ], with ] releasing the same DVDs in North America/Region 1 (in four-episode sets as well as a comprehensive 10-disc "mega-box" edition). A&E subsequently reissued the mega-box in a 40th anniversary edition in 2007. The A&E issue included an alternative version of ] and the MPI-produced documentary (but not the redundant "best of" retrospective) among its limited special features. In Australia, Umbrella Entertainment released a DVD set in 2003. In 2005 ] in the UK released all 17 episodes in a fortnightly partwork series.<ref name=Davy/>
* ''Charmed Life''
* ''Think Tank''
* ''When in Rome''


''The Prisoner: 40th Anniversary Special Edition'' DVD box-set released in 2007 featured ] versions from high-definition masters created by Network. It also included a production guide to the series by Andrew Pixley.<ref>{{cite web|author=Eamonn McCusker |url=http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/66085/the-prisoner-40th-anniversary-special-edition.html |title=Film @ The Digital Fix – The Prisoner: 40th Anniversary Special Edition |publisher=Dvdtimes.co.uk |access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref>
These books were made available through the fan club, and at the Prisoner Shop in Portmeirion and are long ].


===Blu-ray===
In 2004, announced plans for a new series of novels based upon the series. In March 2005, the first volume, The Prisoner's Dilemma, was released. Since then no further volumes have been released, no updates to the Powys website have been made. With the second and third books in the series not being released as scheduled, it is unknown when or if the other books will be released.
''The Prisoner: The Complete Series'' was released on Blu-ray Disc in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2009,<ref>{{cite web|author=Dave Foster |url=http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/71331/the-prisoner-the-complete-series-uk-bd-in-september.html |title=Film @ The Digital Fix – The Prisoner: The Complete Series (UK BD) in September |publisher=Dvdtimes.co.uk |date=28 September 2009 |access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref> following in North America on 27 October 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/2485/prisonercompleteseries.html |title=The Prisoner: Complete Series Blu-ray Disc Details &#124; High-Def Digest |publisher=High Def Digest |date=27 October 2009 |access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref> The episodes were restored by the A&E Network to create new ] masters.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031100032/http://www.networkdvd.co.uk/prisoner/priscomparison.htm |date=31 October 2012 }}</ref> The box-set features all 17 remastered episodes plus extensive special features, including the feature-length documentary ''Don't Knock Yourself Out'', a restored original edit of "Arrival" and extensive archive photos and production stills.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/the-prisoner-the-complete-series-blu-ray-review/ |title=THE PRISONER The Complete Series Blu-ray Review |author=Andre Dellamorte |website=] |date=13 December 2009 |access-date=1 April 2019 }}</ref>


''The Prisoner: 50th Anniversary Set'' was released in the ] on 29 July 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Prisoner-The-Complete-Series-Blu-ray/248689/|title = The Prisoner: The Complete Series Blu-ray (United Kingdom)}}</ref> It featured a six-disc Blu-ray collection with none of the extra material found on the DVD box-set released for the 40th anniversary included. The first half of Andrew Pixley's production book was now illustrated and presented in hardback, and text commentaries for every episode detailing the production story of the series were included for the first time. A six-CD set of remastered music was also included. Some additional extras were included such as an interview with McGoohan's daughter, Catherine. Missing from the set was the ''Don't Knock Yourself Out'' documentary, the script PDFs and some episode commentaries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://networkonair.com/all-products/2753-prisoner-the-50th-anniversary-limited-edition-blu-ray-|title=The Prisoner: 50th Anniversary Limited Edition |publisher=Network Distributing |access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref>
The originally announced volumes and release dates were:
* ''The Prisoner's Dilemma'' by ] and ]; introduction by ] (March 2005; ISBN 978-096772805)
* ''The Other'' by ] (Spring 2006)
* ''Miss Freedom'' by ] (Fall 2006)
* ''The Last Waltz'' by ] (2007)
* ''Number Two Is Missing'' by ] (2007)
* ''Endgame'' by ] (2007)


===Comic books=== ==Spin-offs==
{{Main|The Prisoner in other media}}
====Marvel Comics====
The premise of the television series fascinated ] artist ], who created a four-issue homage in 1969 in '']'' #84-87, in which the ] team finds itself in ]'s ], a city like the Village in many respects. In the early 1970s, ] considered launching a comic book based on ''The Prisoner'', to be written by ] and drawn by ]. When ] returned to Marvel in the mid-70s after a run at ], the property was transferred to him. A test issue was put together but never completed (all 17 pages were scripted and pencilled by Kirby, but only parts were lettered and inked, by ]). Original artwork from this comic still exists and occasionally turns up for auction. Some of it has been published in the comic book fanzine '']''. The surviving artwork suggests that the first issue, at least, would have been an adaptation of "Arrival."<ref></ref>


====Shattered Visage==== ===Books===
In the late 1960s, the TV series quickly spawned three novels tied into the series. In the 1970s and into the 1980s, as the series gained cult status, a large amount of fan-produced material began to appear, with the official appreciation society forming in 1977. In 1988, the first officially sanctioned guide – ''The Prisoner Companion'' – was released. It was not well received by fans or Patrick McGoohan. In 1989, Oswald and Carraze released ''The Prisoner'' in France with a translated version appearing shortly after.<ref name=Davy/><ref>{{cite book | last1= Carrazé | first1 = Alain | last2=Oswald | first2=Hélène | title =The Prisoner – A Televisionary Masterpiece | publisher=] | year=1990 | location =London | isbn = 978-1-85227-338-5}}</ref> From the 1990s, numerous other books about the TV series and Patrick McGoohan have been produced. Robert Fairclough's books - including two volumes of original scripts - are considered some of the best researched books available.<ref>{{cite book | first=Robert | last=Fairclough | title=The Prisoner: The Original Scripts | publisher=Reynolds & Hearn | volume=1 | others=Foreword by ] | isbn=9781903111765| year=2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | first=Robert | last=Fairclough | title=The Prisoner: The Original Scripts | publisher=Reynolds & Hearn | volume=2 | others=Foreword by Roger Parkes | isbn=9781903111819| date=1 February 2006 }}</ref> For the 40th anniversary, Andrew Pixley wrote a well-received and in depth account of the series' production.<ref name=Davy/> There are guides to shooting locations in Portmeirion and also a biography of co-creator George Markstein. Some members of the production crew have released books about their time working on the series including ] and Ian Rakoff.<ref name=Davy/>
{{main|Shattered Visage (The Prisoner)}}


===Games===
]'']'' is a four-issue comic book mini-series based on ''The Prisoner''. Illustrated by '']'' creator ] and co-written with Mark Askwith, this sequel series was later collected as a 208 page graphic novel in trade paperback format, with the addition of a new prologue. The trade paperback remains in print and available.
In the early 1980s, ] produced two computer games based upon the series for the ] computer. The first, titled simply '']'', was released in 1980, followed by '']'' in 1982.


]' popular ] system '']'' released a (now out of print) world book for ''The Prisoner.'' It included maps, episode synopses and details of the Village and its inhabitants.<ref>, accessed 2008-01-14</ref>
===Computer games===
{{Main|The Prisoner (computer game)}}


===Comics===
In the early 1980s, ] produced two computer games based upon the series for the ] computer. The first, titled simply, '']'', was released in ], followed by a remake, '']'' in ].
In 1988, ] released ], the first part of a four-part series of comics based on the characters in the TV series. In 2018 ] re-issued ''Shattered Visage''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/titan-comics-reissue-prisoner-sequel-shattered-visage-year-1128643 |title=Titan Comics to Reissue 'The Prisoner' Sequel, 'Shattered Visage' |author=Graeme McMillan |website=] |date=20 July 2018 |access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> as well as releasing ''The Prisoner: The Uncertainty Machine'', another four-part series of comics about another spy returning to the Village.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/prisoner-volume-1-uncertainty-machine |title=THE PRISONER – VOLUME 1: THE UNCERTAINTY MACHINE |author=Michael Coldwell |website=] |date=6 November 2018 |access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> Although Patrick McGoohan's Number Six is depicted on covers of the 2018 series, the character plays no direct role in the story.


===Remake===
The ] in ] "]" series featured a location called "Stoneship," that resembles the Stone Boat at Portmeirion.
{{Main|The Prisoner (2009 miniseries){{!}}''The Prisoner'' (2009 miniseries)}}
In 2009, the show was remade as a miniseries, also titled '']'', which aired in the U.S. on ]. The miniseries stars ] as Number 6, and ] as Number 2, and was shot on location in Namibia and South Africa. The new series received mainly unfavourable reviews, with a 45/100 rating by 21 critics and 3.6/10 by 82 users as of July 2018.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/theprisoneramc | title = The Prisoner: Season 1 | work = ] | access-date = 24 July 2018 }}</ref>


===Role-playing games=== ===Proposed film adaptation===
] was reported to be considering a film version in 2009,<ref>{{cite news|last=Child|first=Ben|title=Nolan signs to take Inception from script to screen|work=The Guardian|date=12 February 2009|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/feb/12/christopher-nolan-inception|location=London}}</ref> but later dropped out of the project. The producer ] said a decision to continue with the project depended on the success of the television mini-series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/batman/news/nolan-drops-the-prisoner_1113280 |title=Nolan Drops The Prisoner |publisher=Contact Music |date = 13 August 2009|access-date=5 October 2015 }}</ref> In 2016, ] was in talks to direct the screen version.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Fleming|first1=Mike|title=Ridley Scott Captivated By 'The Prisoner', Film Version Of Patrick McGoohan TV Series|url=https://deadline.com/2016/01/ridley-scott-the-prisoner-the-martian-patrick-mcgoohan-alien-covenant-1201678547/|access-date=9 January 2016|date=8 January 2016}}</ref> Nolan was once again tied to a potential film adaptation in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/christopher-nolan-oppenheimer-pay-1235938430/|title=Christopher Nolan's Final 'Oppenheimer' Payday Close to $100 Million (EXCLUSIVE)|last=Siegel|first=Tatiana|publisher=Variety|date=12 March 2024|access-date=12 March 2024|language=en}}</ref>
]' popular ] system '']'' released a (now ]) world book for ''The Prisoner.'' It included maps, episode synopses, details of the Village and its inhabitants, and much other material. For instance, it has suggestions for game scenarios with the premise interpretation for outer space, ], ] and even complete inversion into something akin to '']''.


===Return of ''The Prisoner''=== ===Audio dramas===
On 5 January 2015, ], best known for its long-running series of ]-licensed audio dramas based upon '']'', announced that it would be producing licensed audio dramas based on ''The Prisoner'', with the first scheduled for release in 2016, and that Mark Elstob would play Number Six.<ref>, 19 September 2015; accessed 3 January 2016</ref> The first series, containing new reimaginings of three original series scripts, "Arrival", "The Schizoid Man" and "The Chimes of Big Ben", and one new story, "Your Beautiful Village", written and directed by ], was released in January 2016 and was well received.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/reviewsbigfinish1.htm|title=BIG FINISH - THE PRISONER SERIES ONE |publisher=The Unmutual Reviews |date=2016 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref> The first series also featured ], ], ] and ] as Number Two and Helen Goldwyn as The Village Voice/Operations Controller.
A movie version of ''The Prisoner'' has been in ] for many years at ]. At one point Simon West was attached as director with Patrick McGoohan on board as an executive producer, script consultant, and possible cameo appearance. Many A-list actors have been rumoured to play Number Six, with ] believed to be the favourite. Patrick McGoohan also mentioned in a 1997 interview with French TV that he would like to see ] play the lead role.


A second series was released in August 2017, comprising four stories: "I Met a Man Today" (adapted from "Many Happy Returns"), "Project Six" (adapted from "A, B and C"), an adaptation of "Hammer into Anvil", and new story "Living in Harmony" (not adapted from the TV episode of the same title).<ref>{{cite web |title=The Prisoner Volume 02 |url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-prisoner-volume-02-1461 |website=Big Finish |accessdate=4 June 2020}}</ref>
It was announced in late 2005 that Granada will be reviving the series for Sky One, beginning in Spring 2007.<ref></ref> ] has been linked with the role, but these rumours were strongly denied by Eccleston's agent in the ] ] issue of '']'', and Eccleston subsequently joined the cast of NBC Drama '']'', although not as a regular. According to the ] - ] issue of the magazine, the new series re-make will be titled ''Number Six'' and not ''The Prisoner''. American cable network ] is co-producing.


A third series was released in November 2019, comprising four stories: An adaptation of "Free For All", and new stories "The Girl Who Was Death" (using story elements, but not directly adapted, from the TV episode of the same title), "The Seltzman Connection", and "No One Will Know" (the last two using story elements from "Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darling").<ref>{{cite web |title=The Prisoner Volume 03 |url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-prisoner-volume-03-1848 |website=Big Finish |accessdate=4 June 2020}}</ref>
As of August 2006, Universal Pictures is near a deal for ] to direct a feature version of TV series. Janet and David Peoples are set to write the script. Scott Stuber, ], Barry Mendel and Emma Thomas will produce.


These audio dramas have been broadcast by ] as part of its ] programming.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Prisoner: all episodes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001f39/episodes/guide |website=BBC Radio 4 Extra}}</ref>
In December 2006, '']'' reported that the American cable TV channel ] is co-producing ''The Prisoner'' with ], and that it will run at least six to eight episodes, beginning in January 2008 (both in the UK and USA). AMC plans to re-air the original series at about the same time.<ref>http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/9788.html</ref>


==Awards and honours==
In ] ] it was reported that Sky One had pulled out of the re-make due to a disagreement with their co-producer ]. Granada want the production to continue, with a new broadcaster to co-finance the production with AMC. Until a new broadcaster is found it can be assumed that production cannot continue, therefore the project is presumed to be at least temporarily shelved.
* The final episode, "]", received a ] nomination for ] in 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1969.html|title=The Long List of Hugo Awards, 1969|website=www.nesfa.org|access-date=9 February 2016|archive-date=26 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026210244/http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1969.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In 2002, the series won the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lfs.org/releases/2002Winners.shtml|title=September 2002: Prometheus Award Winners|website=www.lfs.org}}</ref>
* In 2004 and 2007, it was ranked No. 7 on ''TV Guide''{{'}}s Top Cult Shows Ever.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows-40239.aspx |title=TV Guide Names the Top Cult Shows Ever – Today's News: Our Take |publisher=TVGuide.com |date=29 June 2007 |access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref>
* In 1997 and 2001, ''TV Guide'' listed "Fall Out" as the 55th Greatest TV Episode of All Time.<ref>{{cite journal |year=1997 |title=Special Collector's Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time |journal=] |issue=28 June – 4 July }}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url= http://members.aol.com/speaker606/jim/tv.html |title= The 100 Greatest TV episodes of all time!|date=13 March 2003|work=TV Guide|access-date=3 August 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071028140448/http://members.aol.com/speaker606/jim/tv.html |archive-date = 28 October 2007}}</ref>
* In 2005, readers of '']'' magazine awarded the series fifth place in a poll of British fantasy and science fiction television programmes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4732557.stm |title=Doctor Who named top fantasy show
|website=] |date=31 July 2005 |access-date=1 April 2019 }}</ref>
* A 2005 survey of leading rock and film stars by '']'' magazine ranking films, books, music or TV shows that changed the world, placed ''The Prisoner'' at No. 10, the highest for a TV show.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4747739.stm |title=Dylan single 'changed the world' |website=] |date=5 August 2005 |access-date=1 April 2019 }}</ref>
* In 2013, ''TV Guide'' ranked it as the #9 sci-fi show.<ref>{{cite journal|title = Fantastic Voyages: The 60 greatest sci-fi shows of all time|first=Matt|last=Roush|journal=TV Guide|volume = 69|issue =1|year= 2013|pages=14–15}}</ref>


==See also==
In August 2007, Richard Woolfe, head of Sky One, stated:
* ]
<blockquote>"''The Prisoner'' is not happening. It's a very quintessentially British drama and there were too many creative differences trying to share it with an American partner. I didn't want to be responsible for taking something that is quintessentially British and adapting it in a way that I didn't feel was reflective of the way people would remember it and the way people would want it to be. So we called time on that."<ref></ref></blockquote>
* ], documentary about ] and the making of ''The Prisoner'' TV series


===Music=== ==References==
{{Reflist}}
''The Prisoner'' has inspired many musicians:
* The British ] band ] have written two songs based on The Prisoner: "The Prisoner" from '']'' (which features an original sample of the dialogue that runs over the opening titles, for which personal permission from Patrick McGoohan was obtained) and "Back In The Village" from '']''.
* The album '']'' by ], features the song by the same name and was accompanied by a humorous tongue in cheek video based on the series.<ref></ref> The album also features their version of the ''Danger Man'' theme.
* ] released a song called "The Prisoner" inspired by the series.
* A rap song entitled "The Prisoner" by F.A.B. and M.C. No. 6 from Telstar records.
* A sample from ''The Prisoner'' is in the song "Information/32nd Theme Song" by ] on the album ''Information''.<ref></ref>
* The music video for "See Those Eyes" by ] was filmed in Portmeirion and features ''Prisoner'' costumes and props, such as Rover.
* The music video for "Alright" by ] was filmed at least in part in Portmeirion and features ''Prisoner'' costumes and props, such as the ubiquitous Pennyfarthing and people in typical "Village" garb.
* Merseyside band ] released "Fallout"<ref>Pulse Records NUMB 6 (7") & NUMB 6 T (12")</ref> in 1990<ref></ref>; samples of dialogue are used over a club dance track. A version with the dialogue in French is known to exist. The cover features Rover enveloping a victim.
* The programme inspired the ] album '']''.


==Further reading==
In addition, ] has released two editions of soundtrack recordings to CD, a three-volume set in the early 1990s, and another three-volume set in the early 2000s subtitled "Files" that included music not included in the previous issue along with dialogue excerpts from the series. An earlier single-LP soundtrack release was issued by Six of One for its membership in the 1980s and is considered a collector's item; titled ''The Prisoner: Original Soundtrack Music from the TV Series Starring Patrick McGoohan'', the album was later issued by Bamcaruso Records (WEBA 066) in a deluxe edition that included ''The Making of the Prisoner'', a booklet on the series by Roger Langley, a map of the Village, and a poster featuring a hand-drawn image of Number 6 being chased by Rover.
* {{cite book
| last=Britton | first=Wesley Alan | chapter=Chapter 6: The Cold War and Existential Fables: Danger Man, Secret Agent, and The Prisoner
| title=Spy Television
| publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group | year=2004 | location=Westport, CT, USA
| isbn=978-0-275-98163-1 | pages=93–110
}}
* {{cite book
| last1 =Carrazé | first1 = Alain
| last2=Oswald | first2=Hélène
| title =The Prisoner&nbsp;– A Televisionary Masterpiece
| publisher=W. H. Allen Ltd | year=1990 | location =London
| isbn = 978-1-85227-338-5
}}
* {{cite book
| editor-first=Robert | editor-last=Fairclough | title=The Prisoner: The Original Scripts
| publisher=Reynolds & Hearn | volume=1 | others=Foreword by ]
| oclc=61145235 | isbn=978-1-903111-76-5
| year=2005 }}
* {{cite book
| editor-first=Robert | editor-last=Fairclough | title=The Prisoner: The Original Scripts
| publisher=Reynolds & Hearn | volume=2 | others=Foreword by Roger Parkes
| oclc=61145235 | isbn=978-1-903111-81-9
| date=1 February 2006 }}
* {{cite book | last1=White | first1=Matthew | last2=Ali | first2=Jaffer | title=The Official Prisoner Companion | url=https://archive.org/details/officialprisoner00whit | url-access=registration | publisher=Warner Books | year=1988 | location=New York | isbn=978-0-446-38744-6 }}


==Awards== ==External links==
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The final episode, "Fall Out", received a ] nomination for ] in 1969, but lost out to '']''.
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See ] and ] for further details
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* {{IMDb title|id=0061287|title=The Prisoner}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|tv/the_prisoner_1967/s01}}
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* by ], '']'', 2009-01-20


{{The Prisoner}}
In ], readers of ] awarded the series fifth place in a poll of fantasy ]mes.
{{Seiun Award - Best Media}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Subject bar
A ] survey of leading rock and film stars by '']'' magazine ranking films, books, music or TV shows that changed the world, placed ''The Prisoner'' at #10, the highest for a TV show.
|portal1= Television|portal23=United Kingdom|portal2= 1960s

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==Trivia==
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{{Trivia|date=September 2007}}
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* The episode "]" was not aired in the United States for the series' initial network run. The 'pulling' of this episode has been explained in more than one way: some reports implicate the story's supposedly strong ] message (at a time when the ] was at its height) -- while others have alleged that the episode's re-shot opening sequence was considered 'too confusing' for American viewers. The network, ], stated that their refusal was due to the episode's depiction of drug abuse, which many fans claimed was also seen in other episodes. However, this scheme to break Number Six involved disorienting him with hallucinatory drugs, with neither any other, more specific, effect indicated, nor any hint of potential harm from them suggested, making this pharmaceutical usage unique on the series. It may also be relevant that the climactic showdown between "The Sheriff" and "The Kid" was staged, filmed and edited in a manner in direct violation of US television censorship regulations of the time (one man firing his gun and the other being shot & killed are on the screen simultaneously, rather than cutting from one to the other; it must be remembered that this was the summer of 1968, and earlier that year were the assassinations of ] and ], which resulted in a crackdown against violence on TV).
}}
* The music box theme heard throughout "]" is the original theme from Josette's music box in the classic gothic soap '']''. Robert Cobert is the composer, although he is not credited.
* "]" was produced while McGoohan was in America filming '']''. As a workaround to McGoohan's absence the writers contrived to have Number Six's mind implanted in the body of another man (]), who is then sent out of the Village to help capture a scientist. As a result, McGoohan appears in the episode for only a couple of minutes.
* The small ]-like vehicles used as taxis in the Village are ]s. Much of the success of the Moke as a 'cult' vehicle can be attributed to its appearances in ''The Prisoner.''
* The Village's ubiquitous font is a modified ].
* The voice of the announcer in the Village was supplied by actress ].
* In '']'' episode "]", ] flees the "Movementarians" by avoiding various traps. One of these traps is Rover (and a version of the ''Prisoner'' Theme plays while she runs). In another episode, "]", ] is kidnapped after accidentally finding out about a vast conspiracy and placed on "The Island". In this episode, ] provides the voice of a caricature of himself as Number Six, and the reason given as to why he is on "The Island" is because he invented the bottomless peanut bag. Homer eventually escapes in a raft, and pops Rover with a plastic fork.
* '']'' episode "Number 7" makes a number of references to the Prisoner series, including visual references such as Number 2's oval chair, quotes such as McGoohan's line "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered!" (though the Megabyte character fails to include "indexed" in the quote), and a scene that recreates part of the enigmatic final episode of the ''Prisoner'' series, "Fall Out".
* In the point-and-click adventure computer game '']'', when Simon is registering to enter the contest for Court Wizard, Simon quotes the famous "I am not a number" line. When he is told that he is number nine, his response is "I am not a number, I am a free man!", prompting the official who is helping him to remark "I hate people who can shamelessly quote in public".
* The final episode of the TV series '']'' is acknowledged to have been inspired by ''The Prisoner''; Jaime resigns from the OSI and finds herself being pursued by entities concerned about the secret information (and equipment) she possesses.
* Several mysterious characters on the TV series '']'' use the phrase "Be seeing you" while doing the gesture from this series. Writer/producer ] is a fan of the series.
* The phrase "Be seeing you" is used several times in Alan Moore's graphic novel '']''. The graphic novel shares many themes with ''The Prisoner''.
* The British sitcom ] featured a lengthy tribute to ''The Prisoner'' in the episode "Seven Dials", where one of the central characters is imprisoned in Portmeirion by an opponent.
* The ] film '']'' starring ], about a man living in a town of which he cannot escape, contains a number of parallels and subtle nods to ''The Prisoner''. The most direct nod is the inclusion of Mini Mokes in several scenes.{{Fact|date=July 2007}}<!-- You need a citation for this. -->
* The 1994 film '']'' includes a scene where the bankrobbers discuss the episode "]" philosophically.
* In the latest issue of the '']'' newspaper, the "Paragon Times", the warden of Ziggursky Penitentiary is named Warden McGoohan. This may be a reference to ''The Prisoner''.
* There is an allusion to Number Six in the ] episode "Improbable". When agent ] ask agent ] what is his number (in numerology), she tell him that his number is 6. She then explain what it means, only to have Doggett disagree with her, stating "we're not numbers".
* The opening sequence is referenced in a season 4 episode of the series ].

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book
| last =White
| first = Matthew
| authorlink =
| coauthors =Jaffer Ali
| title =The Official Prisoner Companion
| publisher =]
|date=1988
| location =New York, N.Y.
| pages =256
| url =
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 780446387446}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{imdb title|title=The Prisoner|id=0061287}}
*
*
*
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Latest revision as of 03:33, 28 November 2024

British science fiction television series (1967–1968) This article is about the 1967 British TV series. For other uses, see Prisoner (disambiguation).

The Prisoner
Genre
Created byPatrick McGoohan
Directed by
StarringPatrick McGoohan
Theme music composerRon Grainer
Composers
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes17 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerPatrick McGoohan
ProducerDavid Tomblin
Production locations
Running time50 minutes
Production companiesEveryman Films
ITC Entertainment
Original release
NetworkATV (ITV)
Release29 September 1967 (1967-09-29) –
1 February 1968 (1968-02-01)

The Prisoner is a British television series created by Patrick McGoohan, with possible contributions from George Markstein. McGoohan portrays Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village after resigning from his position. The allegorical plotlines of the series contain elements of science fiction, psychological drama, and spy fiction. It was produced by Everyman Films for distribution by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment.

A single series of 17 episodes was filmed between September 1966 and January 1968, with exterior location filming primarily taking place in the Welsh seaside village of Portmeirion. Interior scenes were filmed at MGM-British Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. The series was first broadcast in Canada beginning on 5 September 1967, in the UK on 29 September 1967, and in the United States on 1 June 1968. Although the show was sold as a thriller in the mould of Danger Man, McGoohan's previous series, its surreal and Kafkaesque setting and reflection of concerns of the 1960s counterculture have had a far-reaching influence on popular culture and cultivated a cult following.

Premise

The series follows Number Six (Patrick McGoohan), an unnamed British intelligence agent who, after abruptly and angrily resigning from his highly sensitive government job, prepares to go on a trip. While packing his luggage, he is rendered unconscious by knockout gas piped into his home in Westminster.

Upon waking, he finds himself in a re-creation of the interior of his home, located in a mysterious coastal settlement known to its residents as "the Village". The Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on the other.

The man becomes acquainted with the residents, hundreds of people from all walks of life and cultures, all seeming to be peacefully and mostly enjoyably living out their lives. They do not use names, but have been assigned numbers which, aside from designations such as Two, Three, and Six, give no clue as to their status within the Village with most being captives, but some are guards. Prisoners, therefore, have no idea whom they can and cannot trust. The protagonist is assigned Number Six, but he refuses to accept the designation: "I am not a number! I am a free man!"

Although the residents can freely move about the Village, they are constantly under the surveillance of numerous high-tech monitoring systems and cannot leave. Security forces, including a balloon-shaped automaton called Rover, recapture or kill those who attempt to escape.

I will not make any deals with you. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own.

Number Six in the first episode "Arrival"

Number Six is a particularly important target of the constantly changing Number Two, the Village administrator, who acts as an agent for the unseen Number One. Number Two uses techniques such as hallucinogenic drugs, identity theft, mind control, dream manipulation and forms of social indoctrination and physical coercion in attempt to make Number Six reveal why he resigned from his position. The position of Number Two is assigned to a different person in each episode, with two making repeat appearances. This is assumed to be part of a larger plan to disorient Number Six, but sometimes the change of personnel seems to be the result of the failure of the previous incumbent, whose fate is unknown.

Number Six, distrustful of everyone in the Village, refuses to co-operate or provide the answers they seek. He struggles, usually alone, with various goals, such as determining for which side of the Iron Curtain the Village functions, if either, remaining defiant to its imposed authority, concocting his own plans for escape, learning all he can about the Village, and subverting its operation. His schemes lead to the dismissals of the incumbent Number Two on several occasions. Despite foiling the system, however, Number Six never manages to escape successfully. By the end of the series, the administration, becoming desperate for Number Six's knowledge, as well as fearful of his growing influence in the Village, takes drastic measures that threaten the lives of Number Six, Number Two, and the entire Village.

A major theme of the series is the conflict between individualism, as represented by Number Six, and collectivism, as represented by the Village. According to McGoohan, the series aimed to demonstrate a balance between the two ideologies.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Number Two

The episodes featured guest stars in the role of Number Two.

Guest cast

McGoohan was the only actor credited during the opening sequence, with Muscat the only actor considered a co-star of the series. Several actors (including Alexis Kanner, Christopher Benjamin and Georgina Cookson) appeared in more than one episode playing different characters. Frank Maher, McGoohan's stunt double, who is seen running across the beach in the title sequence, also appears extensively in "The Schizoid Man" and in "Living in Harmony".

Episodes

Main article: List of The Prisoner episodes
Number Six's Lotus Seven Series II, as seen in the title sequence

The Prisoner consists of 17 episodes, which were first broadcast from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968 in the United Kingdom. While the show was presented as a serialised work, with a clear beginning and end, the ordering of the intermediate episodes is unclear, as the production and original broadcast order were different. Several attempts have been made to create an episode ordering based on script and production notes and interpretations of the broader narrative of Number Six's time in the Village.

Opening and closing sequences

The opening and closing sequences of The Prisoner have become iconic, cited as "one of the great set-ups of genre drama", by establishing the Orwellian and postmodern themes of the series. The high production values of the opening sequence have been described as more like those of a feature film than a television programme.

Production

Development

The Prisoner was created while Patrick McGoohan and George Markstein were working on Danger Man, an espionage show produced by Incorporated Television Company. The exact details of who created which aspects of the show are disputed, as there is no "created by" credit. Majority opinion credits McGoohan as the sole creator of the series, but a disputed co-creator status was later ascribed to Markstein after a series of fan interviews were published in the 1980s.

Some sources indicate that McGoohan was the sole or primary creator of the show. McGoohan stated in a 1977 interview that, during the filming of the third series of Danger Man, he told ITC Entertainment managing director Lew Grade that he wanted to quit working on Danger Man after the filming of the proposed fourth series. Grade was unhappy with the decision, but when McGoohan insisted upon quitting, Grade asked if McGoohan had any other possible projects, and McGoohan later pitched The Prisoner. In a 1988 article in British telefantasy magazine Time Screen, though, McGoohan indicated that he had planned to pitch The Prisoner before speaking with Grade. In both accounts, McGoohan pitched the idea orally, rather than having Grade read the proposal in detail, and the two made an oral agreement for the show to be produced by Everyman Films, the production company formed by McGoohan and David Tomblin. In the 1977 account, McGoohan said that Grade approved of the show despite not understanding it, whereas, in the 1988 account, Grade expressed clear support for the concept.

Other sources, however, credit Markstein, then a script editor for Danger Man, with a significant or even primary portion of the development of the show. For example, Dave Rogers, in the book The Prisoner and Danger Man, said that Markstein claimed to have created the concept first and McGoohan later attempted to take credit for it, although Rogers himself doubted that McGoohan would have wanted or needed to do that. A four-page document, generally agreed to have been written by Markstein, setting out an overview of the themes of the series, was published as part of an ITC/ATV press book in 1967. It has usually been accepted that this text originated earlier as a guide for the series writers. Further doubt has been cast on Markstein's version of events by author Rupert Booth in his biography of McGoohan, entitled Not a Number. Booth points out that McGoohan had outlined the themes of The Prisoner in a 1965 interview, long before Markstein's tenure as script editor on the brief fourth series of Danger Man.

Part of Markstein's inspiration came from his research into the Second World War, where he found that some people had been incarcerated in a resort-like prison in Scotland called Inverlair Lodge, near Inverness. Markstein suggested that Danger Man's main character John Drake (played by McGoohan) could suddenly resign and be kidnapped and sent to such a location. McGoohan added Markstein's suggestion to material he had been working on, which later became The Prisoner. Furthermore, a 1960 episode of Danger Man entitled "View from the Villa" had exteriors filmed in Portmeirion, a Welsh resort village that struck McGoohan as a good location for future projects.

According to "Fantasy or Reality" — a chapter of The Prisoner of Portmeirion — the Village is based, in part, on "a strange place in Scotland" operated by the Inter Services Research Bureau, wherein "people" with "valuable knowledge of one sort or another" were held prisoners on extended "holidays" in a "luxury prison camp". The Prisoner's story editor, George Markstein, this source contends, knows of "the existence of this 'secure establishment'". However, this "Scottish prison camp, in reality, was not, of course, a holiday-type village full of people wearing colourful clothing."

Further inspiration came from a Danger Man episode called "Colony Three", in which Drake infiltrates a spy school in Eastern Europe during the Cold War. The school, in the middle of nowhere, is set up to look like a normal English town in which pupils and instructors mix as in any other normal city, but the instructors are virtual prisoners with little hope of ever leaving. McGoohan also stated that he was influenced by his experience from theatre, including his work in the Orson Welles play Moby Dick—Rehearsed (1955) and in a BBC television play, The Prisoner by Bridget Boland. McGoohan wrote a forty-page show Bible, which included a "history of the Village, the sort of telephones they used, the sewerage system, what they ate, the transport, the boundaries, a description of the Village, every aspect of it." McGoohan wrote and directed several episodes, often using pseudonyms. Specifically, McGoohan wrote "Free for All" under the pen name 'Paddy Fitz' (Paddy being the Irish diminutive for Patrick and Fitzpatrick being his mother's maiden name) and directed the episodes "Many Happy Returns" and "A Change of Mind" using the stage name 'Joseph Serf', the surname being ironically a word meaning a peasant who is under the control of a feudal master. Using his own name, McGoohan wrote and directed the last two episodes—"Once Upon a Time" and "Fall Out"—and directed "Free for All".

In a 1966 interview for the Los Angeles Times by reporter Robert Musel, McGoohan stated, "John Drake of Secret Agent is gone." Furthermore, McGoohan stated in a 1985 interview that Number Six is not the same character as John Drake, adding that he had originally wanted another actor to portray the character. However, other sources indicate that several of the crew members who continued on from Danger Man to work on The Prisoner considered it to be a continuation, and that McGoohan was continuing to play the character of John Drake. Author, Dave Rogers claims that Markstein had wanted the character to be a continuation of Drake, but by doing so would have meant paying royalties to Ralph Smart, the creator of Danger Man. The second officially licensed novel based on The Prisoner, published in 1969, refers to Number Six as "Drake" from its first sentence: "Drake woke." The issue has been extensively debated by fans and television critics.

McGoohan had originally wanted to produce only seven episodes of The Prisoner, but Grade argued that more shows were necessary in order for him to successfully sell the series to CBS. The exact number that was agreed to and how the series was to end are disputed by different sources.

In an August 1967 article, Dorothy Manners reported that CBS had asked McGoohan to produce 36 segments, but he would agree to produce only 17. According to a 1977 interview, Lew Grade requested 26 episodes, but McGoohan thought this would spread the show too thin managing to come up with only 17. According to The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series, the series was originally supposed to run longer, but was cancelled, forcing McGoohan to write the final episode in only a few days.

The Prisoner had its British premiere on 29 September 1967 on ATV Midlands, and the last episode first aired on 1 February 1968 on Scottish Television. The world broadcast premiere was on the CTV Television Network in Canada on 5 September 1967.

Filming

Filming began with the shooting of the series' opening sequence in London on 28 August 1966, with location work beginning on 5 September 1966, primarily in Portmeirion, North Wales. This location partially inspired the show. At the request of Portmeirion's architect Clough Williams-Ellis, the main location for the series was not disclosed until the opening credits of the final episode, where it was described as "The Hotel Portmeirion, Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales". Many local residents were recruited as extras. The Village setting was further augmented by the use of the backlot facilities at MGM-British Studios in Borehamwood.

Panoramic view of the central piazza, Portmeirion village
The building at 1 Buckingham Place, used for Number Six's home

Additionally, filming of a key sequence of the opening credits ——and of exterior location filming for three episodes— took place at 1 Buckingham Place in Westminster, which at the time was a private residence, presented as Number Six's home. The building is now a highlight of Prisoner location tours, and currently houses the headquarters of the Royal Warrant Holders Association. The episodes "Many Happy Returns", "The Girl Who Was Death" (the cricket match for which was filmed at four locations, with the main sequences filmed at Eltisley in Cambridgeshire) and "Fall Out" also made use of extensive location shooting in London and other locations.

At the time, most British television was broadcast in black and white, but the show was filmed in color to reach the American audience.

Crew

Background of the Village

According to the writer James Follett, a friend and protégé of George Markstein, Markstein had developed a backstory explaining the origin of the Village and its connection to Number Six's resignation.

Markstein's concept was that John Drake (of Danger Man) had once proposed a strategy for dealing with retired secret agents who could still pose a security risk. Years later, Drake discovers that his proposal was put into practice, not as a benign means of retirement, but an interrogation centre and prison camp known as The Village.

Outraged, Drake resigns, knowing he will be taken to The Village, where he planned to learn everything he can about how his idea has been implemented and find a way to destroy it. However, due to the range of nationalities and agents present, Drake realises that he can't be sure whose Village he is in—his own, or one belonging to the other side.

Markstein later commented:

The prisoner was going to leave the Village and he was going to have adventures in many parts of the world, but ultimately he would always be a prisoner. By that I don't mean he would always go back to the Village. He would always be a prisoner of his circumstances, his situation, his secret, his background ... and 'they' would always be there to ensure that his captivity continues.

Reception

The finale of The Prisoner left numerous open-ended questions, generating controversy and letters of outrage. Following the final episode, McGoohan "claimed he had to go into hiding for a while".

Home media

Video tapes

Numerous editions of The Prisoner were released in the UK by companies such as Carlton, the copyright holder of the TV series. The first VHS and Betamax releases were through Precision Video in 1982 from 16mm original prints. They released four tapes, each with two episodes edited together: "The Arrival"/"The Schizoid Man", "Many Happy Returns"/"A. B. and C.", "Checkmate"/"Free For All", and "The General"/"The Chimes of Big Ben", thus omitting the final storyline. In 1986 Channel 5 Video (a now-defunct home video brand owned by Universal Pictures) released a series of all 17 episodes on VHS and LaserDisc. In 1993 PolyGram Video released the entire series plus a special feature called The Best of The Prisoner on five VHS cassette tapes.

In North America, MPI Home Video released a total of 20 VHS videotapes in 1984 encompassing the entire series: one tape for each of the 17 episodes plus three more containing "The Alternate Version of 'The Chimes of Big Ben'", a documentary, and a "best of" retrospective. MPI also released editions of nine LaserDiscs in 1988 and 1998, the last disc of which comprised the final Episode 17, "Fall Out", plus "The Prisoner Video Companion" on side two.

DVD

In 2000, the first DVD release in the UK was issued by Carlton International Entertainment, with A&E Home Video releasing the same DVDs in North America/Region 1 (in four-episode sets as well as a comprehensive 10-disc "mega-box" edition). A&E subsequently reissued the mega-box in a 40th anniversary edition in 2007. The A&E issue included an alternative version of "The Chimes of Big Ben" and the MPI-produced documentary (but not the redundant "best of" retrospective) among its limited special features. In Australia, Umbrella Entertainment released a DVD set in 2003. In 2005 DeAgostini in the UK released all 17 episodes in a fortnightly partwork series.

The Prisoner: 40th Anniversary Special Edition DVD box-set released in 2007 featured standard-definition versions from high-definition masters created by Network. It also included a production guide to the series by Andrew Pixley.

Blu-ray

The Prisoner: The Complete Series was released on Blu-ray Disc in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2009, following in North America on 27 October 2009. The episodes were restored by the A&E Network to create new high-definition masters. The box-set features all 17 remastered episodes plus extensive special features, including the feature-length documentary Don't Knock Yourself Out, a restored original edit of "Arrival" and extensive archive photos and production stills.

The Prisoner: 50th Anniversary Set was released in the United Kingdom on 29 July 2019. It featured a six-disc Blu-ray collection with none of the extra material found on the DVD box-set released for the 40th anniversary included. The first half of Andrew Pixley's production book was now illustrated and presented in hardback, and text commentaries for every episode detailing the production story of the series were included for the first time. A six-CD set of remastered music was also included. Some additional extras were included such as an interview with McGoohan's daughter, Catherine. Missing from the set was the Don't Knock Yourself Out documentary, the script PDFs and some episode commentaries.

Spin-offs

Main article: The Prisoner in other media

Books

In the late 1960s, the TV series quickly spawned three novels tied into the series. In the 1970s and into the 1980s, as the series gained cult status, a large amount of fan-produced material began to appear, with the official appreciation society forming in 1977. In 1988, the first officially sanctioned guide – The Prisoner Companion – was released. It was not well received by fans or Patrick McGoohan. In 1989, Oswald and Carraze released The Prisoner in France with a translated version appearing shortly after. From the 1990s, numerous other books about the TV series and Patrick McGoohan have been produced. Robert Fairclough's books - including two volumes of original scripts - are considered some of the best researched books available. For the 40th anniversary, Andrew Pixley wrote a well-received and in depth account of the series' production. There are guides to shooting locations in Portmeirion and also a biography of co-creator George Markstein. Some members of the production crew have released books about their time working on the series including Eric Mival and Ian Rakoff.

Games

In the early 1980s, Edu-Ware produced two computer games based upon the series for the Apple II computer. The first, titled simply The Prisoner, was released in 1980, followed by Prisoner 2 in 1982.

Steve Jackson Games' popular role-playing game system GURPS released a (now out of print) world book for The Prisoner. It included maps, episode synopses and details of the Village and its inhabitants.

Comics

In 1988, DC Comics released Shattered Visage, the first part of a four-part series of comics based on the characters in the TV series. In 2018 Titan Comics re-issued Shattered Visage as well as releasing The Prisoner: The Uncertainty Machine, another four-part series of comics about another spy returning to the Village. Although Patrick McGoohan's Number Six is depicted on covers of the 2018 series, the character plays no direct role in the story.

Remake

Main article: The Prisoner (2009 miniseries)

In 2009, the show was remade as a miniseries, also titled The Prisoner, which aired in the U.S. on AMC. The miniseries stars Jim Caviezel as Number 6, and Ian McKellen as Number 2, and was shot on location in Namibia and South Africa. The new series received mainly unfavourable reviews, with a 45/100 rating by 21 critics and 3.6/10 by 82 users as of July 2018.

Proposed film adaptation

Christopher Nolan was reported to be considering a film version in 2009, but later dropped out of the project. The producer Barry Mendel said a decision to continue with the project depended on the success of the television mini-series. In 2016, Ridley Scott was in talks to direct the screen version. Nolan was once again tied to a potential film adaptation in 2024.

Audio dramas

On 5 January 2015, Big Finish Productions, best known for its long-running series of BBC-licensed audio dramas based upon Doctor Who, announced that it would be producing licensed audio dramas based on The Prisoner, with the first scheduled for release in 2016, and that Mark Elstob would play Number Six. The first series, containing new reimaginings of three original series scripts, "Arrival", "The Schizoid Man" and "The Chimes of Big Ben", and one new story, "Your Beautiful Village", written and directed by Nicholas Briggs, was released in January 2016 and was well received. The first series also featured John Standing, Celia Imrie, Ramon Tikaram and Michael Cochrane as Number Two and Helen Goldwyn as The Village Voice/Operations Controller.

A second series was released in August 2017, comprising four stories: "I Met a Man Today" (adapted from "Many Happy Returns"), "Project Six" (adapted from "A, B and C"), an adaptation of "Hammer into Anvil", and new story "Living in Harmony" (not adapted from the TV episode of the same title).

A third series was released in November 2019, comprising four stories: An adaptation of "Free For All", and new stories "The Girl Who Was Death" (using story elements, but not directly adapted, from the TV episode of the same title), "The Seltzman Connection", and "No One Will Know" (the last two using story elements from "Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darling").

These audio dramas have been broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Extra as part of its The 7th Dimension programming.

Awards and honours

  • The final episode, "Fall Out", received a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1969.
  • In 2002, the series won the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award.
  • In 2004 and 2007, it was ranked No. 7 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.
  • In 1997 and 2001, TV Guide listed "Fall Out" as the 55th Greatest TV Episode of All Time.
  • In 2005, readers of SFX magazine awarded the series fifth place in a poll of British fantasy and science fiction television programmes.
  • A 2005 survey of leading rock and film stars by Uncut magazine ranking films, books, music or TV shows that changed the world, placed The Prisoner at No. 10, the highest for a TV show.
  • In 2013, TV Guide ranked it as the #9 sci-fi show.

See also

References

  1. The Prisoner, Original Soundtrack – 3 disc set – Network
  2. Steven Paul Davies (17 August 2000). "Merciful release". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  3. ^ Anthony Clark. "The Prisoner (1967–68)". BFI. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  4. ^ Vinciguerra, Thomas (19 October 2008). "A Spy Trapped in a Nightmare of Psychedelia". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Pixley, Andrew (2007). The Prisoner: A Complete Production Guide. Network. p. 7.
  6. ^ Rogers, Dave (1992). The Prisoner & Danger Man. : Boxtree. ISBN 978-1852832605.
  7. "Celebration as cult show The Prisoner turns 50". BBC. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  8. Jack Ford (August 2016). "Is The Prisoner the most underrated TV show ever?". MR PORTER. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  9. Marcel Theroux (13 April 2017). "The odd Welsh holiday village that looks like it's in Tuscany". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  10. Davies, Steven Paul (2007). The Prisoner Handbook. Pan. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-230-53028-7.
  11. Gregory, Chris (1997). Be Seeing You--: Decoding The Prisoner. Indiana University Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-1860205217.
  12. ^ Sweet, Matthew (20 August 2017). "How did the Prisoner ever get made?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  13. Franich, Darren (29 September 2017). "The Prisoner is 50 years old and has been never more relatable". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  14. Mike Patterson. "The Prisoner – the classic British TV series".
  15. Sardar, Ziauddin (1998). Postmodernism and the other: the new imperialism of Western culture. London: Pluto Press. pp. 1–3. ISBN 978-0-7453-0749-7.
  16. Cole, Tom (15 January 2009). "Patrick McGoohan, TV's 'Prisoner' Number Six : NPR". npr.org. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  17. ^ Davy, Rick (2017). The Prisoner – The Essential Guide. Quoit Media Ltd. p. 4. ISBN 9781911537052.
  18. O'Connor, John J. (16 January 1978). "'Prisoner' on TV Tonight". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 July 2011.(subscription required)
  19. ^ "The Prisoner Puzzle". The Prisoner.
  20. Fairclough, Robert (9 June 2005). The Prisoner: Original Scripts Vol.1. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. pp. 9–10. ISBN 9781903111765.
  21. Booth, Rupert (2011). Not a number : Patrick McGoohan : a life. Twickenham : Supernova Books. ISBN 978-0-9566329-2-0. OCLC 756782296.
  22. ^ Fairclough, Robert. The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series.
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Further reading

External links

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