The Prisoner: Identity Is Not A Barcode

[@darrenelkins5923]

Watched it several times with my dad. We were never disappointed at the ending, just wowed. No one I’ve ever talked about with was mad at the ending

[@michaelholycross2633]

The best TV show ever made. I was 9 when it was broadcast. I've watched it several times since. Patrick Mcgoohan is a genius.

[@ModernMythMuseum]

Yes, Michael, the Very Best,

[@evetsnitram8866]

I prefer Danger Man. The Prisoner would've made a much better movie.

[@aburninglandfillofbadmovie2930]

The Prisoner is a prescient warning to us in modern times about how we are inevitably heading towards a surveillance state that is insistent about conformity to norms. If you doubt this I invite you to consider how many security cameras and listening devices are monitoring you in any major modern city in the world.

[@JESL_Only_1]

+1000

[@alcoholicjoe6199]

Indeed we are definitely there now.

[@leschwartz]

True, but at a more fundamental level it is about societal pressures to conform, that everyone must do what they are told to do, what they are expected to do. And that there is no #1 who is exempt from those pressures who is pulling all the strings manipulating everyone else's behavior.

[@jackpavlik563]

I have to disagree on the observation on the quality of the sets. For 1968 the production value for this series was high. Not just my opinion…

[@timwanwick6503]

Absolutely GENIUS how the show "ended" : as THE PRISONER discovered , the really is "No End To It" ( captivity). Here we are , almost 60s years later, discussing it, analyzing it and still feeling the influence & shock waves from the intellectual richness of this UNIQUE television series. Bravo to you, Sir Patrick, you made The World more aware --- and taught us to BEWARE --- of protecting our very basic rights of freedom & individuality . 😎🇬🇧

[@sjohnson1216]

St. Patrick

[@kewgardensstation]

I don't care what anyone says: I remember watching "Fall Out" as a teen and having my mind literally blown. The most surreal, bizarre, and memorable hour of television I think I've ever watched: to this day, I can quote every line of dialogue, including The President's address to the Assembly.

[@theStranger666]

That is a great achievement, mate. When so many people dismissed Fall Out, or were angry that they weren't given an explanation, it's good to learn that there were many who embraced it in their own way, just as you did. I didn't learn all the dialogue (perhaps I should give it a go!), but in the days before home video, I recorded the whole series on audio cassette, then spent months writing out the dialogue so that I could read it back later, and recite some excerpts. I certainly did spend a lot of time on the final episode!

[@jackpavlik563]

I saw it when I was 14 or 15, I surely didn’t get all the references but it “worked” as an ending for the series.

[@DavidSumeray_BassGod]

I saw it aged 14! The brilliant ending explained it all to me! I realised that the entire series was an allegory that could be read into and interpreted in a multitude of ways including the obvious comment on society, identity, education etc.

[@DavidSumeray_BassGod]

Greatest series! Unique in TV in 1967/8 and set a new bar for TV series. Many modern series clearly influenced by it. Aside from some of the dated production values (which were quite radical at the time) it hasn’t dated. In fact it seems more relevant than ever. Plus the towering, intense performance of Patrick McGoohan who became increasingly obsessed with the series as he assumed more and more control. A masterpiece!

[@beyondz55]

Pat was sick of making tv entertainment and wanted to give humanity something deeper that is on par with Orwell. A warning? Not simply no. It's a reveal of the wizards behijd the curtains.

[@CaseyLau]

“Arrival” is the greatest pilot of all time.

[@markbunce3405]

👍👏👏👏👏😁

[@Jonathan-b2j7s]

The butler represents the little people, always at the bidding of those in power.

[@TeatroGrotesco]

The very idea of "exhausting a premise" must sound like an alien concept now.

[@mrtunapie6653]

I remember watching this as a kid and loving it because it was so bizarre. But even as a kid, I could tell there was something deeper going on than what meets the eye.

[@bernhardholmok9950]

at the 4 minute mark, slight correction. The Butler does not have a number and is not the only re curring character, the Supervsior, Peter Swanwick , is another partially recurring role .

[@tartanphantom]

My favorite tv show of all time. Period. Thanks.

[@DanLyndon]

The idea about Number 6 being hoisted by his own petard by being put in the village of his design is a far inferior and more contrived version than what took place. I'm glad Markstein didn't get his way.

[@DrHackmoff]

The foot bone connected to the leg bone, The leg bone connected to the knee bone, The knee bone connected to the thigh bone, The thigh bone connected to the back bone.......

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

Hear the word of The Lord!

[@jpboursaw4469]

I'm borne all over, dad!

[@CHRISANDREOU4199]

"CONFESS"!!

[@agranero6]

@@CHRISANDREOU4199 Unmutual!

[@Jazzgriot]

That song is from a film that is linked thematically to that episode of The Prisoner, starring Peter O'Toole. It's a weird scene, that could have been included in the analysis, maybe some one should look for it. I can't remember the film title, but it was unusual..

[@robst247]

The series was NOT abruptly cancelled. McGoohan wanted a 7-episode serial. Lew Grade wanted 26 episodes, so that he could sell it to CBS. In a compromise agreement, McGoogan agreed to stretch the show out to 17 episodes. All the episodes had been sketched out in an 8-page format before production started. The final episode, “Fallout,” was NOT a hastily written conclusion prompted by an unexpected cancellation announcement. Why do you try to perpetuate these counterfactual notions?

[@Silverhand290]

I was just going to say (type/comment ) exactly that. This guy hasn't got much of a clue about the facts or intent of Patrick McGoohan's genius concept.

[@robst247]

@@Silverhand290 Clueless, indeed. Genius, indeed. Polar opposites! Be seeing you.

[@Hank_Castle]

Be seeing you!

[@davideyres955]

“The gadgets look non functional”. I working in a uk council in the late 80s and they still had the same communication things knocking around which were previously used instead of telephones. I suspect there was no PBX possible at the time of its introduction.

[@KingoftheJuice18]

I'm more attracted to the "literal" interpretation you gave that The Butler is a representation of Number 1 and a part of Number 6. The fact that The Butler ends up with 6-and, from what we can see, will likely be serving him for life-is very hard to explain otherwise. The detail about door #1 opening on its own is very meaningful, and another video pointed out (although I haven't checked this) that while the Butler is frequently around each Number 2, he's never in the room when 2 is speaking with 1. Also, consider how 6 and the Butler hold hands as they run toward the city bus. On the psychological level, I would suggest that 6 has integrated himself, confronted and overcome his "demons," as dramatized in the climactic scene in the control tower. I don't consider the violence they commit while escaping to be pointless at all, but an overcoming of last resistance to his own escape-which is a genuine escape, a release and a transformation. It's true, of course, the the world 6 returns to is not free of all restriction or outside control; I think this is what the policeman represents who stops them and apparently won't let them continue driving the prison cell. 6, however, playfully talks himself out of the situation; he has a different spirit there. 6 returns to himself-we see him driving his own car in the same way as the series opens-but now on a higher plane of freedom and self-integration...My six cents.

[@dfrankrobinson9454]

Who is Number One? You are, Number Six.

[@thewkovacs316]

yup....they told you who was number one from the opening was pure genius

[@marbanak]

After all these years, I just realized that the way this show was sprung upon us, it is we, who must finish the script.

[@amarshmuseconcepta6197]

🎯

[@rdf274]

It was quite a ride. I watched it when I was 21 (23 years ago). I got immensily hooked just on what the resolve of it all would be. The final episode, the I I I scene, the totally chaotic stuff, as if chaos was dissolving itself. I don't know, I never forgot about it, to this day. It was definitely a one of a kind watch.

[@therussiancomicbookgeek]

You are the best kinda classic weird I love very much. You are trippy nostalgia as a KZbin channel

[@dfcsons]

When I had my first summer job in 1985, I'd come home at 2am and flip this on a cable rerun channel named CKVR. I didn't understand a word of it at the time, but I was totally sucked in. A friend of mine visited the actual 'village', which is a tourist attraction in Wales. I once read that David Lynch used this as his main inspiration for Twin Peaks (Laura Palmer's murderer being his own Number One) I remember when Braveheart came out, when McCoohan walked on screen as King Longshanks I yelled out 'WHO IS NUMBER ONE!!' Someone actually clapped :)

[@Silverhand290]

I had forgotten he played Longshanks in that film. He was awesome, especially when he threw his son's "friend" out of the window for presuming to give the king advice (and maybe being "too friendly" with his son, the future king.)

[@thestonedlizard9597]

Epic!!!!!!

[@hanniffydinn6019]

I’m rewatching The Prisoner right now; along with the KZbinrs Heelvsbabyface & Burnett network. I watched it as a kid never really understood it, but it was just extremely compelling. Watching is now it’s mind blowing! It’s way ahead of it’s time TV. There are so many sci fi themes explored here! For example episodes where it’s like the film Inception.... I mean serious no other modern show since I saw it as a kid has made me think so much. Nobody is making such complex themed show as this these days ! 🧐🧐🧐🧐

[@kenlieck7756]

Speaking of Inception, with all the anime talk, how come I haven't seen any references to Paprika (or Paranoia Agent) yet...?

[@hanniffydinn6019]

Ken Lieck oh they are most definitely there. In effect every Western sci fi movie has been done before in anime. Being a big anime buff it’s quite clear there is nothing original in the west! 🤯🤯🤯

[@beyondz55]

The WEF is ltierally doing this shit irl rn. And epsteins island...

[@beyondz55]

​@@hanniffydinn6019 most stories are based on inherent good and evil downstream from the Bible or even the epic of gilgamesh. Literally the vast majority of storytelling.

[@KonSimpl72]

One of the things that has defined/molded me. My teenage brain was overloaded when I first saw this, loved it. Thanks for the video, mate.

[@MrGrass97]

That’s really the perfect age to watch it. I saw it when I was 14 and found it so exhilarating. Something about adolescence and the themes of this series intertwine so beautifully.

[@freesaxon6835]

Yes me to, totally mind opening to a youngster

[@patrickluchycky1172]

I started watching it at the age of 4. It resonated with me at that age. Would watch it at ages 5, 6. 7, and whenever it came on later as I got older. It was fascinating because it had so much truth, and even at a very young age, I could tell people and society were cruel and full of lies. Fascinating show, in every way. Own it. Watch it a couple times a year relevant and germane as ever.

[@ericduckett1301]

One of my all time favorite shows

[@kirnpu]

I really enjoyed this presentation. The Prisoner was television like none other back then. McGoohan was brilliant!

[@albion65]

Very surprised you didn't mention the comic book sequel "The Prisoner: Shattered Visage".

[@jearl75290]

I've got those comics stored away like a fine wine to read someday.

[@jpboursaw4469]

@@jearl75290 Agreed. I have the trade paperback. And yes, they should be savored,as it was an excellent vintage and year!

[@albion65]

@@Briarpatchlogic yep!

[@squidfartz]

My first question, too. I wondered why it wasn't mentioned.

[@locutus155]

It got reprinted a couple of years ago. I ordered two copies, one for me, one for my mother who loved the series.

[@moonled]

Notice that the shape of the bicycle and the “Be seeing you “ gesture are both number 6s. Most of the important supporting characters are multiples of 6: 12, 48 ... SPOILER! The clue to one of the series’ mysteries is in the opening. It depends on how you read it: “You are Number 6” or “You are, Number 6” ...

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

If you've bought the entire series on DVD, you probably have an alternative version of "The Chimes of Big Ben" which gives a visual explanation of the "Penny Farthing" bicycle. I won't give it away here but it scared the hell out of me when I first saw it!

[@Cyklopz007]

Kevin, you just blew my mind. Holy smokes! David, I don't have the DVDs. I gotta know about the bicycle!!!!!!

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

@@Cyklopz007 Spoiler alert! In the alternative "Chimes of Big Ben," they show the image of the penny farthing bicycle. The wheels spin and change. The smaller wheel is an image of The Earth. The larger wheel transforms into an image that resembles a telescopic view of a multi-planetary system! I read somewhere that McGoohan's explanation of the penny-farthing was "progress." Putting the two images together along with Leo McKern's Number Two calling The Village "...a blueprint for world order" and Number Six asking "The Whole Earth as The Village?" McKern saying "That is MY hope. What's yours?" and Number Six's sardonic response "I'd like to be the first person on The Moon" created an image of either "alien invasion" or "universal conquest," neither one a pleasant thought in my adolescent mind...

[@kewgardensstation]

Except none of the teaser narrators puts a pause between "are" and "Number 6." They ALL say, "You are Number 6."

[@gregnikoloff5488]

Final episode was written by mcgooghan well after the others were made and in the can. He said more than once he did not know who #1 would be even at the point when he started writing fall out. But it came to him during the 36 hour stretch he spent writing of fall out. So retconning the entire series voiceovers for all prior episodes based on the final episode is not useful nor reality.

[@imdiyu]

If the audience didn't feel cheated in 1967 (regarding the ending) we would probably be not talking about it in 2024. I love this Series.

[@t3amtomahawk]

I love how McGoohan was happy to let Iron Maiden use the opening bits and story for a song. Such a down-to-earth guy.

[@leadsharp]

They answered the question in every episode, "who is number 1?" "You are number 6"

[@domedagskatten]

Not only that. They also clearly stated what they actually wanted from number 6 in the intro. Information. Get in formation. Conform.

[@212Roger]

#6 is #1.

[@cheshirecat5571]

This is perhaps the best analysis of the Prisoner that I've seen. Really outstanding. The editor of the Prisoner, Noreen Ackland, had the best short synopsis of the story line that I have heard. She said: "I think that the Prisoner was about Number Six being imprisoned within his own self." As are we all.

[@no1sgotthisname]

"Who is number one? ...You are, number six."

[@27kjz005]

Guests star: Angelo Muscat (assistent number 2) Peter Swanwick (supervisor) Leo McKern (number 2)(Space 1999, 1 episode) Alexis Kanner (number 48)(UFO tv serie) Kenneth Griffith Georgina Cookson (Ufo tv serie) Wanda Wentham (Ufo tv serie) Michael Billington (Ufo tv serie) Jeane Merrow (Ufo tv serie ) Derren Nesbitt (Ufo tv serie) Annetto Andre (Randall & Opkirk deceased serie tv) Peter Wyngarde (Department S serie TV, Jason King spin off) Brendan Fraser camera operator (ITC Jerry and Sylvia Anderson)

[@27kjz005]

@Maxine McKenzie 23 thanks 👍👍

[@rogermoore9477]

some things...require a little thought...these days most people...can't do that..

[@petejones879]

The best and my all time favourite programme ever made

[@jdeniro1844]

Great show and Amazing soundtrack!!!! CLASSIC

[@marSLaZZ66]

I was so terrified by that giant bubble when i was a child !

[@theStranger666]

I don't think that No.6 was a character who was somewhat unsavoury. He was certainly anti heroic at times and often aggressive, but this is directed at his captors who have taken away his freedom and trying to break him. He bonds with fellow prisoners (Checkmate), helps Alison (The Schizoid Man), and gets revenge for the murder of a girl that he didn't even know (Hammer Into Anvil).

[@pauldavies5611]

The comments made by whoever is narrating are rather pretentious, condescending, and silly. I stopped watching this after three minutes.

[@theStranger666]

@@pauldavies5611 Is it just the narrative that you don't like, or the series as well?

[@pauldavies5611]

@@theStranger666 The Prisoner is my all-time favorite tv show.

[@DavidThomas-fb8bq]

This was used in lecture studies by one professor in America.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

This video or the TV series? Obviously, the TV series. :)

[@ms.susanwalton8327]

Excellent discussion/analysis. You’re a real tonic in comparison to other YT channels that resort to adolescent lingo & vulgarity. Keep up the good work. Cheers

[@caincha]

1:36 I'm on the run, I kill to eat I'm starving now, feelin' dead on my feet Goin' all the way, I'm nature's beast Do what I want and do as I please That's the extent of what I know about the subject 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@josephwarra5043]

No.6: "Who is number 1? No.2: "You are number 6." Is it "You are number 6" or "You are, number 6."??? Good old Patty McGoohan never revealed most of "The Prisoner's" secrets, which has us wondering to this day.

[@peterwoodhouse4314]

I've just thought, prompted by your replaying the intro, the series finale is subtly given away in the intro: "Who is number 1?" "You (deliberate? slight pause... dialogue continues with "...are number six..."). Just a theory.

[@johndean8944]

Where am I……..in the 15 minute city…….we want information…….. I say he nailed it………. Be seeing you.

[@therussiancomicbookgeek]

You should do a video on some European comics That or finally get that swamp thing voice work done for me!

[@danielg.w5733]

I am loving the recent diversity of media you have been covering

[@fad23]

I've seen the first two eps a bunch since I bought them on VHS, but only have watched the entire series once. I could stand to watch again. I can see the influence of this series all over. Invisibles & Lost come to mind immediately.

[@rolandkatsuragi]

This reminds me a lot of the initial backlash Evangelion director Hideaki Anno received with the conclusion of the original series.

[@timepoet77]

I can personally identify with Number Six, given what happened these last two plus years.

[@khuenguyen3086]

Please! Don't stop making video

[@tremelo8508]

From Stack Exchange: "some fans have claimed that in the show’s opening sequence the ID card that 6 turns in is stamped with computerese that spells John Drake, & there is, indeed, the aforementioned alleged ‘slip’ of 2 (or actor Leo McKern?) in Once Upon A Time (18:44) where he calls 6 Drake by name (or not?). In the ‘I’m not a rat’ tete-a-tete does 2 say ‘Report to my study in the morning, Drake.’ or ‘Report to my study at the morning break.’? Also, I have read that in the official novelizations of the Prisoner, the character is referred to as "John Drake" Apparently McGoohan could not explicitly refer to Danger Man/Secret Agent man because he would have to pay royalities to do so. Slip up's or McGoohan toying with the audience?

[@johnclarke851]

The last episode when he’s killing everyone and All you need is love is playing in the background I’ll never forget. It blew my young brain.

[@Paul-dorsetuk]

Be seeing you

[@rickriffel6246]

That one illustration of a highweel bicycle, a Pennyfarthing with a canopy. The Prisoner's end credits usually show it coming together piece by piece. But look at the proportions of that bicycle, especially with the canopy. How can an actual human being fit on it and ride it? Could it be a metaphor of the show itself?

[@guitarplayer4127]

It explains who number one is in the intro, you just need to think of the sentence in a different way. Who is number 1, you are number 6! Once you understand number 1 is number 6 and this is a struggle with one's self the series makes more sense. Do you conform to society or struggle against it, it is something most people struggle with I think.

[@BaronTesseract]

I have hazy memories of this show from my childhood, need to sit down and give it proper watch. Great stuff as usual SBP.

[@MultiSoulless]

So much influence on V For Vendetta. The BBC repeated this and Monty Python in their entirety in the late eighties, so for me these visuals are the dark side of Sgt. Pepper seen from afar by my teenage self.

[@MultiSoulless]

And a more interesting Bond.

[@wjack4728]

Great explanation of the masterpiece "The Prisoner". I was hooked the first time I seen it on TV when I was about 10, and still fascinated with it.

[@samhoward8573]

I love everything about this youtube channel. Absolutely top-notch work on everything you do here.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you very much! I appreciate that.

[@ChristopherElli-cc1ly]

That is why it is great. Everybody has their own interpretation, and none of them are wrong. Episode 2 to 15 does not have to watched in chronological order. I always thought village was purgatory. As a 15 year old rewatching it in 1979, has a huge influence on my mindset. It is kinda spooky now, with total constant surveillance. AM NOT A NUMBER! I AM A FREEMAN!

[@22freedom33]

Love The Prisoner

[@WalterLiddy]

The idea that 6 'designed' the Village makes no sense at all. Not only because it runs totally contrary to his ideology, but because it's quite clear he doesn't know what's happening or where he is when he first arrives. He doesn't even know "whose side" they're on. I find it strange that you think he's somehow not particularly moral or that he's 'unlikable' simply because he believes in individual autonomy/sovereignty. The idea that heroism somehow has to involve altruism comes out of left field. It's perfectly heroic for a man to stand alone against tyranny. The show suggests it may be a naive position to take, but not an unheroic one.

[@cha5]

Agreed, The idea that Number 6 is somehow the architect of The Village really doesn't add up considering he's completely baffled by the place and how it operates, I do remember that the closest they ever get to an explanation of why he resigned was in the next to last episode 'Once Upon a Time' during his final interrogation by Number 2 and he says "I resigned for peace of mind." and that's about as close to an explanation as we really come IMHO.

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

​@@cha5 It's true that in "Once.." he said that "Because too many people know too much." I was thinking when the possibility was brought up that Number 6 was the architect of The Village that this could have been a DIFFERENT Number 6. Namely a Number 6 from The Future. Remember how each Number 2 was instructed that they weren't suppose to break him or damage his brain? The Number 2 from "Dance of The Dead" even said "You can trust EVERYONE and you will...IN TIME." And the Number 2 from "Once Upon a Time," who was THE SAME Number 2 in "Chimes of Big Ben" and "Fallout," said "I was a good man and if you can get him he'll be better!" In the end of "Fallout," Number 6's original home address was revealed to be 1 Buckingham Place! A residence that operated like homes in The Village! Talk about buried Easter Eggs! Very clever, Mr. McGoohan!

[@1AstralKing]

Mcgooghan’s character as “architect” of the Village goes back to an apocryphal story of the writers/producers that claimed that Six was truly John “Danger Man” Drake and that he proposed the idea of a “retirement community” for former agents who “knew too much” [based on something that actually existed in WWII Europe] only to discover that his idea became a twisted reality. His resignation was not so much a principled result of any matter of conscience, but an attempt to catch the attention of the Village masters and bring it down from within. Or, if not that, save people from it.

[@johnmarx3919]

as we ALL found out in the past few years when people stood their ground during the Covid Craziness...

[@AutumnForest33]

Thank you for making this. I watched with my brother and walked away with more questions than answers. Very informative!

[@therussiancomicbookgeek]

I gotta watch this show

[@davidradich9342]

One of the greatest shows ever made!

[@newdefsys]

Producers: We need an ending for this show McGoohan: 50 minutes of _Dem_ _Bones_ should do the trick

[@zetetick395]

Hey, If you enjoy *The Prisoner* like me you might find you also really like *Severance* (2022) which is not dissimilar to that show in its psychological mysteriousness, beautifully shot and acted - and honestly is one of the VERY few things on TV that is genuinely interesting nowadays. 👍

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I've been meaning to try Severance for quite some time now! Thank you for the suggestion.

[@jpboursaw4469]

This episode was appropriately ominous. Starting with the favoring of an immediate deep dive over the opening theme music. Straightforward presentation over complex conspiracy theory. But--!! Who is this Overlord!?! What are they lord of? I want information...information...information.... I agree that the themes and ideas are timeless, but I'd love to see that put to the test. I'm talking about the 2012 remake by AMC starring Jim Caviezel as the prisioner, and Sir Ian McKellan as Number 2. What do you say, Strange Brain Parts? Does it measure up?

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

I have both on DVD. I thought the Caviezel/McKellan version was OK but it seemed like the producers went out of their way to do the impossible: make this show LIKE the original and COMPLETELY DIFFERENT at the same time like many "re-imaginings" of classic shows and films.

[@jpboursaw4469]

@@DavidTSmith-jn5bs Well now I know what my next DVD search will be, thanks! What drew me in were the ads where McKellan walks up/looks into the camera saying "Be seeing you." Yes. Yes you will.

[@RothurThePaladin]

Nice change of content. never knew about this show and I might check it out now.

[@meimei8718]

Interesting and insightful, thanks for the video.

[@luciferfernandez7094]

Great video! You forgot to mention on of the few characters who appears in more than one episode: the Professor, who does not wear a number and I has the looks of Michel Foucault.

[@aishalotter9995]

Who is number one ? You are number six , they tell you right at the beginning of every show , you are , number six !!! You Are !!!

[@nathanielziering]

I've always wondered - though never seen discussion - of "Be seeing you" as "Be sea in you." The sea represents the path to freedom in the show. It follows that "Be sea in you" is a recognition that we sea the pathway to freedom in others (and therefore in ourselves).

[@islesanctum833]

" The Village ".....sounds exactly what is going on in the UK With their new 15 minute cities

[@jacksonbmalone]

i've always wanted to check this out, thanks for pushing me

[@wolfvonwitting7455]

There were plenty of hints in the final episode, that No:1 could be interpreted as God (someone you never can meet). When unmasked, no:1 carried the face of an ape, which also turned out to be a mask. Behind it, no:6 finds the face of himself (meaning the god we choose to believe in, is a creation of our own image - even the atheist thinks of himself as the master of his own existence - in essence, his own god). Yet, what or who No:1 is - is best let to our own interpretation. McGoohan, as he once stated in a Starlog Magazine article, wanted the viewers to not trust any authority, but to find ones own answers.

[@warrenny]

Hey, y'all..... isn't that the old guy from Braveheart? Jk... though I admit I knew nothing about The Prisoner until I read more about McGoohan from his role in Braveheart

[@rikkoshop620]

You can’t name a more intelligent show on TV. He said he only did 17 because originally there was just 7 shows and the ten additional was the most he felt was reasonable to tell the story in order to meet the request of the network !!!

[@PrivateEye10]

C'mon, we all know that the information he was withholding was the bottomless peanut bag

[@meltcity]

I caught Fallout late night as a child without knowing what it was. Decades later I found out and have been hooked ever since.

[@CortezaDeAbedul]

Oh boy, I need to watch this now

[@JOEMORRISSEY70]

I've been a fan of the show since its initial run in the late sixties. As to who came up with the idea - Orwell and Huxley aside - the origins may very well reside in a Secret Agent / Danger Man episode called Colony Three,

[@anibalberrey338]

I haven't read any of the comics but I watched the show a couple of years ago. Also, it's clearer now (with the topic of identity) why P. Milligan wrote a Prisioner comic book.

[@kagex6116]

This needs a british remake with someone truly competant at the helm, and with someone close to McGoohan's gravitas.

[@sqd8r]

No, it doesn't. It's perfect. Remakes only apply to shite shows.

[@luciferfernandez7094]

You can enjoy the obviously inspired by The Prisoner that almost are the same as Westworld or Tenet. The Nolan’s love it and they spread it any chance they get.

[@Turrican60]

You can't improve on perfection. It would be sacrilege.

[@leschwartz]

Thanks for this video - it is very insightful, I appreciated the analysis.

[@gregorio1580]

I love this video, I've seen it many times. Hope you can make more TV videos in the future.

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

I kind of liked theory posted on twitter awhile back that 06 agreed to take on this game because they originally wanted him to lead the project to see if everyone can break and 06 said that wouldn't happened and set out to prove it. The butler was probably a red herring.

[@BrianLevine-q7e]

When I found out the Village was a real place I was amazed. I hope I get to visit it.

[@no1sgotthisname]

"Who is Number One? ...You are, Number Six."

[@KarmaSpaz12]

I'm surprised this wasn't a comic! Not a bad thing. This show was also re adapted in a modern version with Sir Ian McKellen playing Number 2. From what I've seen here the adaption appears quite different. This also make me think of a song by a band called The Jezebels, Prisoner.

[@Neuroticmancer]

This show scared the shit out of me as a kid

[@Filmaker001]

The remake had the Prisoner succumbing.

[@jeremyhuff9845]

After watching the finale then when I go back and in the intro, he says "Who is Number One." the answer "You are Number Six." I hear that as Number Two telling Number Six HE is Number One.

[@stuartjohnson5686]

Thats the irony. Number Six thinks Number 2 is dodging the question because he hears the answer as "You are Number Six" instead of "You are, Number Six". Commas make a difference.

[@briangarnier5714]

Interesting, l always thought that number 6 was number one. I mean they kept telling him that everything he asked them. Who is number one. YOU are, number 6.

[@KamenSentaiMetalHero]

I just watched the series for the first time, and wow! It's a great show. It's definitely weird, but in a good way.

[@StephenGrew]

It's a mysterious work of Art!

[@dennismason3740]

In 1967-8 we (public telly in America) watched and we said "bonkers". LSD was heavy in the culture.

[@dt-wq7ql]

I watched it as a 10 yo. I knew exactly what it was about. I've always hated controlling people . Authority. This series influenced me a lot.

[@terencewinters2154]

Identity lost could not be reclaimed or re privatized.