The Prisoner - behind the scenes

If you want to know about the background of "the village" and what went on during the production of this inspiring and influential tv series called "The Prisoner".. you can :-) Enjoy.

[@wendys390]

I was too young to understand much of the story, but when that ball came to get him, that was TERRIFYING. I'll always remember this show. What a unique gem.

[@jekku4688]

AGREED! That ball/balloon was terrifying, knowing that no matter where you (he) went, even out to sea, THE BALL WAS THERE, and would always manage to absorb him and take him back to the Village.

[@pokeboi2008]

The ballon's name is Rover

[@GoldAndSilver988]

I just finished watching the series for the first time. Here in 2023 the show is more relevant than ever before.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

I tried 17 minutes 26 seconds of the 'reboot' and stopped there.

[@davidpatrickallen4653]

Thank you kindly for this. I knew Bernard Williams the production manager on the show, who sadly died of cancer after this program was made. He was a lovely guy. R I P Bernie.

[@drfoxcourt]

Loved "The Prisoner" from my first viewing. No surprise the show was difficult to work on shouldn't surprise anyone. It is an exploration at the edge of what it is to be an individual in a complex society. That the end doesn't provide as solid answer is one of the most endearing bits IMHO. Those looking for an easy answer are fooling themselves into thinking the meaning of the Universe is discoverable. Any destination of meaning will just prompt further curiosity of what lies beyond that singular meaning. It is the journey, the struggle, the passages required to become that are all we will ever have. No answers.

[@Kudos1799]

Loved the automatic doors everywhere and their radio's which would only play what they wanted you to listen to.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

Whuch sounds a lot like now.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Number Two, who's usually a shit.

[@765kvline]

Well done documentary. I had always wondered about the odd little "village" that appeared which I thought was the main character in the show. The acting was first rate and combined, with "The Avengers," on Monday night at 6:30 pm, it was breathtakingly unique and had no parallel. The British sure can conceive quirky and unusual premises which translate (for the most part) well to American/Canadian television. Port Marion was a real godsend to the production as I wondered how they built such a solid-looking "town" for their production. That's what really made British television (BBC and ITC) productions so "solid" and "impactful." They seemed to have much more depth to their shows than we did.

[@RicTic66]

As a 10 year old in 1967 it made perfect sense. Every episode had a beginning, middle and end. It was a visual feast with goodies and baddies interspersed with clowns and grotesques and as a 10 year old kid there was no room for deep analysis, it was another uniquely quirky British programme like the Avengers that brought excitement to Sunday afternoon TV.

[@abundantYOUniverse]

Exactly the same for me, thanks.

[@rangerm3029]

I am from that area of Wales. but i was only 3 yrs that time.. Portmirion, Penrhyn Deudraeth. nr Porthmadog , Gwynedd..Porthmadog means Port of Madog.that only a mile and a half away. the nearest town. Penrhyn is like an extended village where Portmeirion, known as Italian Village , is in that village..

[@yourdogsnews]

I first saw it around the same age and have come back to watch it several times since. I just started showing this to the kids (8 and 10]. They are having a blast with it. It is a great show.

[@johnstallings4049]

@@abundantYOUniverse same same. Born in 1957 ❄️🌎❄️😶❄️❣️

[@scottjackson163]

I was 9 in 1967. Same thoughts about the show. ✔️

[@barbaralyons3978]

I watched the show as an adult. Even though I knew the prisoner would not escape, I hoped each week he would escape. The best series I have ever seen. The ending still puzzles me. I must confess I also loved the series because Patrick was a very handsome guy.

[@ricogo2447]

In 40 years from now, people will still talk about The Prisoner and wonder, be intrigued and ask themselves questions. We all will, and this is why this series will always be so unique.

[@bonnievandergriff8272]

Rico Go I'm not sure we will be here in 40 years to talk about The Prisoner or anything else. Look how far into the abyss this nation and the nations of the world have fallen since this series was made.

[@ricogo2447]

@@bonnievandergriff8272 Alas mate, alas ...

[@thrift154]

The Prisoner once again shows its timeless warning with the recent Facebook questions regarding surveillance and freedom. 'What do you want? Information..."

[@mixolydian2010]

Hey very well put!

[@mixolydian2010]

I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own! @Tom Spanne

[@FizzVizard]

@Tom Spanne I didn't get it when I watched it as a teenager in about 1978, when it was repeated, but now I see...the occult symbolism, the hand sign, the penny farthing representing the all seeing eye...and the ending... Lucifer/Satan, living in us, rebelling against God, we think we're free, but we're imprisoned.

[@chuffpup]

Surveillance Capitalism. *INFORMATION* By hook or by crook.

[@mikecronis]

Facebook is not mandatory. Suckers use it.

[@toonmunger]

The Prisoner first came on when I was only 11 years old. I was captivated by it and I still feel the same as an old man. I guess - for better or worse - McGoohan's absolute refusal to play the game has been a life long influence on me.

[@ollabarabolla]

this series is still relevant today, perhaps even more so!

[@cryptotharg7400]

"The Prisoner" was so far ahead of its time, that it can be compared to Orwell's "1984" or Huxley's "Brave New World." McGoohan was a genius.

[@burlingtonbill1]

EXCELLENT comparison !! "The Village" was a true dystopia !

[@hanniffydinn6019]

Most definitely as influential and weighty as 1984 and brave new world. 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🌍🌍🌍🌍🌍

[@esmeephillips5888]

Like Huxley's future world of hedonism, the Village is a seeming paradise of leisure and beauty with sinister forces jerking chains behind the scenes. The hynopaedic brainwashing into contentment of the novel, and the use of soma to tranquillize discontent, are echoed in the series, as is the all-pervasive monitoring of behaviour. In both dystopias the cardinal sin is to be 'unmutual'. It is remarkable that the programme was produced just when goofy optimism about science bringing about a new era of abundance and the hippies' cult of peace, love and unrestricted self-expression were at their height, in the 'Summer of Love'. 'The Prisoner' took a jaundiced view of the West's future and was proved right. At heart McGoohan was a stern Christian moralist who knew that evil cannot be exorcised by 'progress' and that each of us is ultimately responsible for our salvation. OF COURSE Number Six turns out to be Number One. Any other denouement, such as the unmasking of a Bond villain type, would have been an anti-climax. The whole logic of the situation drives toward that revelation. 'The Prisoner' should appeal to existentialists as much as Christians, because it insists on the privileges and duties of the free man. Number Six never finds a trustworthy ally. He is on his own.

[@hanniffydinn6019]

Esmee Phillips according to the actor mcgoohan, no.1 is the evil within us. Hence 6 is 1. We are all 1 in some way. He’s kinda right, the greatest evil in the world, is literally other humans. I think that’s why the show is so fascinating, it’s like a psychedelic trip.

[@francisparker4941]

He will no doubt have read both Orwell and Huxley.

[@anthonyowen1556]

Yet the 'answer' is given at the beginning of every episode, if we only had ears to hear: "Who is number one"? "You are.....Number six." An excellent documentary. Thanks for posting.

[@barbaras2669]

That's an easy answer. Why doesn't Number Six know he is Number One? Why is the supposed Number One than subjected to such ill treatment?

[@paulkearvell452]

Superb , couldn`t have been done better . I watched the original screening , and have recently seen it for , I guess , the fourth time . I , like most people , viewed the series in B&W when it was first shown .

[@davidyoung5114]

So watchable, even today, more than 50 years later. The very first mini-series, designed for a specific run. And to have the future mother of Benedict Cumberbatch (Wanda Fentham) no less. Compared to the drivel that most TV shows are today, The Prisoner stands tall as one of the best of all time!

[@abstractacus1598]

The Prisoner is a prisoner of his own mind yet society is a projection of the prisoners mind. Best TV series ever made!

[@stefanomagaddino6868]

Watched this series every week while in college. Totally obsessed with it. All I can say now is that it's unfortunate that David Lynch wasn't around back then to direct. That would have been something.

[@Rilester]

Fascinating and brilliant. .... the surreal, other-worldly ‘counter-cultures’ of the Prisoner and the Avengers allowed a fabulous escapism as I entered my early teens - great creativity and ‘off the cuff’ inventiveness by necessity !

[@nancyallen628]

I am watching this again - and never tire of it!!

[@citycrusher9308]

''He(Patrick Mcgoohan) instantly warmed to Jane Merrow....'' Yeah, because she was hot. I'm warming to Jane Merrow as we speak.

[@mizofan]

to Merrow and to Merrow and to Merrow..

[@noelwalterso2]

Wanda Ventham every time.

[@flaminghulaballoo]

I visited Portmeirion in the late '80's. It is much smaller than it looks. Number 6's residence was, in fact, the gift shop, and there was washing up liquid showing in the window of Number 2's residence (so presumably, there was a sink underneath). Several bits were chained off as Private, which was arguably progress for The Village. A beautiful place. Lots of graffiti inside the seaside "lighthouse", by the stone boat (which is as advertised).

[@adeh503]

ABandC, many happy returns and hammer onto Anvil the best episodes absolute classics

[@edcatt9196]

I am still influenced by this curious series. I saw it when it was released in America. I was near the end of my Junior High School days, and just starting to get a glimpse of issues that were going to effect my life very personally in only a few more years; namely: the Viet Nam War. Then, with the music I was starting to listen to, and news paper headlines and the evening news about Viet Nam, and the anti-war movement, and the civil rights struggles, etc. my out look became much more attuned what I'd never even thought of, let alone worried over. So, for me, The Prisoner injected into my life an acute awareness that I, too, needed to be on the look-out for the forces that were shaping my country, and me as a person. And as for the final episode being disappointing---for me it wasn't. Not at all. For me, it was suggestive of how we all were, in one way or another, both Number 6, AND Number One; and, that society itself was The Village. The whole series was remarkable for it's time, and it's uncanny ability to make people confront all those various issues that our world was (and still is) struggling with. Thanks to Patrick MaGoohan for having the vision that became this very unusual series!

[@chrisslade5644]

Excellent insight into the making of the iconic tv series. The mystique remains today over 50 years after the series was completed. My favourite tv series of the 60's. Watch out for Rover!

[@fredneecher1746]

I like the Simpsons' take on this, "The Island". When Homer is chased by Rover he defends himself with a fork and accidentally bursts the balloon.

[@colindickins231]

The Prisoner was one of the most influential things in my life. At the time of writing this, I am approaching my sixty eighth birthday. The date is January twelfth 2019. I would have been almost seventeen when the series was first screened. I was entranced and captivated by the series from the beginning but my parents could make no sense of it and so branded it as rubbish. I remember seeing the Danger Man series but not much about it. I remember that in the opening titles he says "My name is Drake. John Drake." Which became a catch phrase of Bond. James Bond. Drake had all the toys that Bond had. Yes, of course it is surreal. It has always seemed to me, that it was a program that could be viewed on different levels. If you couldn't make sense of it, then see it as pure entertainment.

[@ijustwanttocommentfugoogle3839]

Ian Fleming wrote James Bond starting in 1953, and the first movie (Dr. No) came out in 1962. Danger Man (TV) was produced starting in 1960. Fleming also worked on the series development for Danger Man, but left before the show aired. Either way, that phrase is Fleming's

[@55Quirll]

I am 64 -my birthday is 22/3/1955 - today is 20/july/2019, only 4 years younger than you and you are correct in everying though I did enjoy watching the series and hoping he would escape, it took me a while to understand the final episode, that he had never escaped, he just traded a smaller village for a global village. That is what we are facing now, a Global Village.

[@joekrebs964]

Danger man is very forgettable.

[@deepwater2652]

We are about the same age - I was a fan as well!

[@misterteaification]

"If you couldn't make sense of it, then see it as pure entertainment." In my view something that doesn't make sense can't be "entertainment", it's just bilge. Top of the Pops makes perfect sense - a bunch of people in a studio introducing music that others play and dance to - and is perfect entertainment if you like that music. The Prisoner, to me, is just bilge.

[@christoph404]

Patrick McGoohan was an intense actor, ...volcanic...blistering....super talented .

[@carboz959]

"That was great fun. Even though it was agony." I think Leo McKern summed up McGoohan in that one line. Even though he was talking about his own experience. I think McGoohan was undoubtedly talented, a rebel, a genius, a tyrant, a bit prudish, a perfectionist, stubborn and very very complicated. Looking at his family, I think he was a devoted husband and a terrific father. Conformity was not in his vocabulary or his psyche. Being different like that leaves scars on the inside and the outside. But I don't think he would, or could have it any other way.

[@nicadair969]

The series looks stunning on Bluray due to it being shot on 35mm film, far superior to today's digital recordings.

[@Robert_Manners]

Yes it's currently still the best way to enjoy the series.

[@skipgeorge4550]

The Prisoner saved me one time. It was stressful where I grew up

[@polarbear1754]

In life, who do we consider "No.1"? Ourself, of course. Therefore, it fits. We are all prisoners of our own mind.

[@ricklenegan2294]

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

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@ricklenegan2294 Good story told by McGoohan's business partner, David Tomblin. McGoohan had admitted to Lew Grade that he was stuck for a conclusion. He wrote the denouement in a frenzied hurry and gave the script to Tomblin, who eagerly leafed through it to find out who No. 1 was. Then he laughed and handed it back, saying 'I thought it'd be you.'

[@geoffjoffy]

It's great all these actors from the series have come together for the documentary. Thanks

[@marmadukewinterbotham2599]

I was twenty years old when this series first aired and loved it. Nowadays I watch the full Blu-ray boxed set, which is beautifully restored. It was a superb achievement by all concerned, although disappointing that McGoohan, exhausted and almost broken by his obsessive attitude, had no idea how to end things, so the last episode was self-indulgent tripe. Watching this documentary I hadn't realised just how much leftie propaganda was slipped in to the episodes. Looking back I do recall though a lot of this was going in other TV programmes such as 'Play For Today'. These were the times when the media was run by 'the suits' so the lefties had to infiltrate their societal change stuff into programmes wherever and whenever they could. The suits remained oblivious. But it was all futile, 99.9% of the TV audience wanted to be entertained and didn't perceive the subliminal messages (thank God). All credit to Lew Grade for taking the leap of faith and commissioning the programme blind. Not something you see now, alas.

[@bengt-oveandersson2914]

I was thinking the same thing. At the same time this and other TV-shows purported that both sides in the Cold War were just as bad, many thousands of Russian dissidents were in prison camps in Siberia. It was not until president Reagan called out Soviet as an "evil empire" that these prisoners were in some way redeemed. Nathan Sharansky, who was in Siberia at the time, tells of how an issue of Pravda castigating Reagan as a war-monger was passed on among the prisoners, they were over-joyed. At last a western leader who was actually on the side of the opressed of the Communist dictatorship.

[@nigeh5326]

The rovers scared the hell out of me as a kid in the 70s 😊. I’ve holidayed all around N Wales but never visited Portmeirion Once this COVID-19 lockdown is over think I will have to take a break up that way. Just have to remember to take a bloody great knitting needle to deal with the rovers lol 😃

[@yvonnepettersen8842]

i dont get to deep into tv series but i watched this when it first came out and still thoughly enjoy it even got my own DVD set of the series i love it

[@rudyrudy6882]

My favourite show ever, thank you for your work

[@marbanak]

Episode "Dance of the Dead" is a sleeper masterpiece. I deeply respect that episode, because I HATE how it made me feel. Fellow fans of the unforgettable Jane Merrow can see her contributions at 52:44 and 1:32:34.

[@esmeephillips5888]

Mary Morris ties with McKern as the best Number Two.

[@marbanak]

@@esmeephillips5888 I'm afraid your correct. When an actor/actress can get an emotional response, they win, and they love it. I wanted to reach into the screen and strangle Morris as Peter Pan. Either that, or else look away. She played an evil role, and the character projected comfort and ease within her own skin. Like she was perfectly happy being evil. The horror!

[@brianfearn4246]

I remember watching the prisoner way back 1967 and I remember people saying that's the future . In a way it seems to have come true... we are a number in the system..

[@donnoyt]

Fantastic interviews. Being an original viewer of the show I still find it's power has not diminished one iota, in fact it has become more relevant in these CCTV times.

[@proffski]

Sheer and utter GENIUS!

[@johnkelly7757]

X the Unknown & Day the Earth caught 🔥 fire were two films Mckern made memorable.

[@markjgaletti57]

As an 11 year old born in the Midwest I couldn't wait till the next episode never knowing what to expect was the lure of the show for me

[@deezimmo4814]

I was 11 years old when 'The Prisoner' came out. I watched the show with my family; we all loved the show. It did not matter if some sequences seemed to not make sense. The situation that Patrick's character was in made no sense either; so, it fit the show's pattern of being in a strange place. It was like we were with Patrick's character trying to find out what was really going on. (I always wondered why the show characters never tried to 'pop' Rover)

[@kenmurphy6792]

Somehow, the video freezes at 7:26 and doesn't start up again until 10:37 after missing 3 minutes and 34 seconds of the film. I have NO idea how this happens but...... IT DOES !!! LOL !!!!!!

[@BobDiaz123]

Ken Murphy We're sorry, but Number 2 needed the information, information.....

[@anthonyowen1556]

I downloaded the video, which does the same. But if you rewind to 07:29 and then play on from there you get the whole lot. I don't know if this works when played 'live' but it might be worth trying.

[@paulhunter6742]

Mary Morris was truly marvelous actress. Some of her best roles were done when she reached 90 years old.

[@carlodave9]

What a spectacular mess this series was! It reminds me of Gilliam's Munchhausen in how the tension of its creation is imprinted on the writing, performances, and imaginative production. But it's a rare work of genius for attempting something truly unique and impossible with a medium so dominated by formulas.

[@jonwizard3989]

Of course John Drake (Danger Man) WAS Number 6...no question! Whether Mcgoohan admits it or not...Drake was the continuation of the character.

[@kamuelalee]

Did Drake have a number?

[@kamuelalee]

@john k. You're too smart for KZbin...have another cupcake, cupcake.

[@plan7a]

There could be some reference to this in the American theme tune to 'Danger Man', 'Secret Agent Man' as it was called in America and some other places, where it's mentioned in the lyrics: 'they've given you a number, and taken away your name'.

[@robertlehnert4148]

Hammer into Anvil... "DRAKE!"

[@zeekeecolls4055]

Episode 17 (fall out) What the judge said had a profound effect on me ...."you have gloriously vindicated the right of the individual to be individual"...(said to no 6)

[@MrTrashcan1]

Christopher Benjamin (Potter) played J. J. Hooter, the perfume aficionado in The Avengers. Also, it was stated that they intended for each #2 to do his own intro in each episode and it was scrapped. Well, at least in the US episodes, they all did--or at least most of them did--I specifically remember that--and at the very end of this video you see Leo McKern doing so.

[@NoosaHeads]

It is - and by a large margin - my most favorite TV show of all time.

[@celticjay2306]

My dad watched this as a kid. I just discovered it. Blown away

[@strexus]

Celtic Jay. This came out the month after Lisbon Jay. I watched this in Crail st, Parkhead as a boy.

[@celticjay2306]

strexus Sounds amazing. Never heard of the other show

[@strexus]

Celtic Jay It was an eye opener,thats for sure. Lisbon isnt a show. Thats where the Glasgow Celtic won the European cup in 1967. With that name, i thought you were a fan. haha

[@celticjay2306]

strexus I get it now. lol. Im irish. you know what I just got into is hurling

[@strexus]

Celtic Jay Good luck with the hurling Jay,and make sure you have shin pads on. haha

[@creatorgenerator1998]

Loved the series. Saw it when it first aired. I believe it when they say he was suffering a sort of breakdown, or manic episodes. I also believe the finale is overthought by most. To me it simply represents us as being number one. Mr. McGoohan likely pulled it from his subconscious without fully realising it at the time.

[@ringsakhaten7935]

Still cannot understand why people believe that number one wasn't revealed. It was there from the first moment. Who is number one? You are, number six.

[@flybobbie1449]

We just had a incident regarding a women who believed a local helicopter company were spraying her fields. She came, when the company was closed, to have it out with them. The company aircraft fly low level pipe line patrol. Police and ambulance arrived and she was sectioned. BUT, she might have been right, who are we to say she is wrong.

[@esmeephillips5888]

Also, 'six of one... half-dozen of the other', meaning they're the same. Alexis Kanner, however, suggested that Number Six rips the monkey mask off... 'and it's Lew Grade.'

[@stuartfrance811]

Correct... ;)

[@RedVynil]

EXACTLY!! I was JUST going to say that!!! I started watching the entire series back in the late `90's. Other than seeing bits of a few episodes when it first aired in `67, I'd never seen the show before. Shortly after seeing the last episode, I told a friend of mine about it and how, at the very beginning of nearly every episode, Number 2 always says, "You are number 6!" when asked by Number 6, "Who is Number 1?". And I told her that, all you have to do is add a tiny little dash commonly known as a comma and it changes the whole meaning of that response!! "Who is Number 1?" "You are, Number 6!" Then, at the end, all those hoods keep repeating, "I, I, I!!" And then, just as he's about to tear off the masks, HE keeps repeating, "I, I, I, I, I, I!!", as the camera zooms in on the huge number 1 on the white robe which LOOKS like an I!! How much clearer can you make it that he's saying, "I am Number 1"? And, wasn't there a quote in the very first episode that says something like, "Questions are a prison for oneself"? Basically, he's just saying that the only person holding you back from being able to do what you want to do is yourself! About the only question I have about the show is, why is there never any number 7 in The Village? When he first gets there and starts roaming around, he comes up to a large panel of numbered black buttons and, if you look at them, you'll see there's no 7's on the entire board!

[@anthonyluisi7096]

Esmee Phillips brilliant 👍🏻😂

[@alandmcleod5988]

Awesome, thought provoking stuff rarely seen on tv these days

[@alaalfa8839]

The creartive process is not easy. Patrick said in interview in 1977 that the writers were prisoners of conditioning, because they used to write for different formats as Secret Agent so maybe there was some misunderstanding. But Patrick seems like he respects the actors and directors, writers. He speaks nicely about people. Leo McKern did play also with The Beatles in their movie so he probably understood that creative people are difficult sometimes and probably he understood Patrick. They were friends. People shouldnt take it too seriously.

[@A_New_Yorker_Lost_In_Florida]

the prisoner is most pertinent allegory of our time.

[@theartfuldodger935]

Apparently, McGoohan was greatly influenced by Fellini's 8 1/2. Especially the final scene. You can even spot No. 6's jacket design.

[@rickholland8421]

Brilliant upload thank you very much,fantastic documentary, little glitch about 8 mins in but soon continues afterwards.

[@mikecronis]

The numberless, dwarf butler was #1 as the ring-leader, but #6 was the "number one" focus of the Agency's whole questioning. My 2 cents, anyway. #6 gives his answer but the Agency was not satisfied with the reason of resignation, delved deeper with psychological warfare, and got the same answers, and in essence, resigned themselves from continued questioning. Several assigned agents (such as No.2) were unintentional victims of the process that was getting too intense. The butler is finally satisfied with the truth and #6 is allowed to leave under final jury scrutiny and Agency "judge" decision as the entire operation imploded, going too far to sustain itself.

[@BillOweninOttawa]

McGoohan was number one. I am number one. You are number one. We are all the captains of our own fate.

[@wichitazen]

Greatest series ever.

[@danielueblacker9118]

So Pat was insane.... went into rage at any minute...... he is not an actor but nuts.... what is an actor but to follow the script.. But that aside. The Prisoner was so ahead of it's time. Written so well and mind provoking. A Gem.

[@Deson_Bowenford]

I remember a number of years ago my local university broadcast episodes of the Prisoner, This was for the local Psychology students and had a brief explanation of the concepts involved at the beginning and a brief wrap up at the end.

[@djangorheinhardt]

What comes across forcibly is the fact that McGoohan was a very odd man.He never,or rarely gave interviews and seemed to be a recluse in his home in California. On the other hand he seemed to live by his own rules ,so credit to him.R.I.P.,Patrick because you never seemed to be at peace while you were alive.

[@Bass1955Man]

A bit intense wasn't he ! He seemed like that in other roles too. There is at least one interview with him and to me he seemed like unbearable company, which is a shame as his acting/writing/ theatre skills seemed epic. Genius ? Should have been knighted ?

[@rodjones117]

Our old friend the bottle had a lot to do with it. Wonderful series though.

[@captsam54]

AKA: Mockingbird..... lol. and I am old enough to have watched the Prisoner back in the day. and still love it.. and now know the backstory about the Village.. Thank you..

[@christophertaylor4722]

What a great show!! Where has all the imagination gone in Hollywood??? Oh wait! It was a British show. Danger UXB, I Claudius, Elizabeth R, etc. Great TV from my youth.

[@paulleckner8235]

Secret Agent Man.

[@frederickgreen3665]

The Prisoner and The Avengers were the two best TV programs ever produced. Is it a coincidence that they were produced at the same time?

[@stvbrsn]

Frederick Green yes, by definition it's a coincidence. The two series did (as you pointed out) coincide, after all. Cheers!

[@paulmanson253]

Frederick Green Diana Rigg points out that the fairly long history of the British film industry was collapsing. Understandably the writers,production people,directors,etc moved in to television where they could. So very accomplished audio/ visual people were parachuted in to a new medium,but one they understood very well. The result was magical for a few years,especially as places like the BBC had a small management crew,not like nowadays. Flexibility, quick decision-making,real creativity and so on. The magic of colour and a maturing technology for TV cameras meant a product appealing even now.

[@lazyrrr2411]

FG ~ Yes ! The ONLY two boxed-set DVDs 📺 i bother to own are The Prisoner & The Avengers

[@PaulZink]

@trha2222 Dream on.

[@JanPBtest]

@trha2222 I never bothered with Seinfeld and _Star Trek_ is mostly forgettable. Nice effort though.

[@anthonyluisi7096]

I’m glad Sir Lew Grade trusted Pat in making this phenomenal TV series ... kudos to the brilliance of Pat 👍🏻

[@esmeephillips5888]

Got to hand it to Grade. Imagine how Hollywood would have crawled all over the concept: insisting on a love interest, toning down the drug references, demanding more fisticuffs and less talk, telling Pat M he lacked experience to write and direct as well as star in it. Lew was boss of a big public company, answerable to outside investors. Yet he trusted McGoohan, who had made a lot of money for him, giving him carte blanche to shoot his 'passion project' and even asking for more episodes than the creators wished to make. All through his TV career, Lord Lew took such risks, and the result was wonderfully idiosyncratic stuff such as Gerry Anderson's puppetoons, the Muppet Show and Zeffirelli's 'Jesus of Nazareth'. He went with his instincts, like the Hollywood moguls of the previous generation, and he thought big. As he once said: 'All my shows are great. Not all of them are good, but they're all great.'

[@PETERJOHN101]

Patrick's story was not truly his own, and despite his creative genius, it was this external motivator that drove him to a certain degree of madness.

[@JonathanPicques]

Thanks for the upload!

[@mizofan]

Do visit Portmeirion (in beautiful North West Wales)

[@brianlynch2759]

Yes, well worth a visit.You can stay there in the hotel or a cottage if you wish. Very scenic and you can sit beside the concrete boat and enjoy a glass of wine and reflect on the view across the vast sandy beach.If you've got a few shillings you can buy a prisioner blazer with the white piping and if you're poverty striken a number 6 badge with the penny farthing motif.Be seeing you.

[@raymondkb2nzo788]

Just a amazing series

[@edwardburner2721]

Only 17 episodes, and was only suppose to be like 7-8. I love this series. FYI, its on Amazon, as is Danger Man

[@seancastledine8983]

It was originally meant to be 13 episodes.

[@kevinhallewell1629]

A great timeless show. I thought he was number 1 because we get the government we deserve.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Is someone governing you?

[@Bewareofthedog69]

I enjoyed watching the whole Prisoner series but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

[@Dutch1954]

I was 13 when this aired in the U.S. At the time I had no clue how lucky I was when I saw this, with it's ideas so far above my head, yet completely understandable at the same time....extremely difficult to explain exactly what I mean by that. Now, at 64 years old, I realize it has always been with me and will be until my eyes close forever. Melodramatic, makes me sound really messed up, yep, a fucking nut case to some people, even me at times. But it's true

[@24revealer]

This tv series was actually a "notice" of what was going to start being enforced on every individual in 1969 with the final abolishment of lawful money. You are a secret agent of a secret agency created under the state/government and is evidenced by the birth certificate that you hold. Secret means it has not been revealed to you yet. That certificate is proof or "the facts" is the birth of a secret agency into the public and you are the agent. When the character resigned from this secret agency they wanted to know his motives before they let him become a private man. A right we all have once we become of age of majority. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6vbdY2cmap-mLM This tv series was made before I entered into this world. If Patrick actually created this tv series, then he knew exactly what was going on and how to leave the public. Only a man who has the right to be private can leave, not an agent who serves the public, or the #2's in this world.

[@francisparker4941]

We got lucky with Rollerball too, the critics hated it but the modern critic loves it. The corporatization of humanity continues.

[@Dutch1954]

@@francisparker4941 You're absolutely correct and did I think the world would actually turn it to that? No way, to me it was a fascinating possibility, but it was 'only a movie' good entertainment. I had a lot of growing up to do

[@HighCrystal]

I modelled by self on the character of The Prisoner. I was lucky enough to stay in the Village for my 60th birthday. This series will never ever die.

[@freesaxon6835]

HighCrystal same for me too!

[@tomthx5804]

I modelled my self on Shrek. It didn't work very well, and I always scared the kids.

[@freesaxon6835]

Tom thx I see that as an advantage of you have children like mine

[@freesaxon6835]

Clint Westwood Clint I wonder not who you model yourself on?

[@quxliystradupiskrivzdnotzk4975]

Free Saxon boys, boys, let me just say this, I love you all equally, there's no need to fight over me! I modeled myself after the 1967 through 69 cartoons Spider-Man I believe that Paul Soles was probably the best Spider-Man ever!

[@andrerivard9005]

for me, the best ever music theme for any production maybe only surpassed by Ben_Hur music

[@tomsacadden]

Andre Rivard Ron Grainer, the best theme tune writer ever, google him,,

[@ildertonmann4086]

I was fifteen when this was first shown and a massive McGoohan fan. Even at that young age, I could see there was not going to be a conventional ending, that would have been a cop-out. I remember the backlash and the first time that I experienced the press 'hound' a celebrity out of the country. Those that are still alive should feel ashamed because had he stayed, and once recovered from the strain of 'The Prisoner', I'm sure he would have gone on to do great things in and for Britain. The man was a genius, but was never able to fulfill his potential and so remains the greatest actor Britain never had.

[@Emulous79]

He hit the nail on the head about the Government. A dangerous thing.

[@andywardle4779]

Although in the last episode I wanted him to escape and then come back and destroy the place. I concur with what you have written. He was a unappreciated genius that lived this project on the edge.

[@ijustwanttocommentfugoogle3839]

Thank God he came to America, because we got four wonderful Columbo movies that way.

[@burlingtonbill1]

Couldn't agree with you more. Under-appreciated and absolutely loyal to his wife (very uncommon for such a popular actor.) Some similarities I see between him and Brian Wilson (in music.) Genius, ahead of his time, creates timeless art, burns out doing his best work, recovers but cools off doing lesser things from then on.

[@arricammarques1955]

The 'social media' meta data makes us all numbers

[@abigailmckernwalkingwithpo4582]

Leo McKern was my Dad and he had a nightmare working on the Prisoner. Bullying at work. Disgusting. R.I.P. Papa.

[@gepmrk]

Sorry to hear that. A ton of respect from us here in Sydney town. Your dad will always be a favourite of mine.

[@stevebishop9468]

Your father was brilliant beyond words...I was mesmerized at his performance. I thought you should know that.

[@23hublock1]

I best remember your father as Carl Bugenhagen. Another faultless performance I hasten to add.

[@blackmore4]

Who bullied him? And why do you think it happened?

[@burlingtonbill1]

@@blackmore4 Didn't you WATCH this? He himself said McGoohan did it to extract a more realistic performance during the filming of "Once Upon a Time." But Patrick, being a very driven perfectionist, may have taken it a bit too far.

[@rideyourbikent]

Most honest and interesting account of the intensity and creativity behind making of the Prisoner. To sum it up -- it was a difficult gestation - a frustrating delivery but has matured from fiction to become reality and it hasn't had an ending yet!!!

[@DanHintz]

great documentary. very illuminating. i suspect david lynch took some inspiration from the prisoner when he was making twin peaks in terms of pushing difficult/surrealist/abstract elements into a mainstream tv series format.

[@ianker9194]

The theme song for the US release of the later series ('Secret Agent Man') includes the line: "They've given you a number and taken away your name". Coincidence?

[@Madelow56]

When watching any episode of "Secret Agent", that line always makes me think of "The Prisoner".

[@ModernMythMuseum]

Coincidence? you say, read my book Whatever Happened to John Drake?

[@edwardburner2721]

@@ModernMythMuseum Im assuming you are David Lemmo

[@burlingtonbill1]

P.F. Sloan wrote the lyrics for the Johnny Rivers song "Secret Agent Man." He also wrote many other 60's hits -- notably Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" and The Turtles' "You Baby" and "Let Me Be."

[@esmeephillips5888]

@flightLdr1 In fact the first Bond novel, 'Casino Royale', was published in 1953. McGoohan refused the part of 007 because he would not kiss women or fire guns on screen. Not your average action star.

[@spadescalimero]

I am surprised that the documentary doesn't discuss Colony Three (Danger Man, 1964).

[@sgtcrabfat]

'The whole Earth as the Village"......

[@resofactor]

A New World Order

[@francisparker4941]

No thanks.

[@robertlehnert4148]

Welcome to the Global Village... Be seeing you!

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@robertlehnert4148 Fifteen-minute cities? Why do you need to go anywhere.

[@robertlehnert4148]

@@RideAcrossTheRiver in the politest, most friendly way possible I say the only answer is "Because it's none of your fucking business".

[@shaggystair9549]

Damned white balloons still freak me out to this day!!

[@blancsteve4819]

You are, number six. oops dropped a comma.

[@gregsmith7949]

I always got out of it that #6 was always #1 as long as he wouldn't break, hence the ending where when unmasked, #6 is staring at himself. Also in the opening, the line after the question "Who is #1?" can be interpreted as "YOU are...#6."

[@patrickthorpe6428]

It has always seemed to me, that 'No 6' is John Drake and the 'Prisoner' storyline is the direct descendant of 'Danger Man'. There is a lot of comment in this excellent docu that confirms my thinking......

[@MrBoreray]

I agree,I always thought that the idea behind it was you can't REALLY retire from the intelligence community because of the knowledge and secrets acquired during your tenure and therefore a place had to be set up for retirees to live a 'normal' life safe from kidnap,torture and interrogation by enemies of the 'state'.The John Drake connection would absolutely fit with this interpretation.

[@resofactor]

I remember when the Sci-Fi Channel first launched and aired "The Prisoner" often on their program schedule.

[@resofactor]

@@TruthTellert63 I know, right? WTF is a "sif-ee" anyways? Also look at how they dropped "The Expanse". One of the best sci-fi shows out in ages. They also cancelled "Dark Matter" as well. lol

[@tg-gi3sw]

outstanding show from Pat. the remark was terrible. I worked with him on several "columbo' shows due to his friendship with Peter Faulk.

[@24revealer]

The remake actually helped fill in more of the puzzle if you can see the updated message.

[@markthomas9769]

How could #1 be anyone/thing other than #6 himself? The revelation (if not the technique) perfectly squared the circle...

[@jen3800]

the best TV program ever conceived and executed to perfection

[@wilsonj4705]

1:29:10 "The whole nation was disappointed because Number wasn't revealed" I always thought the butler was #1. Always there watching.

[@rishadq]

Yes, and who closes the (automatic) door at the very end of Number One's apartment? Hmmmmm ...

[@AndyKashen]

@@rishadq That was in No 6's head. Most people don't seem to realize that in the final episode, No 6 has been rendered insane, just as No 2 warned him would happen from the treatment if he didn't reveal his secret.

[@sgdeluxedoc]

More than anything else, I remember the balloon.. the "rover".. It , somehow, seemed so creepy.. especially going over the water. I don't know if I'll ever get past the fact that the thing that gave me nightmares for 50 years was a balloon being pulled by fishing wire ;-)

[@andywardle4779]

I always wondered why they surrendered to it, I would have stabbed it and popped it! Having said that, the concept of a balloon as the custodial element to stop escapers is brilliant.

[@markanthony3275]

I know exactly what you mean...I was 10 years old...I couldn't watch it...and I couldn't not watch it either.

[@anderskihlberg]

One of my favorites, very mystic and strange i love it.

[@johnsmilowitz]

"The Prisoner" was a thinking man's show, one had to pay attention of the hidden messages being told. One must remember this was during the "Cold War " era and people were scared of a probable nuclear war. The show fit the times.

[@paulhunter6742]

How polical systems and candidates have brought us full circle into time as Right wings elements demand we believe in lies as truth. That society doesn't allow us individual opinions. Or flexibility to disagree without a threat of someone harming you because you don't follow their opinion.

[@johnsmilowitz]

@@paulhunter6742 So true, everything has come t I full circle but not in the best intentions.

[@billshire2681]

Knew the Patrick's mailman. Said he'd be drinking and running around the property a lot being annoying. Pacific Palisades.

[@DavidBrown-jk2pm]

Bill Shire. Annoying who?

[@mondomacabromajor5731]

"Tell us why you resigned, who are you working for?"

[@migmadmarine]

sounds like mcgoohan was playing himself thruout the series