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.
"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.
Written by Stuart Berwick <berws@essex.ac.uk>
The black and white head shot of Patrick McGoohan, which showed him smiling slightly and wearing a black tie and a grey suit, that was seen in the opening credits and in such episodes as "Free for All" and "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling", is a promotional photograph from McGoohan's earlier series,
Danger Man.
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Goofs
Errors in geography:
It was not always possible to mask the existence of civilization near Portmeirion, Wales, where much of the series was filmed. In several episodes neighboring towns and farms can be glimpsed. However, it should be noted the exact size of The Village is never specifically indicated, and there are numerous episodes that indicate it is significantly larger than the core settlement. Occasionally the Welsh flag can just about be glimpsed on the Village flag pole too.
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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.
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