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''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptly resigned from his job.
Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and Engl ...
played the lead role as Number Six. The series was created by McGoohan with possible contributions from
George Markstein George Markstein (29 August 1926 – 15 January 1987) was a British journalist and writer of thrillers and teleplays. He was the script editor of the British series ''The Prisoner'' for the first thirteen episodes, and appeared briefly in its tit ...
. Episode plots have elements of
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
,
allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...
, and psychological drama, as well as
spy fiction Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligen ...
. It was produced by Everyman Films for distribution by
Lew Grade Lew Grade, Baron Grade, (born Lev Winogradsky; 25 December 1906 – 13 December 1998) was a British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 19 ...
's
ITC Entertainment The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in production and distribution of television programmes. History Incorporated Television Programme Compan ...
. A single series of 17 episodes was filmed between September 1966 and January 1968, with exterior location filming in
Portmeirion Portmeirion is a tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village, and is now owned by a charitable trust. The village is located in the co ...
, Wales. Interior scenes were filmed at MGM-British Studios in
Borehamwood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 31,074, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly know ...
, north of London. The series was first broadcast in Canada beginning on 5 September 1967, in the UK on 29 September 1967, and in the US on 1 June 1968. Although the show was sold as a thriller in the mould of the previous series starring McGoohan, '' Danger Man'', its combination of 1960s countercultural themes and surrealistic setting had a far-reaching influence on science fiction and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
TV programming, and on narrative
popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
in general. Since its initial screening, the series has developed a
cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
. A six-part TV miniseries remake aired on the US cable channel AMC in November 2009. In 2016,
Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include '' Doctor Who'', th ...
reinterpreted the series as an audio drama.


Premise


Plot

The series follows an unnamed British man (McGoohan) who, after abruptly and angrily resigning from his high-ranking government job – apparently a secret service post – prepares to make a hurried departure from the country. The most he will later reveal about his resignation is that it was a "matter of conscience". While packing his luggage, he is rendered unconscious by
knockout gas The term incapacitating agent is defined by the United States Department of Defense as: :"An agent that produces temporary physiological or mental effects, or both, which will render individuals incapable of concerted effort in the performance of ...
piped into his London home. When he wakes, he finds himself in a re-creation of the interior of his home, located in a mysterious coastal "
village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
" within which he is held captive, isolated from the mainland by mountains and sea. Although internal physical movement of residents around the Village is unconstrained, the premises are secured by numerous high-tech monitoring systems and security forces, including a balloon-like automaton called
Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US * ...
, that recaptures or kills those who attempt escape. The man encounters the Village's population, 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 any person's status within the Village, whether as prisoners or guards. Potential escapees, therefore, have no idea whom they can and cannot trust. The protagonist is assigned Number Six, but he repeatedly refuses the pretence of his new identity. Number Six is monitored heavily by the constantly-changing Number Two, the Village
administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...
, who acts as an agent for the unseen Number One. Several techniques are used by Number Two to try to extract information from Number Six, including
hallucinogenic drugs Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorized ...
,
identity theft Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term ''identity theft'' was c ...
, mind control, dream manipulation and forms of social indoctrination and physical coercion. All of these are employed not only to find out why Number Six resigned as an agent, but also to elicit other information he gained as a spy. 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 Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its ...
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 (including one, played by Patrick Cargill, who is driven to paranoia and a near nervous breakdown). 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, indeed, the entire Village. A major theme of the series is
individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...
, as represented by Number Six, versus collectivism, as represented by Number Two and the others in the Village. McGoohan stated that the series aimed to demonstrate a balance between the two points.


The Village

Number Six wakes up in the mysterious coastal location known to "residents" as the Village. Most of the "residents" are prisoners, with others embedded as spies or guards. The Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on the other. Would-be escapees who make it to sea are tracked by CCTV and perimeter alerts, which trigger the arrival of
Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US * ...
, a seemingly intelligent capture pod resembling a huge translucent white balloon. Rover repatriates escapees who make it to sea and occasionally kills (by absorbing and asphyxiating) whomever it is instructed to by Number Two and/or other high-ranking Village officials. Everyone uses numbers for identification, although names are infrequently used. Most of the villagers wear a standard outfit consisting of coloured blazers with piping, multicoloured capes, striped sweaters, plimsolls, and a variety of headwear, with straw boaters being prominent. Several facilities are listed on a local map of the Village, including the labour exchange, hospital, palace of fun (which is never seen), old people's home, and the green dome where Number Two resides. A taxi service operates around the village's buildings. The village of Portmeirion in north Wales was used extensively for exterior scenes of the Village. Rover has the capacity to subdivide, which is seen on one occasion. A robotic device was initially created as the prop for the series but it was replaced by meteorological balloons by the time filming began.


Cast


Main cast

*
Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and Engl ...
as Number Six


Recurring cast

*
Angelo Muscat Angelo Muscat (24 September 1930 – 10 October 1977) was a Maltese-born British character actor. He is primarily recalled for his role as the silent butler in the 1967 television series ''The Prisoner''. Biography Muscat was born on 24 Septe ...
as The Butler *
Peter Swanwick Walter Peter Swanwick (29 September 1922 – 14 November 1968) was a British actor best remembered as the "Supervisor" (sometimes called the Controller) in the 1967 TV series, '' The Prisoner''. Swanwick's film career began with bit parts in ...
as Supervisor *
Denis Shaw Denis Shaw (7 February 1921 – 28 February 1971) was a British character actor specialising in slimy villains. Born in Dulwich as Douglas Findlay Shaw, he was a rotund man, with dark, wavy hair and slanty eyes. This appearance meant he would ...
as The Shop Keeper * Fenella Fielding as The Announcer/Telephone Operator (voice only)


Number Two actors

The episodes featured guest stars in the role of Number Two. Of those listed below, only Leo McKern and Colin Gordon reprised the role.


Guest cast

*
Annette Andre Annette Andre (born 24 June 1939) is an Australian actress best known for her work on British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Early life and early career The daughter of an upholsterer, Annette Andre was born in Drummoyne, Australi ...
* Sheila Allen *
Nike Arrighi Nike Arrighi (born 9 March 1947) is a French visual artist and former actress, known for roles in several European horror and art house films in the 1960s and 1970s in addition to work in television. Early life Daughter of Italian diplomat an ...
* Michael Balfour *
Kenneth Benda Charles Kenneth Anton Benda (3 June 1902 – 26 July 1978) was an English actor often on television. He appeared in British television series ''No Hiding Place'', '' The Saint'', '' The Avengers'', ''Z-Cars'', ''The Prisoner'', ''Doctor Who'', '' ...
* Christopher Benjamin * Michael Billington * Michael Bilton * Peter Bowles * Angela Browne * James Bree * Michael Brennan * Earl Cameron * Annette Carrell * John Castle * Dennis Chinnery * Michael Chow * George Coulouris *
Rosalie Crutchley Rosalie Sylvia Crutchley (4 January 1920 – 28 July 1997) was a British actress. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, Crutchley was perhaps best known for her television performances, but had a long and successful career in theatre and films, ...
*
Hilary Dwyer Hilary Dwyer (6 May 1945 – 30 March 2020), also known as Hilary Heath, was an English actress, businessperson, and film producer. She was best known for her acting roles in films such as '' Witchfinder General'' (1968) and ''Wuthering Heights ...
* Paul Eddington * Mark Eden *
Max Faulkner Herbert Gustavus Max Faulkner, OBE (29 July 1916 – 26 February 2005) was an English professional golfer who won the Open Championship in 1951. Early life Faulkner was born on 29 July 1916 in Bexhill-on-Sea, the son of Gus (1893–1976), a pr ...
*
Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...
* Valerie French * Nadia Gray * Lucy Griffiths *
John Hamblin John Reginald Hamblin (18 March 1935 – 21 September 2022), known affectionately as "Funny John" or "Naughty John", was a British-born Australian children's television presenter and actor of stage and screen who appeared in theatre productions ...
*
Basil Hoskins Basil William Hoskins (10 June 1929 – 17 January 2005) was an English theatre and film actor. Hoskins, a native of Edmonton, London, was educated at the Edmonton County School. Hoskins studied acting at RADA and joined the Nottingham Playhou ...
* Peter Howell *
Patricia Jessel Patricia Helen Mary Jessel (15 October 1920 – 8 June 1968) was an English actress of stage, film and television. Biography Jessel was born in the then British Crown Colony of Hong Kong, daughter of Clement Edward Jessel and Ursula Theodor ...
* Alf Joint * Alexis Kanner * Katherine Kath * Gertan Klauber * Lloyd Lamble * Jon Laurimore * George Leech * Charles Lloyd-Pack * Justine Lord * Duncan Macrae * Victor Maddern * Virginia Maskell * John Maxim *
Betty McDowall Betty McDowall (1924 – 1993) was an Australian stage, film and television actress. She was born in Sydney, New South Wales in 1924. Her television appearances include episodes of ''Z-Cars'', '' The Saint'' and ''The Prisoner''. On stage, she ...
* Jane Merrow *
Martin Miller Martin Miller may refer to: * Martin Miller (actor) (1899–1969), Czech actor * Martin Miller (cricketer, born 1940), English cricketer * Martin Miller (cricketer, born 1972), English cricketer * Martin Miller (footballer) (born 1997), Estonian foo ...
* Norman Mitchell * Aubrey Morris * Bartlett Mullins *
David Nettheim David Cosman Nettheim (10 July 1925 – 11 March 2008) was an Australian actor and stage writer, he acted on stage and film, but was best known for his roles in numerous television series. Early life Born in Sydney, New South Wales, and broug ...
*
Michael Nightingale Alfred George Cyril Michael Nightingale (6 October 1922 – 8 May 1999) was an English stage, film and television actor. He appeared in 13 (9 credited and 4 uncredited) of the ''Carry On'' film series - the tenth highest number of appearan ...
* Frederick Piper *
George Pravda George Pravda (19 June 19161 May 1985) was a Czechoslovak theatre, film and television actor. Early life He began his career in Czechoslovakia, where he was credited as Jiří Pravda, and then emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1956. Career H ...
* Keith Pyott *
Ronald Radd Ronald Radd (22 January 1929 – 23 April 1976) was a British television actor. He is perhaps best remembered for originating the role of Hunter in the television thriller series '' Callan''. In 1971, he was nominated for a Tony Award for ''Ab ...
*
Hugo Schuster Hugo Schuster (22 November 1886 – 10 July 1976) was a German-British actor. Biography Born in Aachen, Germany, Schuster began his career acting at Otto Brahm's Berlin Lessing Theater. In the 1920s, he acted in the leading German theat ...
*
Donald Sinden Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was a British actor. Sinden featured in the film ''Mogambo'' (1953), and achieved early fame as a Rank Organisation film star in the 1950s in films including ''The Cruel Sea (195 ...
* Patsy Smart * Nigel Stock * Kevin Stoney * Larry Taylor * Wanda Ventham * Zena Walker *
Norma West Norma West (born 19 November 1943) is a British actress, Born in Cape Town, South Africa, her best known television appearance was as Queen Elizabeth of York in the BBC series ''The Shadow of the Tower'' (1972). She played the part of Number ...
* Alan White Frank Maher served as McGoohan's stunt double. McGoohan was the only actor credited during the opening sequence, with Angelo Muscat the only actor considered a co-star of the series. Several actors — among them Alexis Kanner, Christopher Benjamin and Georgina Cookson — appeared in more than one episode, playing different characters. Kenneth Griffith appeared in "
The Girl Who Was Death "The Girl Who Was Death" is an episode of the allegorical British science fiction TV series, ''The Prisoner''. It was written by Terence Feely and directed by David Tomblin and was the sixteenth produced. It was broadcast in the UK on ITV (Sco ...
" and " Fall Out"; while he did play Number Two in "The Girl Who Was Death", his character in "Fall Out" may be the same character after the assignment of Number Two was passed to someone else (or, given events, abandoned). Also, a theory exists that Patrick Cargill played the same character in the two episodes in which he appeared; the Number Two that he plays in "
Hammer into Anvil "Hammer into Anvil" is an episode of the allegorical British science fiction TV series, ''The Prisoner''. It was written by Roger Woddis and directed by Pat Jackson and twelfth produced. It was the tenth episode to be broadcast in the UK on IT ...
" may or may not be the same character as Thorpe, the aide to Number Six's superior, from " Many Happy Returns". Maher, McGoohan's stunt double, can be seen at the start of almost every episode, running across the beach; he also appears extensively in " The Schizoid Man" and in "
Living in Harmony Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings * Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct * Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * ...
" as Third Gunman.


Episodes

''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 larger narrative of Number Six's time in the Village.


Opening and closing sequences

The opening and closing sequences of ''The Prisoner'' have become iconic and cited as "one of the great set-ups of genre drama", by establishing the
Orwellian "Orwellian" is an adjective describing a situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free and open society. It denotes an attitude and a brutal policy of draconian control by pro ...
and
postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...
themes of the series. The high production values of the opening sequence have been described as more like a feature film than a television programme.


Production


Development

The show was created while Patrick McGoohan and
George Markstein George Markstein (29 August 1926 – 15 January 1987) was a British journalist and writer of thrillers and teleplays. He was the script editor of the British series ''The Prisoner'' for the first thirteen episodes, and appeared briefly in its tit ...
were working on '' Danger Man'' (known as ''Secret Agent'' in the US), an espionage show produced by Incorporated Television Company (also called ITC Entertainment). The exact details of who created which aspects of the show are disputed; 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. The show itself bears no "created by" credit. Some sources indicate McGoohan was the sole or primary creator of the show. McGoohan stated in a 1977 interview broadcast as part of a Canadian documentary about ''The Prisoner'' called ''The Prisoner Puzzle'' that, during the filming of the third series of ''Danger Man'', he told Lew Grade, managing director of ITC Entertainment, 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; McGoohan later pitched ''The Prisoner''. In a 1988 article from 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''. At any rate, part of Markstein's inspiration came from his research into the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, where he found that some people had been incarcerated in a resort-like prison called Inverlair Lodge. 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 Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
. 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 George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
play '' Moby Dick—Rehearsed'' (1955) and in a BBC television play, ''The Prisoner'' by
Bridget Boland Bridget Boland (13 March 1913 – 19 January 1988) was an Irish-British screenwriter, playwright and novelist. Life Bridget Boland was the daughter of Irish politician John Pius Boland and Eileen Querin Boland ( Moloney). Born in London, Bridg ...
. 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 "A Change of Mind" is an episode of the allegorical British science fiction TV series, ''The Prisoner''. It was written by Roger Parkes and directed by Patrick McGoohan and ninth produced. It was the twelfth episode to be broadcast in the UK on ...
" 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 The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' 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'' mistakenly 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 though non-canonical novel based on ''The Prisoner'', published in 1969, refers to Number Six as "Drake" from its very first sentence: "Drake woke." The issue has been debated by fans and TV critics, with some stating the two characters are the same, based on the two characters appearing to share the same occupation. This fails to take into account that McGoohan played many spies over the course of his career, on stage in movies and film, and it is doubtful that they were all intended to be the same man. 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; McGoohan thought this would spread the show too thin, but was able to come up with 17 episodes. 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 Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is th ...
. The world broadcast premiere was on the
CTV Television Network The CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned List of Canadian ...
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 village near
Porthmadog Porthmadog (; ), originally Portmadoc until 1974 and locally as "Port", is a Welsh coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd and the historic county of Caernarfonshire. It lies east of Criccieth, south-west of Blaenau F ...
,
North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, ...
. 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 Penrhyndeudraeth (; ) is a small town and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The town is close to the mouth of the River Dwyryd on the A487 nearly east of Porthmadog, and had a population of 2,150 at the 2011 census, increased from 2 ...
, 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. 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 London, which at the time was a private residence; it doubled 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 Eltisley is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, on the A428 road about 5.5 miles (9 km) east of St Neots and about 11 miles (18 km) west of the city of Cambridge. The population in 2001 was 421 people, falli ...
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 to reach the critical American audience, the show was filmed in colour.


Crew

*
George Markstein George Markstein (29 August 1926 – 15 January 1987) was a British journalist and writer of thrillers and teleplays. He was the script editor of the British series ''The Prisoner'' for the first thirteen episodes, and appeared briefly in its tit ...
– Script editor * Don Chaffey – Director * David Tomblin – Director * Peter Graham Scott – Director * Brendan J. Stafford – Cinematographer *
Bernard Williams Sir Bernard Arthur Owen Williams, FBA (21 September 1929 – 10 June 2003) was an English moral philosopher. His publications include ''Problems of the Self'' (1973), ''Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy'' (1985), ''Shame and Necessity'' ...
– Production manager * Eric Mival – Music editor *
Albert Elms Albert Elms (28 February 1920 – 14 October 2009) was an English composer and arranger who worked mainly for television and film. Albert Elms was born in Newington, Kent, England, and died in Southampton. His love of music drove him to ...
– Musical director and composer * Frank Maher – Fight/stunt coordinator * Rose Tobias Shaw – Casting director


Alternative ending

In his book about George Markstein, script editor of ''The Prisoner'' before he quit part way through the making of the series, author James Follett presented a more mundane alternative explanation for the existence of The Village that he and Markstein had cooked up many years after the series had ended. In Markstein's mind, a young John Drake, the lead character in the television series ''Danger Man'', might once have submitted a proposal for how to deal with retired secret agents who pose a security risk. Drake's idea was to create a comfortable retirement home where former agents could live out their final years, enduring firm but unobtrusive surveillance. Years later, Drake discovers that his idea has been put into practice, not as a benign means of retirement, but as an interrogation centre and prison camp. Outraged, Drake stages his own resignation, knowing he will be brought to The Village. He hopes to learn everything he can of how his idea has been implemented and find a way to destroy it. However, due to the range of nationalities and agents present in The Village, Drake realises he is not sure whose Village he is in one established by his own people, or by the other side. Drake's conception of the Village would have been the basis for declaring himself to be "Number One". Such an explanation would, of course, take away from Number Six's everyman status and does not chime with McGoohan's allegorical vision for the series. According to Markstein: "'Who is Number Six?' is no mystery he was a secret agent called Drake who quit." Markstein added:
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 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; these were "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 Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
) released a series of all 17 episodes on VHS and LaserDisc. In 1993
PolyGram Video PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to b ...
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 MPI Media Group is an American producer, distributor and licensor of theatrical film and home entertainment. MPI's subsidiaries include MPI Pictures, MPI Home Video, Gorgon Video, and the horror film distributor Dark Sky Films. The company is l ...
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
LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diameter typical ...
s 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 De Agostini S.p.A. is an Italian holding company that coordinates the strategic operating companies De Agostini Editore, De Agostini Communications, IGT, and DeA Capital, and makes financial investments, among which the main investment is a ...
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 Standard-definition television (SDTV, SD, often shortened to standard definition) is a television system which uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. "Standard" refers to it being the prevailing sp ...
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 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 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
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


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. Roger Langley the organiser of the ''Six of One'' ''The Prisoner'' appreciation society has published several books, guides and novels inspired by the TV series (including ''Patrick McGoohan: Danger Man or Prisoner?'' first published in 2007 and revised and updated in 2017 with input from
Catherine McGoohan Catherine McGoohan (born 31 May 1952) is a British-American actress. Early life McGoohan is the eldest daughter of Irish-American actor Patrick McGoohan and actress Joan Drummond. She has two younger sisters. Career McGoohan appeared in films ...
).


Games

In the early 1980s,
Edu-Ware Edu-Ware Services, Inc. was an educational and entertainment software publisher established in 1979 bSherwin Steffinand Steven Pederson. It was known for its adventure games, role-playing video games, and flight simulators for the Apple II family ...
produced two computer games based upon the series for the
Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
computer. The first, titled simply, '' The Prisoner'', was released in 1980, followed by a remake, ''
Prisoner 2 The ''Prisoner 2'' 1982 computer game by Edu-Ware is a remake of the 1980 game ''The Prisoner''. Gameplay In 1982, Edu-Ware released a second version of the game entitled ''Prisoner 2'', with color and improved high-resolution graphics replacing ...
'' in 1982.
Steve Jackson Games Steve Jackson Games (SJGames) is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and (until 2019) the gaming magazine ''Pyramid''. History Founded in 1980, six years after the c ...
' popular
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...
system ''
GURPS The ''Generic Universal RolePlaying System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting. It was created by Steve Jackson Games and first published in 1986 at a time when most such systems ...
'' released a (now
out of print __NOTOC__ An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a boo ...
) 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 reinterpreted for outer space, heroic fantasy, horror, and even complete inversion into something akin to ''
Hogan's Heroes ''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom set in a Nazi German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during World War II. It ran for 168 episodes (six seasons) from September 17, 1965, to April 4, 1971, on the CBS network, the longest broadcast ...
''.


Comics

In 1988,
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
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

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 James Patrick Caviezel Jr. (; born September 26, 1968) is an American film and television actor who played Jesus Christ in '' The Passion of the Christ'' (2004) and starred as John Reese on the CBS series '' Person of Interest'' (2011–2016). ...
as Number 6, and
Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...
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 Barry Mendel (born 1963) is an American film producer. Mendel first produced Wes Anderson’s '' Rushmore'' starring Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, which won two Film Independent Spirit Awards for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. Th ...
said a decision to continue with the project depended on the success of the television mini-series. In 2016,
Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades th ...
was in talks to direct the screen version.


Audio dramas

On 5 January 2015,
Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include '' Doctor Who'', th ...
, best known for its long-running series of BBC-licensed audio dramas based upon ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
'', 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 Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Dal ...
, was released in January 2016 and was well received. The first series also featured John Standing,
Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...
, Ramon Tikaram and
Michael Cochrane Michael Cochrane is an English actor. Biography Cochrane was born in Brighton, East Sussex. He was educated at Cranleigh School. He has had many television and radio roles including Oliver Sterling in the Radio 4 soap opera ''The Archers'' ...
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". These audio dramas have been broadcast by
BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a day. It is the sister station of BBC Radio 4 and the ...
as part of its
The 7th Dimension ''The 7th Dimension'' is the BBC's regular radio slot for science fiction, fantasy and horror. It is broadcast on the digital radio station BBC Radio 4 Extra at midnight (GMT in winter, BST in summer) on Sundays and repeated at 4 p.m.. The origi ...
programming.


Awards and honours

* The final episode, " Fall Out", received a
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...
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

* ''The Prisoner'' in popular culture * ''In My Mind'', documentary about
Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and Engl ...
and the making of ''The Prisoner'' TV series * '' Nowhere Man'' US TV series with similar premise


References


Further reading

* * * * *


External links

* * *
''The Prisoner Puzzle'' 1976 companion book of a television show discussing theories about the series

''In pictures: The Prisoner at 50 – BBC article''

Six ways cult show ''The Prisoner'' prepared us for the modern world – BFI article


* ttps://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123241810530696607 "Why ''The Prisoner'' Endures"by John Fund, ''
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', 2009-01-20 {{DEFAULTSORT:Prisoner, The 1967 British television series debuts 1968 British television series endings 1960s British drama television series 1960s British mystery television series 1960s British science fiction television series English-language television shows Espionage television series Fiction about mind control ITV television dramas Spy thriller television series Television series by ITC Entertainment Television series by ITV Studios Television shows adapted into comics Television shows adapted into novels Television shows adapted into video games Television shows shot at MGM-British Studios