The Prisoner 

After resigning, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is really a bizarre prison. His warders demand information. He gives them nothing, but only tries to escape.

Creator:

Patrick McGoohan

Stars:

Patrick McGoohan, Angelo Muscat, Peter Swanwick

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Patrick McGoohan	...	Number Six / ... 17 episodes, 1967-1968
Angelo Muscat	...	The Butler 14 episodes, 1967-1968
Peter Swanwick	...	Supervisor / ... 8 episodes, 1967-1968

Storyline

"The Prisoner" is a unique piece of television. It addresses issues such as personal identity and freedom, democracy, education, scientific progress, art and technology, while still remaining an entertaining drama series. Over seventeen episodes we witness a war of attrition between the faceless forces behind 'The Village' (a Kafkaesque community somewhere between Butlins and Alcatraz) and its most strong willed inmate, No. 6. who struggles ceaselessly to assert his individuality while plotting to escape from his captors.

---

Plot Keywords:

1960s | prison | secret | number | british | 

---

Taglines:

No Man Is Just A Number.

---

Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

The series' enigmatic finale was so controversial that, according to legend, Patrick McGoohan had to go into hiding for a time.

---

Goofs

In the opening sequence, the letter X is typed across the prisoner's photograph, but the typewriter typebar for the letter H is moving. The typebar for the letter X is at the far right of the frame.

---

Quotes

Labour Exchange Manager: Good, you are honest. That is of use. Honesty attracts confidence, and confidence is our core of our business. See how honest I'm being with you?

---

Crazy Credits

Most (but not all) episodes begin with a recap taken from the first episode of Number Six waking in his "new home" and looking out of his window at the Village. This is followed by a standard dialogue between him and Number Two (i.e. "Where am I?" "In the Village.") which plays out under the episode credits. In most episodes, the actor playing Number Two recites the lines during this sequence, but in some episodes an uncredited male actor does the chore. The sequence is altered on two notable occasions: The Number Two played by Colin Gordon in two episodes introduces himself as "I am Number Two" instead of "The New Number Two" as all other actors do. In the episode "Many Happy Returns" the face of that week's Number Two is not revealed during the sequence in order to preserve the element of surprise.

---

Alternate Versions

When it first aired in French, the episode title "The General" and all references in the dialogue were changed to "Le cerveau" (The Brain), presumably to avoid any reference to General De Gaulle (then the country's leader)

---

Connections

Referenced in Fringe: Letters of Transit (2012)

---

Soundtracks

Main Title Theme
Written by Ron Grainer
Performed by Ron Grainer Orchestra

User Reviews

The coolest show of 2004

Who would think that the coolest show of 2004 would have been the rebroadcast of this 1960's British classic?

When I lived in the U.K. I heard about this show a lot, and when I went to Wales was told about the town where it was filmed, but I had no idea why people were so durned excited about it.

It can be murky and deliberately obscure, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a show as creative and bizarre....and you have to love the fact that No. 6 always looks so dammed serious!

Seriously, it's worth watching, if only to remember how important good writing and unique ideas used to be in television!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Russian German Romany Spanish French Polish

Release Date:

5 September 1967 (Canada)

Also Known As:

The Prisoner

Filming Locations:

Portmeirion Hotel, Portmeirion, Gwynedd, Wales, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Everyman Films, Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min (17 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1