The Prisoner was a British drama/mystery/sci-fi series that aired back in September 1967, with only one season under its belt but having left one heck of an impact on pop culture and TV entertainment. The show revolves around a British secret agent, who after resigning for unknown reasons, is abducted and taken to what seems to be an idyllic village. It in fact turns out to be a bizarre type of prison, where his wardens are after just one thing; information. He is assigned a number, number 6, to which he refuses to accept, shouting;
“I am not a number, I am a free man!”
Number 6, The Prisoner [1967]
The Prisoner Opening Titles
As a kid, this show captivated me. I wasn’t watching it in 1967 mind you, my Dad was only 4 himself when it aired, but he introduced me to it during my youth. It was filmed in Portmeirion, a Welsh tourist village built by famed architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. If you ever have the chance to visit, you should. It is home to iconic architecture, scenic surroundings and vast woodland gardens. Sir William-Ellis wanted to show how a naturally beautiful site could be developed without spoiling it, and incorporated the design of the fishing village of Portofino on the Italian Riviera.
The Prisoner was both conceived by and starred Patrick McGoohan, who was also the real driving force behind the 17-episode series, as well as being the highest paid actor on British TV at the time. He really pushed the limits of what TV could be, with there only being three channels at the time. This was a bold experiment, an avant garde piece of art, broadcast on Prime Time TV. It is a combination of surreal and bizarre and yet also hauntingly similar to the modern world we find ourselves in. Over the course of the series, the shadowy forces running The Village try all manner of methods to try to coerce Number Six into giving them the real motives behind his resignation. This series asks far more questions than it answers, and we never truly know who any of the players really are.
““I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered, my life is my own.”
Number 6, The Prisoner [1967]
The series was incredibly well thought through, from the set and scenery to the script and actors. Many big name actors at the time had cameo roles in the show. Many of these played the role of Number 2, who appeared to be the chief warden of the prison, but possibly also a prisoner himself. We never find out who exactly is Number 1. We also never find out really who is Number 6, as his name is kept from us throughout the show. There are fan theories that he is in fact a character from another spy show that McGoohan starred in, John Drake from Danger Man.
In many ways, this is the show that started TV cult movements. After over 50 years, it still garners a massive fanbase for a show that hasn’t been on the air for so long. Part of the reason for this has to be the way it seemed to predict many aspects of this modern life we found ourselves in. A few examples of this include the 24 hour mass surveillance we have now and wireless telephones, as well as other technological marvels for the time. The Prisoner warned of a Big Brother state, one that we have welcomed into our lives with open arms. Not only is Big Brother watching us, but we’re watching Big Brother too. It’s like we didn’t listen to McGoohan and by extension Number 6’s warning.
The Prisoner really did redefine television, like nothing before it and arguably nothing since. Without The Prisoner, there would be no Lost, no Twin Peaks and possibly many more cult classics. It perfected the art of leaving them wanting more, something that Lost maybe never quite got right.
Although the series only had the one season, there was in fact a graphic novel series sequel of sorts set in the 80s. It’s the only real authorised sequel there ever was. I was lucky enough to get hold of all the parts of it a few years ago, and for fans of the series I strongly recommend you pick up a copy of the collected parts, I believe you can get it from Amazon. It’s called The Prisoner: Shattered Visage and I strongly recommend it to fans of the series, both young and old. Although, while doing research for this post, I noticed that a new The Prisoner comic book series by Titan Comics is set to come out this year, so I may do a separate post on that when they release.
There is so much more I could talk about with this series, but I’m gonna leave it there, as some things are best left to you to see for yourself. I really can’t recommend this show enough, there was also a 2009 reboot of sorts starring Jim Caviezel. It’s perfectly watchable, very weird and different to the original, but a good effort I have to say. Although, nothing can really touch upon the original.
So, what do you think about this series? Have you watched it, and if so what do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below, and as always make sure to follow me for the latest Cryptocurrency, Internet and Pop Culture updates. Until next time, be seeing you.
Sources:
Visit Portmeirion - The Prisoner (https://www.portmeirion-village.com/visit/the-prisoner/)
Six ways cult show The Prisoner prepared us for the modern world (http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/prisoner-patrick-mcgoohan-50)