The Prisoner: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:27, 15 May 2006

Latest revision as of 13:16, 6 October 2025

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{{Short description|British science fiction television series (1967–1968)}}

{{otheruses}}

{{about|the 1967 British TV series|other uses|Prisoner (disambiguation)}}

{| class="infobox" style="width: 20em;"

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}

|-

{{Use British English|date=November 2020}}

|+ style="font-size: larger;" | '''''The Prisoner'''''

{{Infobox television

|-

| image = Prisoner sm.jpg

| colspan="2" style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center;" | [[Image:PrisonerNovel.jpg|200px]]<br />A 1969 novel based upon ''The Prisoner''. Pictured: Patrick McGoohan as Number Six

| genre = {{Plain list |

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

* [[Spy-fi (subgenre)|Spy-fi]]

| '''Format'''

* [[Psychological drama]]

| Science fiction

}}

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

| caption =

| '''Run time'''

| camera =

| 50 minutes

| runtime = 50 minutes

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

| creator = [[Patrick McGoohan]]

| '''Creator'''

| director = {{Plain list |

| Patrick McGoohan<br>George Markstein

* Patrick McGoohan

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

* [[Pat Jackson]]

| '''Starring'''

* [[Don Chaffey]]

| Patrick McGoohan

* [[David Tomblin]]

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

}}

| '''Country'''

| developer =

| United Kingdom|UK

| producer = David Tomblin

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

| executive_producer = Patrick McGoohan

| '''Network'''

| starring = Patrick McGoohan

| [[ITV]]

| voices =

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

| narrated =

| '''Original run'''

| theme_music_composer = [[Ron Grainer]]

| [[October 1]], [[1967]] &ndash; [[February 4]], [[1968]]

| opentheme =

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

| composer = {{Plain list |

| '''No. of episodes'''

* [[Albert Elms]]

| 17

* [[Wilfred Josephs]]

|- style="vertical-align: top;"

* [[Robert Farnon]]

|}

* [[Paul Bonneau]] etc.<ref>The Prisoner, Original Soundtrack – 3 disc set – Network</ref>

}}

| endtheme =

| country = United Kingdom

| ___location = {{Plain list |

* [[MGM-British Studios]], [[Borehamwood]]

* [[Portmeirion]], [[Wales]]

}}

| company = Everyman Films<br>[[ITC Entertainment]]

| language = English

| network = [[Associated Television|ATV]] ([[ITV (TV network)|ITV]])

| 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 British television series created by [[Patrick McGoohan]], who stars as [[Number Six (The Prisoner)|Number Six]], a nameless British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a [[The Village (The Prisoner)|mysterious coastal village]] 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=[[BFI]] |access-date=23 March 2019 }}</ref> The [[allegory|allegorical]] plotlines of the series contain elements of [[science fiction]], [[Psychological thriller|psychological drama]], and [[spy fiction]].<ref name="NYT" /> It was produced by Everyman Films for distribution by [[Lew Grade]]'s [[ITC Entertainment]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|work=[[The New York Times]]|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>

'''''The Prisoner''''' was a controversial 1967 [[United Kingdom|UK]] [[fantasy]]-[[drama]] [[television series]], starring [[Patrick McGoohan]]. It was devised by him and [[George Markstein]], and produced by [[Lew Grade]]'s [[ITC Entertainment]] for broadcast on [[ITV]] and overseas. McGoohan also wrote and directed several episodes, often under a [[pseudonym]].

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]]. Interiors 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.<ref name="Pixley">{{cite book |last=Pixley |first=Andrew |date=2007 |title=The Prisoner: A Complete Production Guide |publisher=Network |page=7 }}</ref>

==Background==

The leading character, '''[[Number Six (The Prisoner)|Number Six]]''', is a former [[secret agent]] of the British government during the [[Cold War]]. He is never identified by name. After resigning his position, he is captured and held prisoner in a small, isolated, eccentric seaside resort town known only as [[the Village (The Prisoner)|the Village]]. The authorities there attempt to determine &mdash; "by hook or by crook" &mdash; why Number 6 resigned. Throughout the series Number 6 tries to escape while defying all attempts to break his will. He also sets out to discover the identity of the mysterious "Number 1", who presumably runs the Village. Towards the end of its run, the show deviated quite considerably from this template.

Although the show was sold as a thriller in the mould of ''[[Danger Man]]'', McGoohan's previous series, its [[Surrealism|surreal]] and [[Franz Kafka|Kafkaesque]] setting and reflection of concerns of the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|1960s counterculture]] have had a far-reaching influence on [[popular culture]] and the series ultimately developed a [[cult following]].<ref name="Rogers">{{cite book|last=Rogers|first=Dave|title=The Prisoner & Danger Man|year=1992|publisher=Boxtree|___location=[London]|isbn=978-1852832605}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{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=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

Although sold as a [[spy fiction|spy thriller]] in the mould of McGoohan's previous series, ''[[Danger Man]]'', the show's combination of 1960s [[counterculture|countercultural]] themes and its surreal setting had a far-reaching effect upon [[science-fiction]]-fantasy-[[genre]] [[television]], and also [[popular culture]] in general. In 2002, the series won the [[Prometheus Award|Prometheus Hall of Fame Award]]. In 2005, readers of [[SFX magazine]] awarded the series fifth place in a poll of fantasy [[Television program|television programmes]]. Later the same year, it was revealed that [[Granada Productions]] was planning a remake for the [[Sky One]] channel, which will take "liberties" with the original.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4447216.stm]

==Premise==

==Format and setting==

The series follows [[Number Six (The Prisoner)|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 [[Incapacitating agent|knockout gas]] piped into his home in [[City of Westminster|Westminster]].

The series features striking and often surreal storylines, and themes include [[hypnosis]], [[Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants|hallucinogenic]] drug experiences, [[identity theft]], [[mind control]] and [[dream]] manipulation.

Upon waking, he finds himself in a recreation of the interior of his home, located in a mysterious coastal settlement known to its residents as "[[The Village (The Prisoner)|the Village]]". The Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on the other.

Though 17 episodes were made, McGoohan originally intended to shoot just seven. The network wanted a full season of 26 episodes, and 17 was decided upon as a compromise. 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.

In subsequent episodes, Number Six 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=[[MR PORTER]] |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. Most are captives, but some are guards. Prisoners, therefore, have no idea whom they can and cannot trust. The protagonist is assigned Number Six but refuses to accept the designation: "I am not a number! I am a free man!"<ref name="BFI" />

As in ''[[Twin Peaks]]'', 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, people started watching it compulsively. 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.

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 (The Prisoner)|Rover]], 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=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=13 April 2017 |access-date=28 March 2019 |author-link=Marcel Theroux }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===The opening and closing sequence===

==== Intro ====

The trademark [[intro]] title sequence (not seen in all episodes) begins with a visual of a cloudless blue sky and the incongruous sound of thunder. As the theme begins, the view pans down to reveal Number 6 driving in his [[Lotus Seven]] to arrive at the office of a superior, before whom he mounts a fierce (but inaudible) argument, apparently ending in his resignation. The hero then drives home. Returning to his flat, he quickly packs his possessions, including photographs of a tropical white sand beach (a clue to his intended destination?). A hearse pulls up and a tall pallbearer approaches the front door. A white gas then floods the room through the keyhole, which renders Number 6 unconscious. The hero awakens in the Village, whose decor and people are of peculiar nautical style and bright colours.

{{Quote box

The following dialogue exchange runs over the opening titles of most episodes. The questioner is Number 6 and the respondent is Number 2, the Village chairman (a role occupied by a different man or woman in almost every episode &mdash; some actors played the role multiple times &mdash; as the reference to the "new Number 2" indicates):

| 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.

: "Where am I?"

| salign = left

: '''"In the Village."'''

| source = Number Six in the first episode [[Arrival (The Prisoner)|"Arrival"]]

: "What do you want?"

| width = 18%

: '''"Information."'''

| align = left

: "Whose side are you on?"

}}

: '''"That would be telling."'''

: '''"We want information. Information. Information!"'''

: "You won't get it."

: '''"By hook or by crook, we will."'''

: "Who are you?"

: '''"The new Number 2."''' (This may vary)

: "Who is Number 1?"

: '''"You are Number 6."'''

: "I am not a number — I am a free man!"

: ''(Laughter from Number 2.)''

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 [[Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants|hallucinogenic drugs]], [[identity theft]], [[Brainwashing|mind control]], [[dream]] manipulation and forms of social [[indoctrination]] and physical coercion in an 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 some cases, the voice of Number 2 in the above exchange is provided by the actor playing the character in that particular episode. However, in several episodes a different voice is used although the image of the actor playing the role is still shown. In a couple of instances, an image of the Rover is shown instead of No. 2 in order to maintain the element of surprise as to the true identity of the character (most notably in the episode "Many Happy Returns"). A couple of intros also differ in that No. 2 says simply, "I am Number Two" &mdash; this was used on "A, B & C", which featured Colin Gordon as No. 2 (which was originally intended to be screened after "The General") for the second time &mdash; therefore, he was not the ''new'' No. 2.

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 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 successfully escape. 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"/>

==== Outro ====

At the close of each instalment, an image of Number 6's face rapidly approaches, growing quickly in size, but is stopped at the last second by clanging bars that slam shut, serving as the episode's [[outro]]. (According to ''The Prisoner: The Complete Scripts Volume 1'', this sequence is all that remains of a rejected, early realization of the series opening credits.)

A major theme of the series is the conflict between [[individualism]], as represented by Number Six, and [[Collectivism and individualism|collectivism]], 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 = [[Indiana University Press]] | date = 1997 }}</ref>

==== Closing credits ====

The closing credits appear over a slowly assembling drawing of the [[Penny farthing|penny-farthing bicycle]] logo of the Village. After the bicycle is fully assembled, footage of Rover 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 versions of "Arrival" and "Chimes of Big Ben". Rover is not shown. Instead, the image of the bicycle fades into a view of the Earth and the Moon from outer space (the wheels of the bicycle forming the two bodies). 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 "Once Upon a Time", and also in the show's occasional use of the song "[[Pop Goes the Weasel]]" in the soundtrack.)

===The Village=Cast==

{{spoiler}}

===Main cast===

[[Image:pf_logo.jpg|right|frame|The Village's penny-farthing logo]]The ___location of the Village is unknown. In "Many Happy Returns", its ___location is estimated to be somewhere near "coast of [[Morocco]], southwest of [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]]" &mdash; No. 6 works this out with old colleagues using navigation notes and maps after briefly escaping, and when searching this area is tricked and dropped back there &mdash; suggesting this estimate is right, though there could have been [[subterfuge]] used by his old colleagues. In another, [[Lithuania]], on the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] coast "30 miles from the Polish border" although this may be a deception. In the unbroadcast version of the episode "The Chimes of Big Ben", Number 6 constructs a device that allows him to work out the Village's ___location; this scene was presumably cut to remove this ''[[deus ex machina]]'' and is not considered "canon" with the rest of the series. The final episode, "Fall Out", while it never reveals the Village's exact ___location, strongly suggests that it is within driving distance of [[London]]. It also gives no suggestion of ferry travel and the "[[Chunnel]]" to [[France]] was still decades away from being built.

* [[Patrick McGoohan]] as [[Number Six (The Prisoner)|Number Six]]

===Recurring cast===

The Village has a daily newspaper called the ''Tally Ho'' and a [[logo]] in the form of a canopied penny-farthing bicycle. The place is under the control of Number 2 (see below). "Work units" or "credits" serve as [[currency]] in its shops, and are kept track of with a hole-punched [[credit card]]. 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.

* [[Angelo Muscat]] as The Butler

* [[Peter Swanwick]] as Supervisor

* [[Denis Shaw]] as The Shop Keeper

* [[Fenella Fielding]] as The Announcer/Telephone Operator (voice only)

===Number Two===

Scenes of the Village were filmed at [[Portmeirion]], a resort village near [[Penrhyndeudraeth]] in [[Wales]], and at MGM [[Borehamwood]] Studios in [[England]].

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

{{columns list|colwidth=18em|

* [[George Baker (British actor)|George Baker]]

* [[David Bauer (actor)|David Bauer]]

* [[Patrick Cargill]]

* [[Georgina Cookson]]

* [[Guy Doleman]]

* [[Clifford Evans (actor)|Clifford Evans]]

* [[Colin Gordon]] (two episodes)

* [[Kenneth Griffith]]

* [[Rachel Herbert]]

* [[Leo McKern]] (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>

* [[Mary Morris]]<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/>

* [[Derren Nesbitt]]

* [[Eric Portman]]

* [[Robert Rietti]] (voice)

* [[Anton Rodgers]]

* [[John Sharp (actor)|John Sharp]]

* [[André van Gyseghem]]

* [[Peter Wyngarde]]<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/>

}}

===Guest cast===

===Security and surveillance in the Village===

{{div col|colwidth=12em}}

An underground control centre monitors [[closed-circuit television]] cameras located throughout the Village. Regular observers continually spy on Villagers and foil Number 6's escape attempts with the aid of [[Rover (The Prisoner)|Rover]], a large white balloon-like device that chases and pacifies or kills would-be escapees. Rover was originally intended to be a [[robot]]ic machine, rather like a [[Dalek]] [http://www.retroweb.com/prisoner/orgrover2.jpg] (See ''[[Doctor Who]]''), but when the prototype failed to work during the first episode's shoot, the crew noticed a [[weather balloon]] in the sky and used this out of inspiration.

* [[Annette Andre]]

* [[Sheila Allen (English actress)|Sheila Allen]]

* [[Niké Arrighi]]

* [[Michael Balfour (actor)|Michael Balfour]]

* [[Kenneth Benda]]

* [[Christopher Benjamin (actor)|Christopher Benjamin]]

* [[Michael Billington (actor)|Michael Billington]]

* [[Michael Bilton]]

* [[Peter Bowles]]

* [[Angela Browne]]

* [[James Bree (actor)|James Bree]]

* [[Michael Brennan (actor)|Michael Brennan]]

* [[Earl Cameron (actor)|Earl Cameron]]

* [[Annette Carrell]]

* [[John Castle]]

* [[Dennis Chinnery]]

* [[Michael Chow (restaurateur)|Michael Chow]]

* [[George Coulouris]]

* [[Rosalie Crutchley]]

* [[Finlay Currie]]

* [[Hilary Dwyer]]

* [[Paul Eddington]]

* [[Mark Eden]]

* [[Max Faulkner (actor)|Max Faulkner]]

* [[Ian Fleming (actor)|Ian Fleming]]

* [[Valerie French (actress)|Valerie French]]

* [[Nadia Gray]]

* [[Lucy Griffiths (actress, born 1919)|Lucy Griffiths]]

* [[John Hamblin]]

* [[Basil Hoskins]]

* [[Peter Howell (actor)|Peter Howell]]

* [[Patricia Jessel]]

* [[Alf Joint]]

* [[Alexis Kanner]]

* [[Katherine Kath]]

* [[Gertan Klauber]]

* [[Lloyd Lamble]]

* [[Jon Laurimore]]

* [[George Leech (actor)|George Leech]]

* [[Charles Lloyd-Pack]]

* [[Justine Lord]]

* [[Duncan Macrae (actor)|Duncan Macrae]]

* [[Victor Maddern]]

* [[Virginia Maskell]]

* [[John Maxim]]

* [[Betty McDowall]]

* [[Jane Merrow]]

* [[Martin Miller (actor)|Martin Miller]]

* [[Norman Mitchell]]

* [[Aubrey Morris]]

* [[Bartlett Mullins]]

* [[David Nettheim]]

* [[Michael Nightingale]]

* [[Frederick Piper]]

* [[George Pravda]]

* [[Keith Pyott]]

* [[Ronald Radd]]

* [[Hugo Schuster]]

* [[Donald Sinden]]

* [[Patsy Smart]]

* [[Nigel Stock (actor)|Nigel Stock]]

* [[Kevin Stoney]]

* [[Larry Taylor (actor)|Larry Taylor]]

* [[Wanda Ventham]]

* [[Zena Walker]]

* [[Norma West]]

* [[Alan White (actor)|Alan White]]

{{div col end}}

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 (stuntman)|Frank Maher]], McGoohan's [[stunt double]], who is seen running across the beach in the title sequence, also appears extensively in "[[The Schizoid Man (The Prisoner)|The Schizoid Man]]" and in "[[Living in Harmony (The Prisoner)|Living in Harmony]]".

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 right eye, then tipped forward in a [[salute]].

===Number 6=Episodes==

{{main|List of The Prisoner episodes}}

Number 6 typically wears a very deep brown (often mistaken for black, and usually appearing in the episodes as such) jacket with white trim, a blue or black T-shirt, tan slacks, and forsakes his "6" ID badge. There were at least two jackets, with slight differences in the piping. Little is known about Number 6's background other than that he fought in a war and was born on [[March 19]], [[1928]] (which is also McGoohan's birthday). The flashback setup in "Once Upon a Time" suggests that Number 6 was a bomber crewman, most likely with RAF Bomber Command. His seated position relative to the pilot (portrayed in illusion by Number 2) indicates that he was a bombardier-navigator in DeHavilland Mosquito penetration fighter-bombers. As the Mosquito was operational with the [[Royal Air Force]] as late as 1952, and used in training for over a decade afterward, it is highly possible that the Prisoner might have trained in "Mossies".

[[File:First car.jpg|thumb|right|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.<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 = [[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref>

===Opening and closing sequences===

He refuses to reveal the reason behind his resignation, despite constant efforts by Number 2 to get this information from him.

The [[Opening and closing sequences of The Prisoner|opening and closing sequences of ''The Prisoner'']] 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|

Number 6 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 [[unseen character|unseen ruler]], Number 1. His attempts are rebuffed but otherwise tolerated by Village authorities, due to orders not to "damage the tissue". However, their efforts to extract information necessitate increasingly drastic measures through the course of the series.

author=Mike Patterson}}</ref> by establishing the [[Orwellian]] and [[postmodern]] 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 = [https://archive.org/details/postmodernismoth0000sard/page/n6 1]–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>

==Production==

The later episodes feature less action-packed escape bids and more psychological themes such as the nature of [[power (sociology)|power]] and [[authority]], and their relationship with [[liberty]]. His cunning and defiance only increase while in captivity: in "Hammer into Anvil" he reduces Number 2 to a mad, paranoid wreck through deception. As the Number 2s become more coercive and desperate, Number 6's behaviour becomes progressively sharp and uncompromising.

===Number 2Development===

''The Prisoner'' was created while Patrick McGoohan and [[George Markstein]] were working on ''[[Danger Man]]'', an espionage show produced by [[ITC Entertainment|Incorporated Television Company]].<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"/>

The Village is openly administered by Number 2, whose identity changes with each episode, though there are repeat appearances ([[Leo McKern]] appeared in three). It seems that Number 2's main duty is to break the will of Number 6. The Number 2s answer to Number 1 fearfully. The various Number 2s 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 text "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 2s seem to use these symbolic objects.

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=[[The New York Times]]|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 [[David Tomblin]].<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"/>

The episode "Free for All" suggests that Number 2s could be "democratically elected by the people." However, this was part of the attempt used by the Number 2 of that episode to break Number 6.

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|title=Not a number : Patrick McGoohan : a life|date=2011|publisher=Supernova Books|isbn=978-0-9566329-2-0|___location=Twickenham [England]|oclc=756782296}}</ref>

Throughout the series, Number 2 tries to discover why Number 6 resigned. Number 6 refuses to answer, stating only that it was "a matter of conscience", and not open to inquiry. A variety of [[interrogation]], [[intimidation]], drugs, and [[mind control]] techniques are used by sequential Number 2s. Number 6's value prevents the Number 2s from using brutal methods &mdash; routinely employed on other prisoners &mdash; against him. Most episodes end with Number 2 being sent home (or to a worse fate) in disgrace, having failed to break Number 6. However, two of these individuals are seen returning to the Village, most notably the final Number 2 (as played by [[Leo McKern]]) who appears to hold a position of some distinction. In the final episode, "Fall Out", McKern's character uses the [[House of Lords|Lord's Entrance]] in the [[Palace of Westminster]], indicating that he has either inherited a title through birth or received a title from the Crown. An alternative interpretation is that the [[Palace of Westminster]] is a symbol of democracy, in contrast to the theme of totalitarianism and the suppression of the individual.

Part of Markstein's inspiration came from his research into the [[World War II|Second World War]], where he found that some people had been incarcerated in a resort-like prison in Scotland called [[List of SOE establishments|Inverlair Lodge]], near [[Inverness]].<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 [[John Drake (Danger Man)|John Drake]] (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.

==Episodes==

{{main|List of The Prisoner episodes}}

''This is the original order in which the episodes were broadcast in Britain, not the production order or chronological story order. Note however even the broadcast order is not that originally intended by McGoohan. For instance, it is very likely from the story details and opening sequences that "The General" precedes "A. B. and C." in sequence.''

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 [[Station IX|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"/>

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Episode

! Title

! Original airdate (UK)

|-

! align="center" | 1-1

| "[[Arrival (The Prisoner)|Arrival]]"

| [[October 1]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-2

| "[[The Chimes of Big Ben (The Prisoner)|The Chimes of Big Ben]]"

| [[October 8]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-3

| "[[A. B. and C.]]"

| [[October 15]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-4

| "[[Free for All]]"

| [[October 22]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-5

| "[[The Schizoid Man (The Prisoner)|The Schizoid Man]]"

| [[October 29]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-6

| "[[The General (The Prisoner)|The General]]"

| [[November 5]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-7

| "[[Many Happy Returns]]"

| [[November 12]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-8

| "[[Dance of the Dead]]"

| [[November 26]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-9

| "[[Checkmate (The Prisoner)|Checkmate]]"

| [[December 3]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-10

| "[[Hammer Into Anvil]]"

| [[December 10]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-11

| "[[It's Your Funeral]]"

| [[December 17]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-12

| "[[A Change of Mind]]"

| [[December 31]], [[1967]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-13

| "[[Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling]]"

| [[January 7]], [[1968]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-14

| "[[Living in Harmony]]"

| [[January 14]], [[1968]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-15

| "[[The Girl Who Was Death]]"

| [[January 21]], [[1968]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-16

| "[[Once Upon A Time (The Prisoner)|Once Upon a Time]]"

| [[January 28]], [[1968]]

|-

! align="center" | 1-17

| "[[Fall Out (The Prisoner)|Fall Out]]"

| [[February 4]], [[1968]]

|}

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]].<ref name=Fairclough/> McGoohan wrote a forty-page [[Bible (writing)|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."<ref name=Troyer/> McGoohan wrote and directed several episodes, often using pseudonyms. Specifically, McGoohan wrote "[[Free For All (The Prisoner)|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 (The Prisoner)|Once Upon a Time]]" and "Fall Out"—and directed "Free for All".<ref name="Pixley"/>

===Unproduced episodes===

Several 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 [[Robert Fairclough]] and published by Reynolds and Hearn in 2005 and 2006.

* "The Outsider" by [[Moris Farhi]] (complete script included in Volume 1)

* "Ticket to Eternity" by [[Eric Mival]] (synopsis included in Volume 1)

* "Friend or Foe" by Mival (synopsis included in Volume 1)

* "Don't Get Yourself Killed" by [[Gerald Kelsey]] (complete script included in Volume 2)

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.<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 [[Ralph Smart]], 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=[[Ace Books]] | 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>

==Interpretations and rumours==

[[Image:TVTimesPrisoner1967.jpg|left|thumb|180px|''The Prisoner'' promoted on the front cover of a 1967 edition of ''[[TV Times]]''.]]

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]].<ref name="Troyer"/> The exact number that was agreed to and how the series was to end are disputed by different sources.

The theme of ''The Prisoner'' is, essentially, a libertarian one where the freedom of the individual is consistently undermined by the societal collective backed by overwhelming totalitarian force. In response, Number 6 makes this unambiguous statement: "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My life is my own." While the Village tries to assimilate Number 6, he himself strives for independence &mdash; usually asserting this through his attempts to escape. Sometimes Number 6 succeeds, sometimes he fails, and occasionally he is defeated by his defiance, in that by resisting 'on their terms' he has succumbed to the greater trap &mdash; that is, playing the game the Village has put before him.

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/>

During the opening dialogue in most episodes, Number 2 says "You are Number 6". Some view this as a direct response to the previous question "Who is Number 1?" by inserting a comma into the statement ("You are, Number 6."), implying that Number 6 is in control. Similarly, Number 2's reply of "Information" to Number 6's question "What do you want?" could be interpreted as 'information' or 'in formation', the latter being a command to follow orders and conform.

''The Prisoner'' had its British premiere on 29 September 1967 on [[Associated Television|ATV Midlands]], and the last episode first aired on 1 February 1968 on [[Scottish Television]].<ref name="Pixley"/> The world broadcast premiere was on the [[CTV Television Network]] in Canada on 5 September 1967.<ref name="Pixley"/>

The identity of Number 6 is debated: many believe he is [[John Drake]], the spy character McGoohan played for many years on ''[[Danger Man]]'' a.k.a. ''Secret Agent''. At least one later episode of ''The Prisoner'' ("The Girl Who Was Death") was adapted from an unused ''Danger Man'' script, and a character named Potter who appeared in the earlier series appeared on ''The Prisoner''. Otherwise, McGoohan has stated for decades that No. 6 was not John Drake, while Markstein said he was. Still others find scant evidence for this view.

===Filming===

McGoohan always emphasised the show's power was strongest when it was viewed allegorically. Towards the end of the series, particularly in the symbolism-laden final instalment, "Fall Out", the show seems a refutation to some degree of the counterculture. Whether it includes that which had embraced McGoohan or just the misguided idealism of the hippies is up for debate. (The viewer is advised to consider the soundtrack cues used in the last episode before opposing or espousing either view.)

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 [[Portmeirion]], [[North Wales]].<ref name="bbc 50">{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-37232329 | title = In pictures: The Prisoner at 50 | work = [[BBC]] | 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 [[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".<ref name="bbc 50"/> Many local residents were recruited as [[Extra (acting)|extras]].<ref name="bbc 50"/> The Village setting was further augmented by the use of the backlot facilities at [[MGM-British Studios]] in [[Borehamwood]].<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>

{{wide image|Portmeirionpiazza.jpg|1000px|Panoramic view of the central piazza, [[Portmeirion]] village (2007)}}

[[File:Royal Warrant Holders Association 2457.jpg|thumb|right|The building at 1 Buckingham Place, used for [[Number Six (The Prisoner)|Number Six]]'s home (2011)]]

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 [[City of Westminster|Westminster]], 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 [[Royal Warrant Holders Association]].<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 [[Eltisley]] 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 colour to reach the American audience.<ref name="bbc 50"/>

==References in popular culture==

[[Image:TimeOutPrisoner.jpg|right|thumb|180px|''The Prisoner'' on the cover of [[Time Out]] magazine.]]

Themes from ''The Prisoner'' are persistently referenced and parodied in [[popular culture]], appearing in the songs of several bands, [[tabletop RPG]] and [[video games]], movies, and television shows. Many references draw upon the shows unconventional [[Technocracy (bureaucratic)|technocratic]] fantasy prison, the Village. Also heavily referenced &mdash; often with humour &mdash; is the memorable robotic sphere arbiter of the Village, Rover.

===Crew===

Among the most popular references are ''[[The Simpsons]]'', ''[[The Matrix]]'', ''[[The Truman Show]]'', and several ''[[Star Trek]]'' spinoffs.

* [[George Markstein]] – Script editor

* ''Æon Flux''

* [[Don Chaffey]] – Director

: The opening credits of the original ''[[Æon Flux]]'' TV series includes an exchange patterned after the Number 6-Number 2 exchange heard at the start of most ''Prisoner'' episodes, including the statement "Whose side are you on?" [[Trevor Goodchild]], the ongoing villain of the series, displays many Number 2-like characteristics; he also has a secret chamber underneath his house, much like Number 2 is revealed to have in "Once Upon a Time".

* [[David Tomblin]] – Director

* ''Babylon 5''

* [[Peter Graham Scott]] – Director

: The [[Psi Corps]] in ''[[Babylon 5]]'' used the phrase "be seeing you" and the accompanying Village salute in a deliberate homage to ''The Prisoner''. The show's creator, [[J. Michael Straczynski]], has admitted this is a Prisoner reference. While in ''The Prisoner'' the salute includes peering through the circled thumb and forefinger, the Psi Corps puts this circle on the forehead, implying a telepath "peering" with the brain. In addition, the walls of the Psi Corps Headquarters (as seen in episodes like ''[[The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father]]'',) are filled with large posters with oppressive slogans in a way that is very reminiscent of the decor of administrative buildings in the Village. In the episode "[[Signs and Portents]]", one of the raiders initiates radio contact to his ship with the phrase "Six to One", and in the episode "[[A Voice in the Wilderness]]" the phrase "EYE AM KNOT A NUMBER AYE AMA FREE MAN" appears on a computer screen in the background. The episode "[[Comes the Inquisitor]]" in the second season features an extremely Prisoner-like interrogation sequence, in which an archaically attired [[United Kingdom|British]] man attempts to break Ambassador [[Delenn]]'s personality. "[[Intersections in Real Time]]", a fourth season episode, is another interrogation episode influenced by The Prisoner. In the episode "[[Racing Mars]]" the subcommander and head of the resistance call themselves "Number Two" and "Number One".

* Brendan J. Stafford – Cinematographer

* ''Battlestar Galactica''

* [[Bernard Williams (producer)|Bernard Williams]] – Production manager

: In the new miniseries and 2003 series of ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'', one of the [[Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)|Cylon]] characters is named [[Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)|Number Six]] .

* [[Eric Mival]] – Music editor

* ''The Bionic Woman''

* [[Albert Elms]] – Musical director and composer

: The final episode of the 1970s series ''[[The Bionic Woman]]'', "On the Run", sees the title character resign from her job and have to elude government agents who want to imprison her in a compound for retired agents.

* [[Frank Maher (stuntman)|Frank Maher]] – Fight/stunt coordinator

* ''Blue Man Group — Complex Rock Tour Live''

* [[Rose Tobias Shaw]] – 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>

: Audio clips from "Arrival" are used to direct audience movements during the concert finale.

* ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''

: In the episode "Halloween", the character Ethan Rayne leaves behind a note on the counter of the costume shop which says, "Be seeing you." When the demon Eyghon leaves Giles' apartment after first possessing Ms. Calendar in the episode "The Dark Age", it also says, "Be seeing you." Later, in the episode "The Initiative", large Rover-like white spheres can be seen in the background of a government research complex.

* ''[[Brazil (movie)|Brazil]]''

: Several images from the final episode, "[[Fall Out (The Prisoner)|Fall Out]]", of which a house on a trailer bed is the most obvious example, appear in [[Terry Gilliam]]'s 1984 film, ''[[Brazil (movie)|Brazil]]''.

* ''[[Broken Saints]]''

: In one of the animated comic book "covers" that served as bookends to [[Macromedia Flash|Flash]]-animated chapters of this online comic, Rover can be seen chasing the character Oran.

* ''[[Carmel Morris]]''

: Carmel Morris, published author of popular titles like ''The Best Paper Aircraft'' released ''Another Number'', a musical homage to ''The Prisoner'' with guest voice of David Nettheim, who appeared in the episode "The Schizoid Man". Her track, "Illegal Operation", slagging Bill Gates was signed to Blue Fire Music UK for general release.

* ''[[The Celts]]''

: One episode of this 1986 [[BBC]] documentary series (which featured the singer [[Enya]]) was partly filmed in Portmeirion and included an homage to the opening credits of the series.

* ''Colossal Cave Adventure''

: One of the most obscure pop culture references to Rover (see above) comes in David Platt's 1979 version of [[Crowther & Woods]]' computer game, ''[[Colossal Cave Adventure]]'' — when a player attempts to enter a large vault without the correct password, Platt sics Rover on him/her. Platt's laconic prose correctly captures all the eldritch noises, shrieks heard in the distance and terrifying suspense as Rover is "born" from a glop of subterranean goo (like a blob in a Lava Lamp) and begins a chase which proceeds with the unerring ferocity of Nemesis to inevitable death. [[Mike Goetz]]' 1983 extension of this version also summoned Rover when a player pilfered a poster off the walls of the computer room (in Witt's End).

* ''[[Columbo]]''

:The episode "Identity Crisis" was directed by and guest starred McGoohan. His character (Nelson Brenner) is a spy who shares personality traits with Number 6, including the catch phrase "Be seeing you", and some of the banter between Columbo and Brenner is highly reminiscient of that between Number 6 and Number 2.

:The episode "Ashes to Ashes" was also directed by and guest starred McGoohan. The episode ends with Columbo telling McGoohan's character (Eric Prince), "it's your funeral," which is the title of an episode of ''The Prisoner''

* [[Death in June]]

:The band's 1989 release ''[[93 Dead Sunwheels]]'' has a number of audio samples from ''The Prisoner''. Most notable is an exchange from the episode "A, B, and C" at the beginning of "She Said Destroy":

<blockquote>No. 6: "People who HIDE are AFRAID! (pause) I didn't know you existed."<br>

D: "It is often the case with really important people. Anonymity is the best disguise."</blockquote>

* [[Devil Doll]]

: The [[Italy|Italian]]/[[Slovenia|Slovenian]] [[progressive rock]] band/collective headed by the anonymous Mr. Doctor released their second album titled ''The Girl who was...Death'', a concept album fully based on ''The Prisoner'', from the album title, to the lyrics (which heavily quotes the show), to the track listing (Though the album is comprised of a single track, the track listing is simply the name of every single episode of the television show), to performing the theme song as a secret song at the end of the album.

* ''Double Team''

: In the 1997 [[Hollywood]] action film ''[[Double Team]]'' (also known as ''The Colony''), protagonist Jack Quinn ([[Jean Claude Van Damme]]) finds himself held against his will on an island community reminiscent of the Village. The Colony, as it was called, was home to a large number of criminal experts thought dead to the outside world, and featured a high-tech anti-escape system that involved a [[laser]] perimeter.

* ''The Invisible Man''

: In the 2000 [[United States|American]] [[television program|television series]] ''[[The Invisible Man#The TV Series|The Invisible Man]]'', the agency that he works for discovers that there are some former government agents that are still receiving paychecks. All but one of them have been dead for years. When the invisible man and his partner go to talk with the remaining agent, they get caught up in the faked death of this agent. They are rendered unconscious and wake up in a place very much like the Village. It is populated by former secret agents, and there is no escape. Except that the security measures didn't account for an invisible man.

* Iron Maiden

: The opening dialogue is [[sampling (music)|sampled]] in the intro to the [[Iron Maiden]] song "The Prisoner", inspired by the series. The band has also recorded another song called "Back in the Village", also inspired by the series.

* ''Killing Zoe''

: In the 1994 film ''[[Killing Zoe]]'', two characters discuss the plot of the episode "A, B, & C" during a heroin induced joyride through the streets of Paris.

* ''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]''

: In the ABC TV series, a group of survivors is trapped on a mysterious island. In the second season, they open a hatch that leads to a large bunker. A cache of food inside is labelled in an identical Albertus font to that used in ''The Prisoner''.

* ''The Matrix''

: ''[[The Matrix]]'' is very thematically similar to ''The Prisoner'', with the protagonists struggling to maintain identity (represented by the fact that they give themselves new names, which the agents refuse to refer to them by) in a false simulation of the real world. The deja-vu black cat that Neo sees when "they change something inside The Matrix" is a reference to episode 7 of ''The Prisoner'' ("Dance of the Dead") where a black cat symbolizes a change in the Village. When Neo runs through an apartment in the final sequence, frame by frame scrolling reveals that an episode of ''The Prisoner'' is playing on the television.

* ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''

: Throughout its 11-year run, movie-mocking TV series ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000|MST3K]]'' made a number of references to ''The Prisoner'' and its characters, including occasional quips about Rover ("Laserblast", episode 706) and the show's obscurity ("Outlaw", episode 519).

* ''NetHack''

: After completing a game save in the computer game ''[[NetHack]]'', the game displays the text "Be seeing you…".

* ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''

: Although [[George Orwell]]'s 1948 novel, ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', predated ''The Prisoner'' by nearly 20 years and in fact is considered one of the show's inspirations, the [[Room 101]] segment as presented in the [[1984 (film)|1984 film adaptation]] is handled in a similar fashion to the "Degree Absolute" encounter between Number 2 and Number 6 in "[[Once Upon a Time (The Prisoner)|Once Upon a Time]]".

* ''Nowhere Man''

: The critically acclaimed but short-lived 1995-1996 TV series ''[[Nowhere Man (TV series)|Nowhere Man]]'', produced and created by [[Lawrence Hertzog]], was directly influenced by ''The Prisoner''. The [[UPN]] series starred [[Bruce Greenwood]] as a man who finds his life "erased" and a secret government organization pursuing him. The episode that most closely paid homage to ''The Prisoner'' was "Paradise on Your Doorstep".

* ''[[Pinky and the Brain]]''

: Towards the end of its run, this cartoon series featured a three-part story arc entitled "Brainwashed". In the first two episodes, "Brain, Brain, Go Away" and "I Am Not a Hat", Pinky and Brain are kidnapped by an unknown enemy and sent to an island village much like the one featured in ''The Prisoner''. Instead of numbers, inmates are given the names of different types of [[hat]]. After being subject to various brainwashing attempts, the duo eventually escapes when Brain destroys the village's supercomputer.

* ''[[ReBoot]]''

: The digitally animated [[Canadian]] TV show referenced the series in general and the final episode "[[Fall Out (The Prisoner)|Fall Out]]" in a season 3 episode titled "Number 7." It referenced many elements, virtually the entire opening sequence (including synth version of the theme song and thunder strike), references to finding out who Number 1 is, the Xs over the picture, filing sequence, the phrase "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered, my life is my own!" They say "be seeing you" and do the salute, a character drinks tea (which doesn't happen in any other episode) out of a prisoner-style teacup, and also there is a scene with a literal Number 9 wearing the suit Number 6 had in the episodes "[[Dance of the Dead (The Prisoner)|Dance of the Dead]]" and "[[A. B. and C.]]" The episode ends with a jury of hooded, black-and-white-masked people who chant, along with a judge, Hack and Slash (former [[henchman|henchmen]] to the show's primary antagonist) singing [[Dem Bones]] as they are brought up for questioning, and a Rover suffocation sequence. In the end the main character learns he is Number 1.

===Background of the Village===

[[Image:Prisonersimpsons.jpg|thumb|Homer Simpson meeting No.6 on "[[The Village (The Prisoner)|The Island]]"]]

Patrick McGoohan created a detailed guide for the writers of the series, detailing what the series was about, and how the village would work, the practical matters around use of phones and the numbers instead of names.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

* ''The Simpsons''

: The popular show ''[[The Simpsons]]'' had multiple references to ''The Prisoner''. In the episode "[[The Joy of Sect]]", Marge tried to escape a cult and was pursued by Rover. Marge turned and Rover enveloped Hans Moleman. Another episode, "[[The Computer Wore Menace Shoes]]", had the final act completely based on ''The Prisoner''. Homer became trapped on an island which was similar to the Village and [[Patrick McGoohan]] even reprised his role as Number 6 (Homer was Number 5). While on the island, some of the reasons for prisoners being there were revealed. Number 27 could turn water into gasoline, Number 12 knew the deadly secret behind [[Tic Tacs]], and Number 6 invented the bottomless peanut bag. While trying to escape, Homer was pursued by Rover and easily popped it with a plastic fork. When the inventor of the Rover is asked why she designed it as a bubble, she responds angrily "Shut up, that's why!" The episode ends with Homer returning to Springfield, only to be abducted again, this time with his family, but they find that life in The Island isn't that bad after all.

* ''Sorry!''

: The final episode of ''[[Sorry!]]'' had Ronnie commenting that he had dreamed that he was in the Village. The clip always shown at the end of each episode of the Village was also shown twice, but with Ronnie Corbett's face instead of Patrick McGoohan.

* ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''

: Later seasons of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' introduced a shadowy organization within [[Starfleet]] called [[Section 31]]. The interaction between its leader, Mr. Sloane, and Dr. [[Julian Bashir]] is reminiscent of ''The Prisoner'', particularly in Sloane's final appearance, which took place during a reality-bending trip inside Sloane's mind, in similar fashion to the ''Prisoner'' episode "A, B, and C". Section 31 also appeared in several episodes of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]''.

* ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''

: Patrick McGoohan was scheduled to appear in a second-season episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' entitled "[[The Schizoid Man (TNG episode)|The Schizoid Man]]" which was named after a ''Prisoner'' episode. Although McGoohan ultimately pulled out of the episode, the title remained the same. A later episode, "[[Chain of Command (TNG episode)|Chain of Command]]", featured an interrogation sequence reminiscent of the "degree absolute" brainwashing method seen in "Once Upon a Time" &mdash; most notably, both [[Jean-Luc Picard]] and Number 6 experience emotional breakdowns when forced to acknowledge numbers they refuse to see (for Picard, it's refusing to believe he sees a certain number of lights; for Number 6, it's his refusal to acknowledge the number 6).

* ''[[The Suburban Jungle]]''

: One of the characters in this popular [[webcomic]], [[The Suburban Jungle#Yin the Panda|Yin the Panda]], was kidnapped by "The Conspiracy", a group whose attire and mannerisms are taken from ''The Prisoner''. She manages to "escape" (more than likely they let her), but no one believes her story.

* They Might Be Giants

: In [[They Might Be Giants]]' song "Damn Good Times" on their album ''[[The Spine]]'', there is a line that is "When my friend got amnesia/She can't remember the show she saw/Like the one with the guy with amnesia/Who got off from the island on a helicopter." This may or may not be a reference to Number 6 in ''The Prisoner''.

* ''The Times''

: This early 80's new wave band recorded a bouncy song in 1982 called "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape," for their debut album "Pop Goes Art." The song utilizes the show's "Where am I?" "In the Village" sequence during the song's bridge. The Times were a spin off of a slightly more well known Paisley Underground band called The Television Personalities.

* ''The Truman Show''

: When the main character of ''[[The Truman Show]]'', Truman Burbank, a man whose entire life is filmed, goes to visit his friend Marlon at work, the outside view of the shop pays homage to ''The Prisoner'', with the familiar red and white awnings of the Village. Marlon's cart has the word "goodies" written on the side, in the Village font, Albertus.

* ''The Tube''

: ''The Laughing Prisoner'' was a programme filmed as the last episode of the UK Channel 4 music series, ''[[The Tube (TV series)|The Tube]]''. In the programme, presenter [[Jools Holland]] was abducted to the Village with British comedy actor [[Stephen Fry]] as No.2. [[Stanley Unwin]] was also in the Village. The video for the [[XTC]] song ''The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul'', which was filmed entirely on ___location at Portmeirion and featured costumes and props similar to those used in the ''Prisoner'' series. XTC was also filmed in [[Portmeirion]] singing ''The Meeting Place''. Other guests were [[Siouxsie & the Banshees]], filmed playing ''The Passenger'' on the Hotel lawn, and [[Magnum (band)|Magnum]], playing at night on the Bristol Colonnade.

* ''[[2point4 children]]''

: The British sitcom ''2point4 children'' featured an episode named "The Seventh Dial" where Ben, the main character is knocked unconscious and wakes up in the Village. It is in fact a practical joke set up by a rival of his, Jake Klinger [played by Roger-Lloyd Pack] who is a ''Prisoner'' fan. Ben wakes up and discovers a jacket similar to Number 6's in the house, and he's in Portmeirion, inhabited by in-costume Prisoner fans, and Roller [animated by Klinger, naturally].

* [[The Darkness]]

:The music video for British glam-revivalists the Darkness' hit "Growing on Me" features children dressed as band members Justin, Dan, Ed, and Frankie flying a helicopter and being attacked by Rovers.

* The Clash

: The Clash B-side "The Prisoner" may be a reference to the show although the lyrics are oblique and do not seem to refer to it in any direct way.

* ''[[Ultima Underworld]]''

: In the computer game ''[[Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds]]'', the player enters a prison tower where a man named Bishop is held captive. The player's parting words to the prison guards are "Be seeing thee." Later in the game, the player encounters wisps who wish to learn what became of Bishop following his imprisonment. When asked what it wants, a wisp will answer, "We want information." The player can choose to respond with "You won't get it!"

* Other references

** Brief references to ''The Prisoner'' appear in many TV shows and movies and comic books, such as ''[[Three's Company]]'', the comic book series ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'', ''[[The Invisibles]]'', the humour comic strip [[Combat Colin]], and the 1986 documentary series ''[[The Celts]]''.

** The [[Supergrass]] video "Alright" was filmed on ___location at Portmeirion.

** Popular Italian rapper [[Caparezza]] winked at the series in his video "Fuori dal Tunnel", featuring the aforementioned giant white balloon.

** In the computer game ''[[Star Control 2]]'' the ''[[Arilou]]'' say "Be seeing you" in the very end of the game.

** A late 1980s music video by the [[France|French]] pop duo [[Niagara (band)|Niagara]], "Je dois m'en aller", paid tribute to the series by using the same "bars across face" image that closed most episodes of the series (except with singer [[Muriel Moreno]]'s face instead of McGoohan's).

** In the [[ENPS]] broadcast newsroom software developed by the [[Associated Press]] and the [[BBC]], small dots that open folders are called Rovers, after the Rover in this series.

** American songwriter [[Michael Penn]] entitled his second album ''Free for All'' after a ''Prisoner'' episode. His third album, ''Resigned'', featured a cover heavily influenced by the opening credits including a file cabinet labelled "Resigned" and a back cover photo of Penn crossed-out as Number 6's is in the opening sequence.

According to the writer [[James Follett]], 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.

==Trivia==

* The episode "Living in Harmony" was not aired in the United States for the series' initial network run, for the ostensible reason that it used (unfeatured) [[psychedelic]] drug use as a feature of its plot. Since many other episodes feature blatant drug use, some ''Prisoner'' historians have questioned whether this was the sole justification for its omission. Some have argued that it was pulled due to its Old West setting, which some [[CBS]] executives may have felt could have detracted viewers away from one of their more successful series, ''[[Gunsmoke]]''. CBS in fact used this explanation as to why the episode was included when the series was re-aired in 1990 as part of their post-local news schedule. However, it is more likely that the instalment was withheld on account of its strong [[pacifism|pacifist]] message, and its implications ''vis à vis'' the [[Vietnam War]].

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.

Note that this episode was also shown with the drug usage edited down in the UK until a 1984 repeat run.

* The non-speaking superior seen receiving Number 6's resignation in the opening credits is played by series co-creator and [[script editor]], [[George Markstein]]. He later reprised the role for "Many Happy Returns".

* Number 6's address in London, shown in the opening sequence, is at Number One Buckingham Place, a real ___location, which as of the early 1990s was a law office. The buildings seen swirling around at the end of the opening credits are those that were actually visible through one of the property's windows, although most were demolished during redevelopment in 2003.

* Leo McKern's hair and beard are trimmed much shorter in the final episode than in the preceding one because he suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized not long before the shooting of the second episode. The show accommodated this by showing McKern dying in the first episode, then being rescuscitated, covered in shaving cream and getting barbered before making his entrance. His proclamation, "I feel a new man!", is a dig at a slogan that was then popular in the UK's psychiatric community.

* Some Village exteriors were actually shot on a sound stage, and sometimes backgrounds are clearly discernible as large blown-up photos of Portmeirion. Other exteriors said to be part of the Village (including a mock-up of a western [[ghost town]], and the Recreation Hall), were not filmed at [[Portmeirion]], but rather at MGM's studio backlot near [[London]]. Only the first few episodes were actually shot on ___location, with an extensive amount of generic footage also shot, and the production team would make returns and shoot as much footage as the budget permitted.

* The interrogation dialogue does not play over the opening credits of the episodes "Arrival", "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling", "Living in Harmony" and "Fall Out" (the last episode). In addition, the voice of Number 2 in this sequence is not always performed by the actor who plays the role in the episode (primarily to hide his/her identity until the finale). The uncredited voice actor used on such occasions, [[Robert Reitty]], never actually played Number 2 on screen.

* The ''Tally Ho'' newspaper headlines, all the public signs in the Village, and the show's credits use a version of the [[Albertus (typeface)|Albertus]] display typeface in which the lowercase letter e was altered to make it look somewhat like the Greek letter epsilon (ε), and the dots above the lower case '''i''' and '''j''' are removed.

* Number 6 is occasionally seen participating in the game or martial art of ''[[kosho (The Prisoner)|kosho]]'', which was conceived by Patrick McGoohan for the series. It is played on two trampolines set on either side of a four-by-eight-foot pool of water and surrounded by a wall with an angled ledge and hand-rail. Two opponents wear a boxing glove on their left hand and a lighter padded glove on their right, and attempt to knock each other into the pool. Prior to the 1972 Summer Olympics, a group of ''Prisoner'' fans unsuccessfully lobbied the organizing committee to declare kosho a sport and allow competition.

* The musical score in the final episode is different in style to the previous 16 episodes. It has a more [[Pop music|popular]] feel, and even features a slightly speeded-up version of the [[Beatles]]' song "[[All You Need Is Love]]". This turned out to be a fortuitous selection as it is still popular today.

* The striking theme tune was composed by [[Ron Grainer]] and was originally entitled "The Age of Elegance". According to legend, Grainer composed the theme based upon a phrase whistled by McGoohan, but there is evidence that Grainer's composition had its origins several years before ''The Prisoner'' entered production. Grainer's theme was chosen to replace an earlier theme by [[Wilfred Josephs]] which can still be heard on the alternate versions of "Arrival" and "Chimes of Big Ben", and as incidental music during a couple of early episodes including the broadcast edition of "Arrival" (in the aired version, the theme can be heard as No. 6 approaches the helicopter at the climax).

*The female Number 2 who appears in "Dance of the Dead" is speaking dialogue originally written for a male actor, [[Trevor Howard]], who pulled out of the production at the last minute for the filming of ''Battle of Britain''.

* Numerous plans to make a big screen version of the series have been considered since the 1970s, usually with Patrick McGoohan in the position of [[executive producer]]. To date, no film production has come to fruition.

* Alternate versions of "Arrival" and "The Chimes of Big Ben" exist and have been released on DVD. These are "rough cuts", and feature little additional material. Both were intended to be cut for timing reasons anyway, with the excised material being largely superfluous. These versions feature the [[Wilfred Josephs]] theme tune, and are of variable quality, having not been preserved over the years like the broadcast versions. "Chimes" only exists as a 16mm print.

* "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling" was produced while McGoohan was in America filming ''[[Ice Station Zebra]]''. The episode featured the contrivance of Number 6's mind being implanted in another man's body ([[Nigel Stock]]), who is then sent out of the Village to help capture a scientist.

*The series gives several clues as to the ___location of the Village. In "The Chimes of Big Ben" it is said to be in [[Lithuania]] (although as this information is given during a ruse it isn't reliable). In "Many Happy Returns" there is compelling evidence to suggest that it is on the coast of [[Morocco]] and Number 6 even flies to the apparent ___location as a passenger in a [[jet fighter]]. In the series finale, "Fall Out," however, we seem to learn that the Village is actually located somewhere in [[Britain]], within driving distance of [[London]] &mdash; though there's no clear indication of how long the truck's been driving for, or even whether anything in this episode can be taken literally. Some fans have taken this to mean that there were, in fact, several different villages, all identical, in different locations around the world.

* "I'll be seeing you" was a popular expression in Britain in the 1940s, when it was jocularly pronounced "Abyssinia". McGoohan uses the phrase "Be seeing you" in real life. According to the documentary ''The Prisoner Video Companion'' (produced to promote the series when it was released to [[home video]] in the early 1980s), the salute was meant to represent the "sign of the fish", a symbol of [[Christianity]].

* The first episode reveals that the keepers of the Village are already aware of the apparent reasons behind Number 6's resignation; they simply want to perform (in Number 2's words) "a double-check". Combined with repeated references to Number 6's "importance", this suggests that he has been kidnapped for other reasons. Later episodes contradict this, as various Number 2s accuse or speculate about Number 6's loyalty to another government. Number 6 never learns the exact allegiance of his jailers, which is one of the reasons he refuses to co-operate.

* The show's co-creator, George Markstein, supposedly felt that Number 6 resigned because he discovered the existence of the Village, though the series doesn't appear to support this. Markstein has also since repeatedly asserted that Number 6 was actually John Drake from Danger Man &mdash; something with which McGoohan vehemently disagrees.

* There is a ''Prisoner'' memorabilia shop in [[Portmeirion]], [[Wales]], the site of the filming of the series. Portmeirion has also played host to several fan conventions as the series has attracted a minor [[cult following]].

* The strange vehicles seen driving around the Village were [[Mini Moke]]s &mdash; originally designed for (and subsequently rejected by) the British Army. Mini Mokes were commonly seen in some of the [[James Bond]] films, most notably ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me]]'', inside Stromberg's tanker, the Liparus.

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=[[VHS]]|publisher=Dreamwatch Media Ltd|___location=London|date=1994}}</ref>

==Spin-offs and continuations==

===Novels===

In 1969, Ace Books in the United States published three novels based upon the series. These books, which take place after the events of "Fall Out" are somewhat controversial for stating explictly that Number 6 is John Drake from ''Danger Man'' and are not considered canonical with the rest of the series.

* ''The Prisoner'' by [[Thomas M. Disch]] (also published as ''I Am Not a Number!'')

* ''The Prisoner: Number Two'' by [[David McDaniel]] (also published as ''Who is Number Two?'')

* ''The Prisoner: A Day in the Life'' by [[Hank Stine]]

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>

Some sources erroneously list Disch as the creator of the TV series as he is the writer of the first novel based upon the show. 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 [[John E. Simkin]] erronously lists an additional volume by McDaniel entitled ''Prisoner 3'' being released in 1981, but no such book was ever published.

==Reception==

In the 1980s, Roger Langley of the Prisoner Appreciation Society wrote three novellas based upon the series:

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" />

* ''Charmed Life''

* ''Think Tank''

* ''When in Rome''

==Home media==

These books were made available through the fan club, and at the Prisoner Shop in Portmeirion and are long [[out of print]].

===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 Filmed Entertainment|PolyGram Video]] released the entire series plus a special feature called ''The Best of The Prisoner'' on five VHS cassette tapes.<ref name=Davy/>

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.

In 2004, [http://www.powysmedia.com Powys Media] announced plans for a new series of novels based upon the series, with the first volume scheduled for release in the United States in March 2005. To date five novels have been announced, all to be published in [[trade paperback]] format. According to Powys Media, at least six books are planned (a seventh novel, from [[Robert Sheckley]], was never written due to the tragic passing of the author).

* ''The Prisoner's Dilemma'' by [[Jonathan Blum]] and [[Rupert Booth]]; introduction by [[J. Michael Straczynski]] (March 2005)

* ''The Other'' by [[Lance Parkin]] (Spring 2006)

* ''Miss Freedom'' by [[Andrew Cartmel]] (Summer 2006)

* ''The Last Waltz'' by [[John Kenneth Muir]] (2007)

* ''Number Two Is Missing'' by [[Ben Aaronovitch]] (2007)

* ''Endgame'' by [[William Latham]] (2007)

===Comic booksDVD===

In 2000, the first DVD release in the UK was issued by [[Carlton Communications|Carlton International Entertainment]], with [[A&E Television Networks|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 (The Prisoner)|"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.<ref name=Davy/>

In the early 1970s, [[Marvel Comics]] considered launching a comic book based on ''The Prisoner'', with art by [[Jack Kirby]]. A test issue was put together but never published. 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."

''The Prisoner: 40th Anniversary Special Edition'' DVD box-set released in 2007 featured [[standard-definition television|standard-definition]] 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>

{{spoiler}}

===Blu-ray===

[[image:Prisoner2.JPG|frame|Motter's new Number Two|right]]In the late 1980s, [[DC Comics]] published a four-issue comic book mini-series based on ''The Prisoner'', drawn by [[Mister X (Vortex)|Mister X]] creator [[Dean Motter]] and co-written with [[Mark Askwith]]. The comic story takes place in the present, twenty years after the events of the series. It involves a female former agent named Drake (no apparent relation to John Drake) washing ashore at the ruins of the Village, where an elderly (and seemingly insane) Number 6 now lives by himself. Drake is dubbed the new Number 6 and finds herself in the midst of a power struggle between the original Number 6 and Number 2 ("played by" Leo McKern, the last television Number 2, with the actor's approval), who had been sent to prison for violating the [[Official Secrets Act]] after writing a tell-all book about the Village. Now himself insane but again a "free man", Number 2 returns to the Village to seek revenge on Number 6. Meanwhile, two of Drake's secret agent friends investigate her disappearance and discover clues that lead them to the Village. But what does Number 1 have to say about all this?

''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 [[high-definition television|high-definition]] masters.<ref>[http://www.networkdvd.co.uk/prisoner/priscomparison.htm Networkdvd.com] {{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=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |date=13 December 2009 |access-date=1 April 2019 }}</ref>

''The Prisoner: 50th Anniversary Set'' was released in the [[United Kingdom]] 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>

[[image:Pris.JPG|frame|left]]In a nod to both the idea of "I am not a number!" and the episode, "A, B and C", the four issues were not numbered, but were rather Issue A, B, C, and D. The mini-series was reprinted in 1990 as the graphic novel, ''Shattered Visage''. The graphic novel included a two page text piece which rationalized away the events of the last episode as LSD-enhanced psychodrama designed to break the original Number 6.

==Spin-offs==

The story and art were vetted by Patrick McGoohan and ITC Entertainment. The likenesses of McGoohan and Leo McKern were featured for their characters’ return and it is rumored that while the notoriously critical McGoohan "didn’t hate" the series, McKern was flattered to be a "comic book villain" for the first time.

{{Main|The Prisoner in other media}}

===Computer gamesBooks===

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=[[W. H. Allen Ltd]] | 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 [[Lewis Greifer]] | 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 [[Eric Mival]] and Ian Rakoff.<ref name=Davy/>

In 1981, [[EduWare]] produced [[Prisoner (game)|''The Prisoner'']], a video game for the [[Apple II family|Apple II]] computer based upon the television series. The game was reportedly not officially licensed, so a number of changes had to be made in order to distance the game from a few of the more recognizable ''Prisoner'' elements. The game's designer, David Mullich, incorporated elements of [[Franz Kafka]]'s ''[[The Castle]]'' into the game, in which the players assumed the role of a character referred to as # (the "[[number sign]]" in the United States and Canada). # wakes up on The Island, and explores the 20 homes, shops and service buildings there, trying to find clues as to how to escape.

===Games===

The player is given a three-digit number, which signifies #'s reasons for resigning. The game then attempts at numerous times to trick the player into revealing the number. One of the most nefarious was a simulated game crash which included the error message "Syntax error in line ###" where the line number was the player's resignation code. The significance of this is that this was a commonly seen error message in the Apple II's [[BASIC programming language]]; out of pure habit, the next step most users would take at this point would be to investigate the erroneous line to try and correct the error, using the command "List ###" where ### once again is the line number. Typing the game's three-digit code at any time resulted in the game being lost, and that included typing the line into the BASIC command as, unknown to the player, the game was still running.

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 (computer game)|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.<ref>[http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Prisoner/ Steve Jackson Games — The Prisoner], accessed 14 January 2008</ref>

Considered unique among games of this sort, ''The Prisoner'' was reportedly used as a training tool for [[Central Intelligence Agency]] agents. (Around this time, EduWare also released a "game" that simulated terrorist attacks &mdash; up to and including nuclear &mdash; and the player's task is to respond to these incidents.)

===Comics===

In 1982, EduWare released a sequel, ''[[Prisoner 2]]'', with colour and improved graphics. Released near the end of the Apple II's dominance of home computers, it was not as widely successful as the first game.

In 1988, [[DC Comics]] released [[The Prisoner: Shattered Visage|''Shattered Visage'']], the first part of a four-part series of comics based on the characters in the TV series. In 2018 [[Titan Publishing Group|Titan Comics]] 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=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |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=[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]] |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.

===Role-playing gamesRemake===

{{Main|The Prisoner (2009 miniseries){{!}}''The Prisoner'' (2009 miniseries)}}

[[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.

In 2009, the show was remade as a miniseries, also titled ''[[The Prisoner (2009 miniseries)|The Prisoner]]'', which aired in the U.S. on [[AMC (TV network)|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.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/theprisoneramc | title = The Prisoner: Season 1 | work = [[Metacritic]] | access-date = 24 July 2018 }}</ref>

===Proposed film adaptations===

The first game in Broderbund's "Myst" series featured a ___location called "Stoneship," that resembles the false ship at Portmeirion.

[[Simon West]] was attached to a film adaptation of the series in 2001, which failed to materialise.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Guiding the Expedition |first=Edward |last=Gross |magazine=Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Official Movie Magazine |publisher=H&S Media |date=2001 |page=23 |quote=Next up for the director is a feature film adaptation of the cult classic sci-fi series, 'The Prisoner'{{nbsp}}... 'It's a tough nut to crack,' West admits.}}</ref> [[Christopher Nolan]] 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 [[Barry Mendel]] 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, [[Ridley Scott]] was in talks to direct a film adaptation.<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 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>

===The return of ''The Prisoner''===

A movie version of ''The Prisoner'' has been in development limbo for many years at [[Universal Pictures]]. At one point Simon West was attached as director with Patrick McGoohan on board as an executive producer and script consultant. Many A-list actors have been rumoured to play Number 6, with [[Russell Crowe]] believed to be the favourite.

===Audio dramas===

As of early 2006, there is no word on the current status of the film project or whether it will even go into production, but in late 2005, it was announced that Granada will be reviving the series for Sky One, beginning in Spring 2007. In May 2006 it was reported that [[Christopher Eccleston]] was in the running to play Number Six. The series is expected to air on Sky One opposite the third series of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which Eccleston himself relaunched in 2005.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4972194.stm]

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.<ref>[http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/the-prisoner---the-cast], 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 [[Nicholas Briggs]], 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 [[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).<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>

==External links==

{{wikiquote}}

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>

===General overviews===

* {{imdb title|title=The Prisoner|id=0061287}}

* [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/P/htmlP/prisonerthe/prisonerthe.htm ''The Prisoner'' in the Encyclopedia of Television]

* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/478691/index.html ''The Prisoner'' article at British Film Institute Screen Online]

These audio dramas have been broadcast by [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]] as part of its [[The 7th Dimension]] 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>

===Theories and interpretations===

* [http://prisoner.gigacorp.net/theories.html Theories: ''The Prisoner'' U.S. Home Page]

== Cultural impact ==

===Episode guides and fan sites===

{{Main|The Prisoner in popular culture}}

* [http://www.anorakzone.com/prisoner The Anorak's Guide to ''The Prisoner'']

Although the show was sold as a thriller in the mould of ''[[Danger Man]]'', McGoohan's previous series, its [[Surrealism|surreal]] and [[Franz Kafka|Kafkaesque]] setting and reflection of concerns of the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|1960s counterculture]] have had a far-reaching influence on [[popular culture]] and the series ultimately developed a [[cult following]].<ref name="Rogers" /><ref name=":1" />

* [http://www.match-cut.de "Wir sehen uns! or: L'année dernière au Village" - German website with English language section]

Since its debut, the series' enduring popularity has led to its influencing and being referenced in a range of other media, such as the film ''[[The Truman Show]]'',<ref name="spyscreen">{{cite book |last=Miller |first=Toby |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6eBMVwZo7oAC&pg=PA104 |title=Spyscreen: espionage on film and TV from the 1930s to the 1960s |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-19-815952-8 |page=219}}</ref><ref name="wpost">{{cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Adam |date=15 January 2009 |title=TV Spy Series Star Brought Complex Programming to U.S. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/14/AR2009011403535_pf.html |accessdate=4 October 2009 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> and the television shows ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]''<ref name="wpost" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Thill |first=Scott |date=3 June 2008 |title=Lost Joins Shyamalan's Pixies Lovefest |url=https://www.wired.com/listening_post/2008/06/lost-joins-shya/#more-2553 |accessdate=4 October 2009 |work=Listening Post |publisher=Wired}}</ref> and ''[[The X-Files]]''. The producer of ''The X-Files'' called ''The Prisoner'' "the ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' of its genre."<ref name="spyscreen" /> Mark Frost, co-creator of [[Twin Peaks|''Twin Peaks'']], has stated that ''The Prisoner'' was a large influence on him and the show.<ref>{{cite podcast |url=https://soundcloud.com/thetalkhouse/esmail-frost-320 |title=Talkhouse |date=2017-11-16}}</ref> ''The Guardian'' wrote that "Without ''The Prisoner'', we'd never have had cryptic, mindbending TV series like ''Twin Peaks'' or ''Lost''. It's the ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' of British TV – a programme that changed the landscape."<ref>{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Steve |date=14 January 2009 |title=Be seeing you: remembering Patrick McGoohan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/jan/14/television |accessdate=4 October 2009 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

===Reviews===

* [http://www.cosmoetica.com/B39-DES18.htm DVD Series Review linking show to Game Theory, with spoiler on true identity of No. Six]

* [http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue195/screen2.html Review by ''Science Fiction Weekly'' on DVD Boxed Sets 1 & 2]

* [http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue209/screen.html Review by ''Science Fiction Weekly'' on DVD Boxed Sets 3 & 4]

* [http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue233/screen4.html Review by ''Science Fiction Weekly'' on DVD Boxed Set 5]

* [http://www.rickmcgrath.com/the_prisoner.html Review and commentary on the DVD Box Set by critic Rick McGrath]

==Awards and honours==

===Frequently asked questions===

* The final episode, "[[Fall Out (The Prisoner)|Fall Out]]", received a [[Hugo Award]] nomination for [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation|Best Dramatic Presentation]] 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>

* [http://www.web-sighted.co.uk/franks/faq.html Frequently Asked Questions for alt.tv.prisoner]

* In 2002, the series won the [[Prometheus Award|Prometheus Hall of Fame Award]].<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=[[TV Guide]] |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 ''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]'' 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=[[BBC]] |date=31 July 2005 |access-date=1 April 2019 }}</ref>

* A 2005 survey of leading rock and film stars by ''[[UNCUT (magazine)|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4747739.stm |title=Dylan single 'changed the world' |website=[[BBC]] |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>

===Interviews=See also==

* [http://www.cultv.co.uk/mcgoohan.htm[In TranscriptMy Mind (film)|''In My Mind'']], ofdocumentary aabout 1977[[Patrick McGoohan]] TVand interviewthe aboutmaking of ''The Prisoner'' TV series

* [httphttps://www.theunmutualsixofone.co.uk/interviews.htm InterviewsSix withof castOne], andthe crewappreciation ofsociety ''Thefor the Prisoner''] series

===Fandom=References==

{{Reflist}}

* [http://www.cherishedtelevision.co.uk/prisoner1.html Cherished Television]: ''The Prisoner'' filming locations

* [http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/ The Unmutual]: frequently updated ''Prisoner'' and Portmeirion news, reviews

* [http://www.thepennyfarthing.com/ The Penny Farthing]: a ''Prisoner'' fan site

* [http://www.ThePrisonerAppreciationSociety.com/ ''The Prisoner'' Appreciation Society] (6 of 1)

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/from_our_own_correspondent/newsid_164000/164089.stm BBC News]: Number's not up for ''The Prisoner''

===WebFurther experiences=reading==

* {{cite book

* [http://www.arvincasas.com/prisoner.html Arvin W. Casas' "Village"]

| last=Britton | first=Wesley Alan | chapter=Chapter 6: The Cold War and Existential Fables: Danger Man, Secret Agent, and The Prisoner

* [http://users.rcn.com/gcapalbo/Tally.html Quicktime VR of the Village]

| 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 [[Lewis Greifer]]

| 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 }}

===Spin-offs=External links==

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{{commons category}}

{{Wikiquote}}

* {{IMDb title|id=0061287|title=The Prisoner}}

* {{rotten-tomatoes|tv/the_prisoner_1967/s01}}

* [https://archive.org/details/ThePrisonerPuzzle ''The Prisoner Puzzle'' 1976 companion book of a television show discussing theories about the series]

* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-37232329 ''In pictures: The Prisoner at 50 – BBC article'']

* [https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/prisoner-patrick-mcgoohan-50 Six ways cult show ''The Prisoner'' prepared us for the modern world – BFI article]

* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/478691/index.html ''The Prisoner'' article at British Film Institute Screen Online]

* [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123241810530696607 "Why ''The Prisoner'' Endures"] by [[John Fund]], ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', 2009-01-20

{{The Prisoner}}

===Directories===

{{Seiun Award - Best Media}}

* [http://dmoz.org/Arts/Television/Programs/Science_Fiction_and_Fantasy/P/Prisoner,_The/ DMOZ ''Prisoner'' page]

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