The Prisoner (1967). Why did you resign?

[@StamFine]

Just a note to the folks angered by an obscure reference to the comedy series Portlandia, I am aware of where The Prisoner was filmed, it something that's talked about and shown further along in the video if you keep watching. Be seeing you! 🕶

[@antonycharnock2993]

Have you watched "The League of Gentlemen". I'm sure they took a little inspiration from The Prisoner. You'll never leave!

[@umachan9286]

The Prisoner was possibly one of the greatest TV shows ever. So far ahead of it's time and the fact that it's STILL being talked about to this day shows that it was something special.

[@jefft8597]

Absolutely correct. My favorite TV show of all time. I had never seen anything like it before nor have I since with the exception of a few Twilight Zone episodes. And so much more relevant today. McGoohan does explain the meaning of the pennyfarthing (available in other videos) but it is not in anyway obvious without his explanation. BTW, "Colony Three" of Dangerman might remind you of "The Prisoner."

[@QuoPaperPlane]

Many shows, films and music are appreciated still many years later and have dedicated followers and societies so The Prisoner isn't unique in this respect. I think the only thing that makes it stand out is there really isn't anything to compare it with. Seeing it as the best show is subjective like most things in life.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Mostly because there was no resolution to what occured.

[@Nickelodeon81]

Yes. But WTF was going on!??

[@umachan9286]

@@Nickelodeon81 Some government organization wanted information from #6. Specifically why did he resign? He didn't tell and they took him to "The Village". It's a place where people who know too much are forced to live. It's practically spelled out every single episode.

[@dbowne7441]

The intro is the absolute best part: the car, filing the ID card, the gassing, the music. Bravissimo 👏

[@ThinPicks]

The original car, KAR 120C, is still around, I think someone in America has it.

[@dazzlingdavedainty]

Best theme tune and intro ever

[@NoName-zm1ks]

Best intro, in the running for best tv show music theme.

[@hippomancy]

saw it as a kid; enjoyed it immensely, and was promptly bored by other tv offerings for the next thirty or so years...

[@sargonsblackgrandfather2072]

One of the best tv shows ever. I saw this as a little kid and it blew my mind, I still think about it often.

[@adamson5779]

It's more than just a tv show. Arrived in the philippines islands 9 yrs ago, loads of ufo's, human hybrids who appear to be filipino and strange disappearing creatures in both day and night. Everyone here is like on a mental network, similar to the background ppl in the Prisoner. If you just visit this island then you will see and know nothing except fake smiles from the natives and colorful beaches. In reality its very similar to the Prisoner here but you have to live here to know it for sure.

[@lucianocharloz8875]

A medida que a mis amigos les aburría, a mi más me apasionaba, hasta hoy lo recuerdo!!!

[@rayasher3580]

Finally made my pilgrimage to Portmeirion. Stayed three days. Now rewatching with child’s eyes after the visit.

[@seanmckenna724]

Who is Number One? You are, No. 6. They told you at the start of every episode. Genius.

[@StamFine]

A comma between 'are' and 'No, 6' makes a big difference.

[@seanmckenna724]

@@StamFine It certainly does. It really is a brilliant show.

[@hockey1272]

@Stam Fine, also the stress, and subsequent pause, on "you".

[@Neil070]

"I am not a number, I am a free man!" "Mwahahaha...."

[@socoman99]

Just to add to that, in real life, the address of the Prisoner's flat in London is actually No. 1 Buckingham Place. If you look at Google maps street view of the front door of the building, it's there plain as day. If you notice that when the Prisoner enters the flat at the beginning, the number isn't shown. When the Prisoner returns in "Many Happy Returns", as he's now driving in KAR120C away from the flat, the front door is open, so the number can't be seen. So, it was right there in the opening scene.

[@travishiltz4750]

Weird and trippy, walks a thin line between brilliant and 'they may just be messing with us', visually unique and endlessly quotable. "This is a dreamy party!!" is one of my favorites. Great show.

[@cdscan2636]

The meaning of the Prisoner series: Every now and again someone wakes up and realizes we are all in the village. We are manipulated and shaped by selfish agendas set up by society. People are at various levels of denial and compliance in their attempts to cope with life. Most comply passively. Some try to join the system and rise to the top (No 2). They are aware of the corruption but co-operate anyway to have a better life, but they are still prisoners. No 6 is honest and doesn't give in and searches for people who think like he does. The system punishes those who try to resist, to death in some cases, so they have to conceal themselves. When No6 makes it to the top he realizes that the structure of the system is worthless and is run by faceless controlled automatons. Only at the end, when the system is dismantled, does No6 find out who his real associates are. Many of them appear like nut-cases to the casual observer, others have had to live a life of silent desperation (No2's the servant). No6 is by no means perfect. . No6 escapes to London and tries to tell his story. The final message comes when the door of his apartment opens automatically "We are all in the village". It seems the author of this video is a knowing or unaware enforcer. "He who leads into captivity goes into captivity."

[@DrZuum]

Need to reply in the way Of describing a current 'REALITY APERTURE" understanding, in that we can only perceive things our flight or fight responses, (and vagus nerves) allow into the cerebellum to regulate responses to react appropriately. Some ppl totally respond w/ caution and context. Some respond w/ fear based response, or flight. 240p vs 4k visuals to the brain. Where it counts.Etc.

[@Paul-dorsetuk]

That's very good. Thank you for the effort you put into that analysis!

[@marieascot]

A great summary. My thoughts exactly. There are things I could tell you hat would make your toes curl about how society is run but I shall remain silent like the butler.

[@sicks6six]

WHAT NUMBER ARE YOU. IM ZERO.

[@carbondragon]

Plausible but not necessarily what the show runners were going for. Maybe it was, I don't know, and probably no-one else ever will. Good explanation though.

[@12mrmajestic]

Number 2 said it best in Chimes of Big Ben. "The Village is a model for the world order".

[@davebartosh5]

My hat is off to McGoohan, (RIP) Nothing like this series ever came close to the intellect and artfulness of both writing and visuals. (edit: yeah the music,too)

[@shawniscoolerthanyou]

"What do you want?" "Like and subscribe." "You won't get it!"

[@studogable]

By hook or by crook, we will.

[@stephenclarke2206]

Big Tech wants your information

[@haroldellis9721]

Answers in a finale from a show that gave us, "Questions are a burden to others, answers a prison for oneself."

[@LadyBoru]

Good point! Lol

[@emilymcplugger]

Recently I went to Number 6’s house in London and got a shedload of pictures. It was a ridiculously sunny day so it looked exactly the same. I don’t think I stopped smiling all day.

[@KJ-of6lf]

Did the same thing in 2008.

[@23Daves]

I used to work as a civil servant a short distance from it, and also right next to some of the roads The Prisoner drives down in the intro sequence before going into the underground car park. Frequently had the theme tune stuck in my head as I went into the office but obviously never actually slammed my fist on my boss's desk.

[@DavidThomas-fb8bq]

Isn't it behind Buckingham palace?

[@LadyBoru]

That is a great idea!

[@davidtraylor3062]

Have to admit if I had written this show, the butler would have been Number 1.

[@adame0376]

My dad watched this as a kid and I also watched it. Quality show!

[@CMDR_Verm]

It was also my Dad who got me watching when I was a young man and I thought he knew what it was all about. It was the same with 2001: A Space Odyssey which he took me to see at the cinema on it's release when I was 8 years old. ''What's it all about Dad?'' I would ask. ''No idea'' he'd reply. He's still alive and kicking at 85 and I'm beginning to think he was a bit of a bastard. I'm warped for life and obsessed with both The Prisoner and 2001. I have a horrible feeling there are more but I've blanked them out.

[@davidsigalow7349]

In the U.S., it was initially a summer replacement series for "The Avengers." The first episode I recall was "The Chimes of Big Ben," and I'd never seen anything like it.

[@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812]

Loved the Avengers and the Prisoner. Total mindphuq.

[@dngillikin]

No, it wasn't. In the late sixties, "The Prisoner" ran on CBS and "The Avengers" ran on ABC. Both imported series were run as summer replacement series by their respective networks.

[@jackatkinson6760]

@@dngillikin Correct, "The Prisoner" was on CBS; "The Avengers" on ABC. As I recall, it ran in the summer of 1968 as a replacement for "The Jackie Gleason Show." I know for certain that it was broadcast on Saturday nights (a "slow night" for TV in the summer in the USA), at 8:00 PM. I was nine (9) at the time. I remembered McGoohan from "Secret Agent." Man, this was something really different! The episode I best remember, watching with my dad, was "The Girl Who Was Death."

[@nordan00]

Never understood what the hell was going on, but loved the show from the first episode I saw in the late 60s! Still rewatch it every few years, but no episode more than Many Happy Returns. The look on McGoohan’s face when the woman he’d seen back in London walks into his village apartment is priceless! Be seeing you!

[@Rafferty1968]

I love this show so much. It is genius.

[@dvd11811]

I loved this show when it was first broadcast in America. I was 8 or 9. I think it may have been my introduction to Science Fiction. The thing that first caught my eye was "Rover" ...

[@GeraldM_inNC]

In 1978 I tried to make a pilgrimage to Port Meirion. I got off the train, and found myself in the middle of nowhere with heavy luggage. No phones, no taxis, no highway, nothing. I was stranded! Unable to move, all I could do was wait until the next train -- SEVEN HOURS LATER! I never did get to see Port Meirion. Sorry #6.

[@StamFine]

That's a shame, it's a lovely place. But yeah, it's a slog to get there.

[@jackphoton]

Sadly, you were only a few minutes car ride or so away. My wife and I stayed 3 days in 2016, not much more expensive than a normal hotel and got a 2-room suite w/ kitch, full bath and 2 small balconies (in the pink/yellow house row next to the green dome!). Well worth the splurge! We caught a taxi from Portmadog, but Portmeirion runs a guest shuttle to both train stations. I don't know about day visitor shuttles, but your own car can visit. Tourists are kicked out at 5pm and the grounds get quiet. Very nice. Getting up early and going out late, the place was practically all to ourselves despite their having a solid occupancy. Things were distinctly different, many walkways have railings nowadays for example, but we could not have been happier to be there. Next time, we'll bring some more 'appropriate' attire. :D

[@cowpercoles1194]

So instead of not being able to get out of Port Meirion, you were actually unable to get in!

[@GeraldM_inNC]

@@cowpercoles1194 Yep! I remember it like it was yesterday. Blew that one, didn't I?

[@Neil070]

It's off the beaten track, but remember it's not a traditional, ancient village, but a private estate, built by Clough Williams-Ellis on his own patch of land. He never imagined it would attract visitors, nor was it designed to do so. Just a folly, like so many on English and Welsh estates, usually in fields in the middle of privates farms or estates

[@peckelhaze6934]

I never get tired of The Prisoner. On again, started tonight on Horror Channel.

[@slowpawstevet3676]

brillant! followed every episode back in the day, coolest thing on tv.

[@burgessgamers298]

only 106 subs with the quality of this video I thought you'd be well on your way, keep up the great work and more will come you defiantly deserve it

[@StamFine]

Thanks. Building an audience takes time. Things that help the channel: likes, subs and -probably most importantly- watching at least another video (anything on YT, not necessarily this channel) after watching one of ours.

[@paulhillier8020]

Loved the series , Patrick played this part absolutely fabulously, nothing will ever come close to the finale of such a great atmospheric series ever made . Be seeing you . Fabulous series . Iconic for show for that era, nothing can come close to the mind boggling games that he was put through to try and find out why he resigned. Great series even Greater actor .

[@pauliedibbs9028]

I just can't help but feel that the show was more so autobiographical than anything...

[@yousernameish]

I was a teenager when i saw this series, i remember the last episode getting more lunatic and then realising sadly that he'd been a prisoner of his own mind the entire time.

[@Mark-IamNum1]

Well, that is your answer...

[@aprilcallohan6145]

As a young person, i didn't like the idea of him being a victim of himself...because i believed wholly that there are victims and there are perpetrators, and the idea that one might be a victim of himself, was too much of a creepy new age idea for me. I think the Butler should've ended up being No. 1. :)

[@jonathanpardoe8722]

My parents let me stop up to watch this , and since then it has become my trusted mentor , whenever my moral compass needs checking I refer constantly to it . Challenge everything told to you, trust nobody and be suspicious of everybody and everything. We are all prisoners , we are all pawns in the game .. Who are the prisoners and who are the guards .

[@razmatazz9310]

"Challenge everything told to you, trust nobody and be suspicious of everybody and everything." What a way to live your life, lol.

[@LadyBoru]

​@razmatazz9310 still feel that way after all that has taken place the past few years?

[@ced1106]

Yes, No. 6 *is* everyman. Thanks for the videos!!! 📺📺📺

[@lisvender]

Loved this series! Made TV weird before weird was cool.

[@StamFine]

yeah, 50 years later and few have done weird as well.

[@MarcillaSmith]

@@StamFine "I am not a number - I am a free man!" That line still cracks me up!

[@andrettski8686]

@@StamFine When you say Portland, in Tipperary or New Zealand, Wales? Sorry just curious. Thanks for the vid. Gonna check out your channel. I love stuff that makes people think and question everything.

[@stefanomagaddino6868]

Imagine if David Lynch had directed The Prisoner !

[@silencionomus]

@@stefanomagaddino6868 Didn't he?

[@lemapp]

Back in the 1970's, here in the US, my local PBS* station played numerous British TV shows and movies. This station was instrumental in bringing Antique Roadshow to the US. As a kid The Prisioner made as much sense as some of the cartoons like Scobby-Doo. *For those outside of the US, PBS is Public Broadcasting. It receives government funding and donations from the local community. It's a loose federation of stations across the US. Some stations are better funded than others.

[@ShamrockParticle]

Fantastic show! Time for a rewatch... I recall in the 90s "Nowhere Man", which had to have been influenced by it - but more in plot content rather than looks. I gotta find and revisit that show too...

[@dvd11811]

Patrick was the first person the producers asked to play "Bond".

[@TileGuyJesse]

Ron Grainer also did the soundtrack for The Omega Man with Charlton Heston. Good musical style.

[@LadyBoru]

Genius musical scores!

[@johnathanfelton6251]

I loved The Prisoner. Despite being over 50 years old, its themes mostly feel timeless and increasingly relevant. I was disappointed by the AMC miniseries and sequel fiction. I prefer as sequels, the 1990s UPN series, Nowhere Man, starring Bruce Greenwood, or The Truman Show movie, starring Jim Carey. While not direct sequels, these works were heavily inspired by, and more closely follow the feel, and spirit of the original.

[@Neil070]

I went with three mates to Portmeirion, we all loved the series as kids. Fascinating place. It's also a metaphor for the series. Nothing is quite as it seems, from the Stone Boat, which is exactly what it says, to the Green Dome (Number 2's residence) and other buildings which you can't enter because......spoilers! They have, of course, a dedicated shop run by Six of One, the official fan club. As well as being the site of world famous pottery makers.

[@annalieff-saxby568]

I watched the entire series as it came out. There was never a doubt in my mind that No. 6 was Danger Man. But The Prisoner as a series? Incomparable. It started during the "summer of love", and the whole series was part of the acid culture of the late 60s that sparked things like Sgt Pepper. Fascinating, inscrutable, and psychedelic. I still remember the delight and awe with which I watched each episode.

[@eflabb]

I saw it as a kid - on our old black and white tv, was unimpressed, missed Danger Man with its' action-packed episodes, goodies, baddies. the former always winning. As an adult, watching the breathtaking, iconic imagery in colour, experiencing Kafkaesque constraints to freedom, I formed my own conclusions, I consider it unique and irrepressible. The Spice Girls talked of Girl Power, the Monkees sang 'We're the young generation and we've got something to say" What girl power? What things to say? The Prisoner did have something to say - about freedom, conformity and control. 'I am not a number, I am a free man' says it all.

[@davebartosh5]

I was not surprised or disappointed by the end reveal. My dad had a funny theory about Number One...though He thought it was the butler who often served tea and breakfast. lol

[@williammcguinness795]

No question: after the Cuban Missile Crisis, BOTH/ALL sides formed the Village to rid themselves of troublesome agents.

[@StamFine]

Anything is possible.

[@leeturton9254]

I know the cia tortured a Russian double agent for a couple of years because they thought he was a mole only to find out he wasn't...the cia either murdered troublesome agents or tortured them if they were that important... KGB likewise...a village full of resourceful agents?...think about it...not really viable in reality

[@SteveGouldinSpain]

Shows like this and The Champions informed who we were as a generation. There has been nothing to match them in recent years, well Fringe had its moments but really nothing else.

[@martymascarin486]

TVOntario many years ago re-ran the series, with commentary by joiurnalist Warner Troyer; Patrick McGoohan appeared in a Q & A after the last episode, with some distinctive characters in the audience; so taken with the series, that a friend & I journeyed to Portmeirion soon after this re-run & luckily managed to stay there; the general manager took a liking to us, buying some rounds in a local pub; bought the cherished badges from the Prisoner Shop which I shared with friends upon returning home; subscribed to the Six of One Club newsletter, which at that time was a quarterly mailout. Great experience visiting there. You singled out Ron Grainer's dynamic theme music which I think was one of the key appealing elements of the series. Have the epsiodes on VHS. What to do with 'em? lol Be Seeing You.

[@derekhutchins5528]

This is the best video I can find on this series 😂 great work. Summed up my feelings perfectly

[@lancebuttox9637]

I was 7, I loved it, my parents wouldn't have it on the main TV so my sister and I watched it on a small black and white set in another room.

[@Paul-dorsetuk]

I grew up with it. Brilliant. Such a good reminder of it !

[@daniledrake4137]

I really enjoyed this overview/teaser and how you compare it to today and the relevanc, I laughed out hopefully at the right places, I've just clicked the subscribe button

[@fatdog1963rb]

I watched as a child when it was first out in the 60s. Thought it was bonkers instantly loving it and still do. The remake was bollox no messing!

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

6:47 Fun fact. the _Prisoner_ theme was actually the third attempt at a theme for the series. The Ron Grainer version was actually the second try. Patrick McGoohan heard it, and insisted that the tempo be stepped up. And that’s what you hear on the final series.

[@me890092]

The first Prisoner title theme, by Robert Farnon, was reworked as the proposed title theme for The Champions the following year. It was rejected yet again, but an arrangement did get used as incidental background music on the show.

[@jamescpotter]

I was 7 when I watched The Twilight Zone and was fascinated with Rod Serling's assortment of enigmatic stories. Then at age 16 (summer of 1968) I was gobsmacked watching The Prisoner. I think it is the most creative and innovative series ever aired on television. I love its ambiguity and McGoohan's penchant for pitching the shows themes for self interpretation. And you are absolutely right: it is timeless. Oh, how in the world did he (McGoohan) acquire the rights to feature The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" soundtrack in the series finale? Fantastic!

[@seamanjive]

I'm so old I saw this "live" as a 12 year old. As kids we loved the surrealism of it all, regular TV was so dull & predictable. Our parents hated it. That last episode..."Dem Bones"....whoa!

[@TheRAH14]

This is a great review, giving it its due for how revolutionary it was/is, while also acknowledging how batshit crazy it was/is. So basically it sums up the series to a "t." Damn fine, Stam Fine!

[@pawibus]

I always assumed it was meta-commentary. Patrick felt trapped by his success as Danger Man and realized his captors are captives too. His only real jailor is himself.

[@LadyBoru]

That is a brilliant take. He did want out.

[@tattyshoesshigure5731]

One of the things I love about this series is the amazing animated ‘penny farthing’ end credits sequence…I also love the typography they use throughout the series on those credits & on Village signs etc. When I was a kid living in Mill Hill I used to see Patrick McGoohan regularly going to our local Catholic Church on Sundays, he was ‘Danger Man’ at the time, before he became No.6!

[@LadyBoru]

That is so cool you got to see him regularly.

[@HookBeak_66]

Often narrators are an egotistical earache at best, you on the other hand are, on point, informative & comical, clearly outlining, where possible, the premise of this complex & head scratching 1967 drama. For that, I thank you.

[@ij1936]

I discovered The Prisoner while watching a documentary on Amazon Prime about Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast album. There is a song called The Prisoner and Bruce Dickenson said that the song was influenced by the show while speaking from Portmeirion. I then watched it on Prime and then bought the DVD set. Great show!

[@Texmotodad]

The A&E version - like trying American chocolate - well said sir!

[@horeacernucan1967]

Nice video man and great quality, better review made than some channels with over 100k subs normally do

[@StamFine]

Thanks! Much appreciated!

[@jenijebs698]

I love it when things are explained clearly like this. Great overview! 👍👍👍 Thank you.

[@shaidorsai4834]

I saw the Series when it first showed up on TV. It Blew Me Away. 😲 From time to time the series would show up on Public Television. I never missed an episode of I could help it. Seriously awesome.

[@ryancoulter4797]

I would’ve accepted the last episode if they’d just added one more scene: where he wakes up back at the office he left his resignation at and some clerk simply takes it and rubber stamps it RESIGNATION ACCEPTED.

[@DavidThomas-fb8bq]

He knows too much, they'd never let him resign.

[@fazole]

@@DavidThomas-fb8bq Resignation accepted would mean TERMINATION, permanently.

[@annalieff-saxby568]

That would be nice but, don't you think, a little too tidy? Ambiguity - the lady or the tiger - is always more satisfactory to me.

[@gregnikoloff5488]

Disagree. The fact the door to his old London house opens automatically as he approaches it is all you need to know. To realise he hasn't actually escaped. He's still a prisoner. Just as he was before he resigned...

[@TheDukeofMadness]

A place that seems like heaven but is actually hell that you can never leave. And yet Patrick McGoohan was happily married for over 50 years.

[@satyb]

I remember watching it when it first came out, I was 8 at the time. I had used to watch Danger Man and always presumed that it was connected. To me The Prisoner brought anarchy to the tv thriller in the same way that Python brought anarchy to comedy. Didn't always understand the episodes but they were always fascinating to watch, usually on my own as my parents gave up on them fairly quickly.

[@TheProfessional99]

Wonderful video. Wonderful channel. Thanks soooo much 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻

[@StamFine]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@NeilHFrancis]

Funniest most brilliant narrative on YT. F**king brilliant sense of humour. You can only be from Oz. Liked and subscribed.

[@SJKPJR007]

Great review of a truly great series.

[@StamFine]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sisterwendybeckett1983]

Pretty damn good, accurate and insightful series encapsulation for someone who admittedly didn't REALLY love it and doesn't really know quite what to make of it all (does ANYONE actually KNOW anything more than anyone else about it's meaning, and more to the point, does it even really matter in the slightest bit?!)

[@hiridavidfeign]

Excellent as always. Your videos have gotten me through a week of bedrest. However, in the future I request that you please post Jim Caviezel warnings. I think I'm relapsing.

[@amandagrayson2769]

Thanks for this, I think I now feel inspired to watch this show! You've mentioned The Champions, could you please do a video on them as well? That would be great, I feel they never got the exposure they deserved... But they had a nice mix of sci-fi and espionage, all the ESP and so on, which none of the other shows had...

[@scousesonata]

Carry On Stam! Hu Ha Ha Ha. Bless this Village. Couldn't resign, I mean resist. Anyway, a very good video, damm fine. Btw, I was 6 yrs old when they produced this series (1966/8) I'm now 60. BCNU

[@StamFine]

Haha!

[@frederickbaake4397]

I was about the same age as you and couldn't get enough of it

[@monokai3570]

3yrs later, 3rd time watching, and that StamFine ending still catches me out :D

[@tungstenkid2271]

McGoohan said in an interview that he only wanted to do 7 episodes because he felt the show would run out of story ideas after that, but Lew Grade talked him into doing 10 more episodes. Sadly it shows because most of those later epis were not as good..:)

[@arrow1414]

To be fair I would be a grumpy asshole too if I was held against my will and not told why.

[@EndingSimple]

This is the most humorous review of the series I've seen .This series helped me get through my High School years. After I graduated, I put my student ID card in my typewriter and made an X on it like in series opening scenes.

[@vladpewt5896]

Cool review. Be seeing you!

[@lizzardwizard2000]

Excellent review. You are right about how it is a (nearly) timeless series. Other than the obvious antiquated technologies in electronics, there are only a few dated references, like when No.6 wishes to be the first man on the moon, or Estonia being a soviet satellite state.

[@ThinPicks]

Purely taking advantage of the medium of television, this is the greatest programme ever, Patrick was a visionary.☯️

[@Pawtooler]

I remember watching The Prisoner when I was just a puppy... I remember my Boys underwear size was 6. I'm proud to say that I resigned from all my duties and I'm living the life of an old dog. I still don't understand it but Love the music.

[@user-us5dr2qi2r]

It was a good show for it's time. Miss shows like this. They made you think.

[@rdesranleau11]

this show only makes sense when you watch it stoned

[@guyjperson]

I watched The Prisoner in the middle of the night here in Canada, in the 80s. TV had JUST gone 24 hrs here, and a character named Chuck the Security Guard would play old shows all night. I didn't sleep much. I was too young and too Canadian to catch all the allusions and ideas, but I liked a lot of them My fave was the ep where McGoohan enlists some cronies and they all figure out that they can find out who the Moles are, because Moles can't be pushed around. Then his cronies turn on him, because McGoohan ALSO can't be pushed around.

[@steffanhoffmann8937]

I worked in North Wales many years ago. I had a few hours to kill before I needed to teach. So I visited Portmeirion, North Wales where the outside shots were filmed. It was very small but the views over the sea were spectacular. I re-enacted stuff in my head as a young kid. My parents were fab and let me watch it.

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

I remember watching it with my dad.

[@LadyBoru]

​@@noneofurbusiness5223That's awesome.

[@fredrickbeondo8695]

I've heard a rumor over the years, that the way the series was made, you can watch the pilot episode, then any episodes you like, in any order, just so long as Fallout is the last episode, and it will make just as much sense as you would watching them as listed. 😂

[@beyondz55]

Absolutely. Its a lot of masonic nwo symbolism.

[@JohnSmith-cs4sk]

Yes and no. Even forgetting the one immediately before fallout, there is a sense of logical continuation, with previous episodes sometimes mentioned. Nonetheless, many of the episodes are largely self-contained most have different number 2s, different plot lines etc.

[@beyondz55]

@@JohnSmith-cs4sk patrick has a list of 7 episodes that he says are "what really counts"

[@chrisienni8798]

@@beyondz55 Arrival, Free For All, Dance of the Dead, Checkmate, Chimes of Big Ben, Once Upon a Time, Fall Out. that's the "arc" such as it is (Chimes of Big Ben leads directly into Once Upon a Time leads directly into Fall Out). he considered the rest of the episodes "filler" you could take or leave - some were still quite good (The Schizoid Man, A Change of Mind, Hammer Into Anvil), others were just so random: Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling was to give him time off to shoot Ice Station Zebra, Living in Harmony was because he had "always wanted to do a western", The Girl Who Was Death was a throwaway spoof. he stated in an interview that he felt the concept could only sustain for 7 episodes (6+1), Lew Grade wanted a full 26 episodes for syndication, so McGoohan compromised with 17. but yeah, only those 7 are the meat, the rest are the empty carbs.

[@D-777i]

The first proper re-run of the show in the UK was in 1983 on Channel 4 and they showed it in a different order to the original airing (apart from the first episode and the last two). Having never seen it before I had no idea until some years later.

[@DominicGlynnMusic]

A perfect summary of a classic show. Sid James.

[@nunyabizness6595]

Star Trek, Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, The Prisoner. Top 4. Runners up: Galactica (remake), lost, xfiles, kolchak,fringe. It gets fuzzy after that.

[@richmanz447]

"Now, it does require some assembly [Rover ballon], but once it's ready you can attach it to this display base via this handy pin." [Rover pops] This is unappreciated humor right here.

[@chrispalmer9838]

The Individual versus the Collectivist mindset. More relevant than ever nowadays...

[@NoName-zm1ks]

One of the best tv theme songs, you hear it once and remember it for ever.

[@scapinapolotska1215]

I love this Stam. 👏 Brilliant

[@darkwoods1954]

As a kid I was a big fan of ReBoot. There was an episode of season 3 homageing The Prisoner which led me to research the show and buy the VHS box set. Ended up loving it and eventually camping by and visiting portmeirion

[@vlcaneditz9420]

please can you reveiw more itc series like department s, jason king and randall and hopkirk ??? i love these and love seeing your views on these series

[@mannevit]

Completely agree with this analysis! Very accurate.

[@marionmarino1616]

So much more carefully thought out than any other spy series. And, we suspect, what really happens to former govt agents. The acting of much higher quality than we usually get on tv.

[@shallendor]

The Prisoner was such a great and entertaining series!

[@timbuktu8069]

I'd love to see a crossover between The Prisoner and Office Space. "I don't like my job and I don't think I'm going to go anymore."

[@DavidPrice-t7o]

My favorite series ever

[@jeffreyjeziorski1480]

I equate this show like listening to Frank Zappa music. Quirky, intricate, obsure, brilliant. I partake of The Prisoner and Zappa music in small doses widely spaced apart. I admire and appreciate both, and they both drive me crazy....Zappa has taught me a life lesson which I will pass along..."Watch out where the huskies go, and dont you eat that yellow snow."

[@toml.1408]

I watched the entire series from Los Angeles California in 1968. I traveled to London for a week in 1978. Portmerian was closed for the winter in November when I went.😢

[@LM-fg7vi]

If you were in "the village" you would be grumpy too! I watched this when it was first on TV and I was 11 years old. One thing that people who have not watched much of it miss is "the village" is not a benign place. Several "inmates" who did not give up the secrets they knew fast enough were killed, lobotomized or "went missing". #6 is suspected to harbor significant information, and as such his resistance is tolerated much longer. The other thing is that many of the things the show "foresaw" are now VERY real. Remember, this was the 1960's, and surveillance cameras were unheard of in the real world. The ending was bizarre, but #6 escapes just like he said he would AND the village is destroyed , or is it? also, McGoohan only wanted to make 7 episodes, but management insisted they could not sell a show that short to the US.

[@martinodoni8943]

You're quoting an urban myth when you say McGoohan ran away from the UK to avoid the angry backlash over Fallout. Quite the contrary, McGoohan loved getting a big reaction to his scriptwork, even a reaction of confusion and bewilderment. The reason McGoohan spent the next 25 years in the USA and doing nothing in Britain was largely financial; he also didn't want to play Dangerman anymore, and the Prisoner couldn't continue due to going way over budget. But the bottom line was that US TV could offer McGoohan vastly more cash for his work than the BBC or ITV could hope to compete with.

[@thewkovacs316]

born in america, so he was an american citizen i saw an interview right after his death, that i cannot find now, where the interviewee said that mcgoohan became one of the top scrpt doctors in the biz, to the point that he didnt have to work as an actor. it's why he ended up being pretty choosy in the roles he took he fell in love with columbo and did tons of writing, directing and acting on that show

[@oobrocks]

I own all 17 & i think most modern fans will hate it. Trivia: McGoohan was extremely difficult on the set. He yelled at people, pounded tables and nearly chocked 1 actor to death. He caused 1 actor to have a temporary nervous breakdown. (I have no knowledge if he was that way on other sets or not. I do know Pat was mainly responsible for the series & he felt a lot of pressure)