The Prisoner Totally Explained

Everything about The Prisoner totally explained

The Prisoner is an allegorical UK 1960s science fiction television series starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan. It follows a former British secret agent who, after abruptly resigning from his position, is held captive in a small village by the sea by an unidentified power which wishes to establish the reason for his resignation. Episodes typically feature the unnamed prisoner, labelled "Number Six" by his captors, unsuccessfully attempting to escape from "the Village", but successfully resisting interrogation and attempts of brainwashing.
   The show was created by McGoohan and George Markstein, with exteriors filmed primarily on location at the Hotel Portmeirion in Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales. Seventeen episodes were produced. The first was originally broadcast in London on 1 October 1967 and the last aired on 4 February 1968. The world broadcast premiere was on the CTV Television Network in Canada on September 5, 1967.
   Although sold as a spy thriller in the mould of McGoohan's previous series, Danger Man, the show's combination of 1960s countercultural themes and its surreal setting had a far-reaching effect upon science fiction-fantasy-genre television and also popular culture in general.
   In 2006, Granada Productions revealed plans for a remake for the Sky One channel, which will take "liberties" with the original. However, in May 2007 it was reported that Sky One had pulled out of the project. On April 17, 2008, ITV announced that they were planning to make a new series based on the original but starring an American actor.

Origins

The show was, in part, inspired by McGoohan's reaction to the surreal appearance of the Welsh resort Hotel Portmeirion, where location filming for three episodes of the first Danger Man TV series had taken place. In a 1977 interview, McGoohan stated that "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."
   Another factor behind the series was the response of George Markstein to McGoohan's complaining that the revival of Danger Man, on which Markstein was script editor, was becoming stale and uninteresting to him. Markstein remembered that during World War II some people were incarcerated in a resort-like prison. He suggested that the hero of Danger Man, John Drake, could suddenly resign, and find himself kidnapped and sent to such a location. Drake would have to identify his captors, without giving them any information, and escape.
   McGoohan: "It was a place that's trying to destroy the individual by every means possible; trying to break his spirit, so that he accepts that he's No 6 and will live there happily as No 6 for ever after. And this is the one rebel that they can't break."
   Many critics and TV historians agree that another inspiration was an episode of Danger Man, entitled "Colony Three," first aired in 1964. In this episode, McGoohan's character, John Drake, infiltrates a spy school in Eastern Europe during the Cold War. 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. Drake manages to leave eventually (having made arrangements for extraction before entering).
   McGoohan grafted this onto the material he'd developed in the intervening years and pitched it to Lew Grade of ITC Entertainment. (McGoohan invariably denies The Prisoner and John Drake are the same character. Producer Ralph Smart who created and owned the John Drake character has never received credit or payment.) ť I'd made 54 of those [sic—therewere thirty-nine half-hour episodes and forty-seven hour long segments of Danger Man] 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.

ť So I prepared it and went in to see Lew Grade. I'd 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.'

Grade bought the show and it was produced for broadcast on ITV and overseas.
   For the script writers McGoohan wrote a 40-page document on the setting, 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…" There are two Number Twos with repeat appearances: Leo McKern appeared in three episodes, and Colin Gordon in two. With the exception of "Fall Out", this was the result of the actors performing their roles in two consecutive episodes filmed back to back. Colin Gordon was filmed in "The General" followed immediately with "A. B. and C." McKern was featured in the series' second transmitted episode, "The Chimes of Big Ben," and then featured in the next production episode to be filmed "Once Upon a Time." Three actors who portray Number Twos also appear in other episodes, possibly as different characters - Georgina Cookson (A. B. and C. as party guest & Many Happy Returns as Mrs Butterworth/No. 2), Kenneth Griffith (The Girl Who Was Death as Schnipps/No. 2 & Fall Out as The Judge) and Patrick Cargill (Many Happy Returns as Thorpe, & Hammer Into Anvil as No. 2) - although this is ambiguous, particularly in the case of Kenneth Griffith's character.
   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, "It's Your Funeral". 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.
   Throughout the series, the various Number Twos try to break Number Six with their will. A variety of interrogation, intimidation, drugs, and mind control 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 "Free For All").
   The first episode, "Arrival", 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.
   One of these Number Twos was recalled to the Village as the final Number Two (as played by McKern). This Number Two appears to be known at the highest levels of government, since in the final episode, "Fall Out", McKern's character arives at the Palace of Westminster and is immediately admitted; presumably this is intended to signify his entry (or return) into the administrative or political 'mainstream'. It has also been noted that the charater uses the Peers' Entrance, and thus might be a Member of House of Lords, with a title either inherited through birth or received from the Crown. An alternative interpretation is that the Palace of Westminster is a symbol of openness and democracy, in contrast to the themes of secrecy, totalitarianism and the suppression of the individual.

McGoohan's summary

Number Two Is Missing by Ben Aaronovitch (2008))

Endgame by William Latham (2008))

Comic books

Marvel Comics

The premise of the television series fascinated comic book artist Jack Kirby, who created a four-issue homage in 1969 in Fantastic Four #84-87, in which the superhero team finds itself in Doctor Doom's Latveria, a city like the Village in many respects. In the early 1970s, Marvel Comics considered launching a comic book based on The Prisoner, to be written by Steve Englehart and drawn by Gil Kane. When Jack Kirby returned to Marvel in the mid-70s after a run at DC Comics, 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 Mike Royer). Original artwork from this comic still exists and occasionally turns up for auction. Some of it has been published in the comic book fanzine Jack Kirby Collector. The surviving artwork suggests that the first issue, at least, would have been an adaptation of "Arrival."

Shattered Visage

Shattered Visage is a four-issue comic book mini-series based on The Prisoner. Illustrated by Mister X creator Dean Motter 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.

Computer 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 a remake, Prisoner 2 in 1982.
The first game in Cyan's "Myst" series featured a location called "Stoneship," that resembles the Stone Boat at Portmeirion.

Role-playing games

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, 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, heroic fantasy, horror and even complete inversion into something akin to Hogan's Heroes.

Return of The Prisoner

A movie version of The Prisoner has been in development hell for many years at Universal Pictures. 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 Russell Crowe believed to be the favourite. Patrick McGoohan also mentioned in a 1997 interview with French TV that he'd like to see Mel Gibson play the lead role.
   It was announced in late 2005 that Granada would revive the series for Sky One in 2007. Christopher Eccleston has been linked with the role, but these rumours were strongly denied by Eccleston's agent in the 30 May 2006 issue of Radio Times, and Eccleston subsequently joined the cast of NBC Drama Heroes, although not as a regular. According to the 3 June - 9 June issue of the magazine, the new series re-make will be titled Number Six and not The Prisoner. American cable network AMC is co-producing.
   As of August 2006, Universal Pictures is near a deal for Christopher Nolan to direct a feature version of TV series. Janet and David Peoples are set to write the script. Scott Stuber, Mary Parent, Barry Mendel and Emma Thomas will produce.
   In December 2006, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the American cable TV channel AMC is co-producing The Prisoner with Sky One, and that it'll 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.
   In May 2007 it was reported that Sky One had pulled out of the re-make due to a disagreement with their co-producer AMC. 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 can't continue, therefore the project is presumed to be at least temporarily shelved.
   In August 2007, Richard Woolfe, head of Sky One, stated:

"The Prisoner isn't 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's 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."

In October 2007, British broadcaster ITV stepped in to replace Sky One as co-producer with AMC. In a report, the network was in the final stages of securing production rights and hoped to begin casting soon after. The remake will be a six-part series, and will be "a pacy, radical reinvention of the original show." On 25 April 2008, ITV announced that a new series of The Prisoner will go into production. American actor James Caviezel has been linked to the part of Number Six but a spokesperson dismissed this as "pure speculation".

Music

The Prisoner has inspired many musicians:

The almost eighteen-minute long track "McGoohan's Blues" from Roy Harper's 1969 album Folkjokeopus was, according to Harper, inspired by "McGoohan's depiction of the establishment rebel"

The British heavy metal band Iron Maiden have written two songs based on The Prisoner: "The Prisoner" from The Number Of The Beast (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 Powerslave.

The album I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape by The Times, features the song by the same name and was accompanied by a humorous tongue in cheek video based on the series. The album also features their version of the Danger Man theme.

The Clash released a song called "The Prisoner" inspired by the series.

Dr Feelgood released an album in 1977 called "Be Seeing You" produced by Number 2 for Number 6. Sleeve photo featured band members wearing prisoner blazers and also the penny farthing badges were displayed. The band were fans of the series at the time.

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 Toenut on the album Information.

The music video for "See Those Eyes" by Altered Images was filmed in Portmeirion and features Prisoner costumes and props, such as Rover.

The music video for "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" and "The Meeting Place" by XTC (found in the album "Skylarking") was also filmed in Portmeirion and featured the band in "Prisoner" costumes and props.

The music video for "Alright" by Supergrass 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 Alternative Radio released "Fallout" in 1990; 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 The Girl Who Was… Death by Mr. Doctor and his band Devil Doll.

The Prisoner also inspired the naming of the band thenewno2, featuring George Harrison's son, Dhani Harrison.

Songwriter Michael Penn's CD "Resigned" featured cover artwork duplicating the file cabinet and x'd-out photo from the credits of The Prisoner. His previous CD was entitled "Free For All," the title of a Prisoner episode.

Mansun's second album Six was influenced by the programme which the band cited as a favourite of theirs..

Track 6 on Hujaboy's 2007 album, Black Belt is titled, "In The Village" and contains the sound bites: "I am not a number, I'm a free man!", "We want...information." and "Who is Number One?". In addition, Silva Screen Records 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.
In December 2007 it was announced that Network DVD would be releasing a new 3xCD set of the soundtrack, compiled by series music editor Eric Mival, which would include a facsimile of his "music bible" used during the making of the series.

Awards

The final episode, "Fall Out", received a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1969, but lost out to .
   In 2002, the series won the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award.
   In 2005, readers of SFX magazine awarded the series fifth place in a poll of fantasy television programmes.
   A 2006 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 #10, the highest for a TV show.

Trivia

The episode "Living in Harmony" wasn't 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 pacifist message (at a time when the Vietnam War 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, CBS, 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 Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., which resulted in a crackdown against violence on TV).

The music box theme heard throughout "Dance of the Dead" is the original theme from Josette's music box in the classic gothic soap Dark Shadows.

"Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" was produced while McGoohan was in America filming Ice Station Zebra. As a workaround to McGoohan's absence the writers contrived to have Number Six's mind implanted in the body of another man (Nigel Stock), 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 Jeep-like vehicles used as taxis in the Village are Mini Mokes.

The Village's ubiquitous font is a modified Albertus.

The voice of the announcer in the Village was supplied by actress Fenella Fielding.

References in other popular culture

In the "Krusty Gets Busted" episode of The Simpsons, the "Krusty Gets Busted" animation played on the TV news at the start of Act II recalls The Prisoner's tag (as well as the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies opening titles). In another episode, "The Joy of Sect", Marge 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 "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes", Homer is kidnapped after accidentally finding out about a vast conspiracy and placed on "The Island"; Patrick McGoohan provides the voice of a caricature of himself as Number Six, and the reason given as to why he's on "The Island" is because he invented the bottomless peanut bag.

ReBoot 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 won't be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered!" and a scene that recreates part of the 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 "I am not a number" line. When he's told that he's number nine, his response is "I am not a number, I'm a free man!", prompting the official who is helping him to remark "I hate people who can shamelessly quote in public".

Several mysterious characters on the TV series Babylon 5 use the phrase "Be seeing you" while doing the salutation gesture from this series. Writer/producer J. Michael Straczynski is a fan of the series.

The British sitcom 2point4 children 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 1994 film Killing Zoe includes a scene where the bankrobbers discuss the episode "A. B. and C." philosophically.

The opening sequence is referenced in a season 4 episode of the series Coupling.

In the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series (2003-2008), the character of Number Six - a beautiful Cylon infiltrator played by model Tricia Helfer - is named as an homage to The Prisoner, according to writer/ producer Ronald D Moore.

The Nowhere Man (TV series) was heavily influenced by The Prisoner. Creator Lawrence Hertzog speaks at length in the DVD commentaries about how The Prisoner was his favorite show. The protagonist of the series, photojournalist Thomas Veil, is relentlessly pursued for a set of negatives, as The Prisoner's Number Six is relentlessly pursued to find out the cause of his resignation. Veil finds himself transported to a strange village in episode 105, "Paradise on your Doorstep," where he's forcibly detained. In episode 119, "Doppelganger," Veil tracks information to a town where a doppelganger Thomas Veil exists, who also works as a photojournalist; this references the Prisoner episode, "The Schizoid Man," where there are two identical Number 6 characters.

Grant Morrison's graphic novel, The Invisibles, about a group of revolutionaries rebelling against a secret world-controlling authority, contains several references to The Prisoner. Most notably, in the collection Entropy in the UK, Invisibles leader King Mob has been captured by government agent Sir Miles Delacourt, who exchange the show's famous opening lines: "What do you want?" "Information." "You won't get it." "By hook or by crook, we will."Further Information

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