@@Allan_aka_RocKITEman what's so interesting about this show and in some ways,man from Uncle,is that they're the progenitor of the ' matrix ' two shows that seem like a supernatural world has been pulled over the ' real' world 🌎👍
Thank you for the deep dive! One of my favorite TV shows ever. When I lived in the UK, I visited and stayed at Portmeirion 3 times. Such an amazing, beautiful resort and they make some great pottery there as well! No. 6's house is The Prisoner gift shop. Years later i finally realized that the most important line in the show is during the opening credits. "Who are you? The new No. 2. Who is No. 1? You are No. 6."
I didn’t know he had anything to do with composing of the music. He didn’t get credit to my knowledge. And Ron Grainer wrote the theme music. Where can I find this? It’s not on IMDb, even as an “uncredited” credit. I know he approved or disapproved of most of the aspects of the show, but this is the first time I ever saw him getting credit for the music. Not on any documentaries I have seen nor in any articles I have read, including in the fanzine I used to get years ago. But it could be so. Please give us a source for this.
@@TripleBerg yeah, that I knew. I agree with him. I have heard those and they are not even close. But he didn’t actually compose any of the music. He did what any good creator of a series did: he had final say over production in all aspects. I thought it was being implied that he composed some of the music. My mistake.
Patrick McGoohan and The Prisoner made the summer of '67 fun for a 10 year old, (along with Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee in The Avengers)! Thanks Dan!
I can see why Patrick didn't want a romantic involvement. The character had one goal, get out. Having a relationship would slow him down. Plus he couldn't trust anyone. He never knew who was on which side.
Dan, you just made a video about my absolute favorite TV series. I first saw it many years ago with my dad. Weird and fascinating! I'm 63 now and I still love it! I teach mathematics and statistics at a college in the Midwest. A colleague of mine (history teacher) was also a fan. He is Australian. Retired now. We would give the "be seeing you" hand sign to each other in the hallway. For Halloween one year, I made a Village badge for him (number 6) and a badge for myself (number pi, the actual Greek symbol that I don't know how to type in a comment). Also wore a costume...black coat, white stripe on lapels, tan pants...the works. Probably not many people got it, but me and my friend did. Anyway, he retired, gave me the full Prisoner series on VHS (thank the maker I still have a player), and a couple of books about the series that serious or at least somewhat interested people should check out. One is called "Inside the Prisoner" by Ian Rakoff. The other is "The Prisoner" by Alan Carraze and Helene Oswald. Talk about going in depth...these are excellent resources for fans of the show. By the way, my colleague actually visited Portmeirion and loved it. Is that cool or what?
in real life, Patrick McGoohan was an incredibly angry man and deeply unpleasant to work for. He pretty much played himself in 'Hell Drivers', but was later brilliant in Danger Man. Even as a kid you,could sense the constant barely suppressed anger in the John Drake character (Danger Man) and that edginess alone made it unmissable. He was indeed, according to first hand reports, not great to work for, but it has to be said that without his constant drive and anger then The Prisoner series would never have been made. It is a great TV series.
@@Frank_Nemo … near the end of the show’s run, he’d alienated cast, crew, executives, and anyone else you could mention. The final straw for those concerned, was when he viciously berated and humiliated a very popular director of the show, before firing him and taking over his job. After that, everyone was done with McGoohan. There are/were videos about the incident here on RU-vid. And much like yourself, I could feel the unpleasant intensity of the man through the TV screen when I was a kid, and would often think - this is a chap I would not like to meet in real life. 😳
What is an interesting detail I noticed in watching it years later were the number of episodes that revolved around spied upon information being sent by micro dots.
I visited Portmerion in Wales, the location of "The Village" many years ago. The Prisoner Appreciation Society, the official fan club, had a merchandise store in the building that "played" the outside of Number 6's house. The inside was a heck of a lot smaller than the studio set that they built for the interior.
It’s whimsical, surreal little village. There’s a very nice hotel there on the bay with a small lighthouse nearby. A Welsh architect built the village as a vacation resort in North Wales.
I'm sure he'd be glad to know that we're still thinking about the show's meaning after all these years, and that it's even more relevant than now than ever. Thanks again Dan!👌👌
I used to deliver to "The Village" every day as part of my job. It always makes me smile seeing it on TV. A few years ago they created a delivery point outside of the village so I could no longer deliver to the individual buildings which was a shame.
Thank you Dan for making this video! I am a real fan of The Prisoner! This series is more relevant today than when it was aired. A show ahead of its time.
I remember watching this show as a kid. I was fascinated with it because it was so "off the wall". I only saw a few episodes, but I'll never forget it. I haven't seen it since. Time to buy the DVDs.
Thanks for the review. I was a first-generation American viewer of THE PRISONER. That summer of 1968, THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW on CBS went into summer hiatus and was replaced with THE PRISONER. Though I was stuck watching it in black & white, it still mesmerized me every week that it aired that summer. It would be a few years until I could see it in color on a run on PBS. Later on I bought VHS tapes, Laserdiscs, DVDs and finally Blu-ray. Great show; great memories.
… from what I’ve heard and seen, McGoohan simply didn’t know how to end the show, (he said so) and that infamous finale was more a product of writer’s block, than anything else.
I’m a sucker for nostalgia content that respects its source:) Dan, this is my favorite nostalgia content man! It’s the best deep dive into some fun, bizarre, and forgotten content out there!!!
1967 I was newly married and living with my inlaws when this show appeared, my father-in-law and I where both Danger Man followers. After the first episode he gave up on it. He did graciously allow me to watch it each week. It and other shows I liked were referred to as a 'Bennett shows'. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and after many years did finally get to visit the Village. It has not changed to much and for any fan and is worth the trip. My wife and I were standing on the beach looking back towards the village and she said it's much nicer than I thought it would be! This was 2017 on our third trip back to England.
@MoviesMusicMonsters I still say 'be seeing you' and sometimes people reply the same, hand gesture and all. This follow on to Danger Man was a masterpiece. Every show left you with more questions than answers..................the last episode......................well your leg bone is connected to your..................and the Lotus 7 is a thing of 60s beauty. Thanks for this one Dan
I love where The Prisoner turns up in unexpected places. In the movie "Kate & Leopold," when Leopold comes to the present from the 19th century, he accidentally turns on the TV. On is someone running on the beach, chased by Rover!
Thank you for an excellent review. Probably the best TV series ever crated. It is a series that can never be recreated. It was so far ahead of its' time.
He was born in in Astoria, in Queens, NY, before his parents returned to Ireland. Unfortunately I couldn't find where in Astoria they lived, even though I lived there from the late 70's to late 80's. Probably on the odds of winning the lottery, but it would have been something to know if we lived anywhere close, or even on the extreme, in the same apartment building.
Saw this the summer it ran in the US. I was five years old and I distinctly remember the big white ball swallowing up a victim and a scene where No. 6 was spinning faster and faster on a platform and then sent stumbling down a red lit hallway. I researched the show through the years and its message sank deeper and deeper into my psyche - the importance of individuality. In 1977, they reran the show on PBS. To show how much of a geek I was, I recorded every episode on audio cassette tape. (Hey, VCRs and VHS were still in the wings.) Decades later, the series is still very much a driving force in my life, the theme song is my ringtone, I've written fan fiction on it, and I still pop in the Blue-rays to refresh the soul. Thanks, Dan. Another worthy entry into the culture lexicon of The Prisoner.
"In your face Number Six!!! I remember the Simpsons episode where Homer was taken to the village and steals Number Six's means of escape and shouts that at him. Patrick McGoohan was the guest voice!
I watched that show back in the late '60s. I never got it, but I was 8-10 years old, the same age as I was watching 2001: A Space Odyssey.They were not made for kids. "The Fugitive," "The Invaders," and "The Immortal" were more my speed. But I still think about it because it made me think.
Gotta say Dan, Lifelong fan of this show, and this is probably the most concise presentation of the subject I’ve seen - great job, no waffle, just facts. Next please, , , , , Quatermass 2 and Night of the Demon, Please remind the world how good 1950’s British sci-fi could be. Just loving what you’re doing, “Be seeing you “
Back in the 1980s I watched The Prisoner on Houston, TX PBS station. When I saw the episode Fallout, I called the station and asked, "What the hell did I just watch?!" The person who answered the phone said, "I have no idea!"
I had a friend in college who was absolutely obsessed with this series. I've yet to watch it, but it is on my Tubi watch list. Great video, Dan (and thanks for not spoiling the final episode - much appreciated). 😁
I was very excited when I saw you were doing The Prisoner and I wasn't disappointed! I would have been disappointed (just a little) if you had not mentioned the Iron Maiden reference. The intro to that song is what got me to finally take a look at this fantastic show.
Thanks for this one,Dan. I watched this show back in the 60's when I was a kid. It played back to back with The Avengers, another British spy series that I loved too. I had a crush on Diana Rigg! Didn't we all?
Loved Diana Rigg as the incomparable Mrs Peel. Was over joyed to see her in GOT. Was very intrigued by The Prisoner. I remember that the last episode was a pretty big deal
I spent the day at Port Meirion on my backpacking trip through Wales 33 years ago. It was incredible being able to actually walk through the same village from the series. Number 6's flat was The Prisoner gift shop.
I stumbled upon this show a few years ago and it took me by delightful surprise! I think its a perennial that can be discovered again and again by new generations and its refusal to give out easy answers will continue to fascinate each new group of viewers. Great video!
Thanks you Dan for the review of The Prisoner - this has been my favorite series / character / franchise of all time. Like Twin Peaks it is a story meant as an allegory, you can get as much out of it as your mind allows - Patrick Mcgoohan's insistance keeping his character a focus of the intellect instead of a sexual drone like 007 is also years beyond it's time - and beyond ours. Hoping there are no more attempts to reimagine this masterpiece, like Dan say's 'Just Leave It Alone' !
Dan, what perfect timing! Cherie and I are preparing to watch The Prisoner again starting in the next day or so. You must be reading our minds! Can't wait to watch this episode.
There was a remake of The Prisoner, starring Jim Caviezel, in America. It did not go very well. I saw only two episodes of it and gave up. I don't even know if there were more than two episodes.
I didn't get to see it until we got the Netflix dvd subscription. I was about 28, 29 years old- and I loved it! It opened my eyes to a whole new way of studying art, architecture, politics and human self expression. I thought the set design was fascinating. And Patrick was so suave😅. This definitely got me into Dr. Who😊🙏🏼.
*This is great, Dan!* _The Prisoner_ is one of my all-time favorite TV shows. I sent a link to my brother, who bought the series on blu-ray recently and has been watching the episodes. One comment about another British sc-fi icon: Quatermass. The name is pronounced "Kway-ter-mass," not "Kor-ter-mass" (note that there is no "r" in the first syllable).
I and my mother and father visited Portmeirion in North Wales when we were having a holiday. At the time we had no idea that it had been filmed there because it hadn't been on the TV at the time. We sat down at the cafe and I noticed there was chalk marks on the floor, so I asked what they meant. They then told us that a film had been filmed there called The Prisoner, I watched every episode after that.
I believe I have watched the Prisoner all the way through around 4 times and various episodes more than that on broadcast tv. thank you for this Brought back such good memories.
McGoohan didn't want any reference to Danger Man or John Drake because he would to pay copyright and that would take a big slice of the cake. The show has it's own font it's called 'Village' 😄
I caught The Prisoner on WNEW, channel 5, along with Secret Agent, Man in a Suitcase, The Saint, and another one Dan might want to take a look at sometime, "The Champions."
Hey Dan I was fostered by my grandmother in 1967 and me and my cousin's watched this show on Saturday night on CBS. I still believe to this day that it was a sequel to the series Danger Man also known as Secret agent. McGoohan denies that there was any connection but I think he was kind of kidding.
Ah Dan, you really should have made this at least a 1 hour special. It is a classic and was re run again on British tv earlier this year, which shows the strength of the thing. I still remember seeing it as a kid and being totally confused by it, and being totally freaked out by the giant balloon that chased him everywhere. Being young and not having a clue, I didn't see it again for some time and for a while thought I had imagined seeing it, until I saw a re reun a few years later as a teenager, still not understanding a thing, but being totally hooked on it, oh and no longer being freaked out by the balloon!! It really is a unique classic. Great video. Hope you enjoyed your trip to grey old London Dan :-)
Now I've got to watch it... I watched part of it back in the early 70 but didn't get to catch all of the episodes. Thanks for reminding me about this fascinating show!
DC Comics back in 1988 released a 4 part mini series called The Prisoner: Shattered Visage. The series had the approval of McGowan. It takes place 20 years after what happened in the original series. It's worth taking a look at. SPLENDID epsiode on this series. Highly Recommended.
My Caterham 7 was in the same colours etc as the KAR120C Lotus Se7en Patrick drove in the opening sequence. I even had a plaque made for the dash on the passengers side. "I AM NOT A NUMBER. I AM A FREE MAN"
Minority opinion, but I can give a few adjectives that most of the fans have never heard applied to this thing. Pretentious, boring, incoherent. The fans talk about "oh, it's so deep, you wouldn't understand it". Bull. It's an ego project, bankrolled and directed by the star. It's like Lost, but you don't have to sit through it for years to find out there is no point, there is no actual plot, and there never was one. I know 80% of the people who read this will be religiously outraged, but lets face it guys, any theory you gave to it is you projecting your issues onto this thing. As critical as I am of the Prisoner, I consider it one of the greatest practical jokes of all time, and it's still working on people. I applaud MacGoohan for this mockery of the genre. Any story that has no actual story, and depends on the viewer's imagination to try create baseless speculation is either the output of bad writting, or an epic troll and I give MacGoohan the credit he just wanted screaming at eachother.
Terrific Dan... You certainly know your Prisoner stuff... Been a lifelong fan since I watched it on TV when it first came out in 1967...I really don't see how they could remake this and improve on the original... who on earth could possibly play this better than Patrick just for a starter... I worked just around the corner from the Houses of Parliament at the time and the entrance to the underground car park. Every time I passed the entrance I would hope that that louts 7 would come roaring past ha ha ha...
My favorite show! And my mother's. That last episode was utterly memorable and bizarre. The miniseries reboot should absolutely be ignored, skipped, and forgotten.
Another Patrick MacGoohan TV/movie character to do a video about would be Disney's "Scarecrow of Romney Marsh" also known a "Dr Syn Alias the Scarecrow".
Great video, Dan. The Prisioner is a fine example of british TV golden age. As a matter of fact, I visited the village back in the summer of 1990. By the way, when I began to watch "Lost", i believed that some plot elements were either the same or clearly inspired by "the prisioner". Then came the final seasons and "Lost" found its way to hell...
When I was a little kid in the 1960's, the networks would import British TV shows during the Summer instead of showing reruns. The Prisoner, The Avengers ( Patrick Mcnee and Diana Rigg ) and The Champions were just a few.
"I am not a number, I am a free man". But the word "free" comes from the word "three". (In Medieval England, a criminal got 3 punishments and goes free)
I absolutely love The Prisoner even if I didn't understand a lot of it when it was first broadcast in the U.K. The intro alone was just so exciting and dramatic - and long. Plus KAR 120C started a love for all thing Lotus.
An interpretation that has been somewhat discredited, the extra emphasis on the ARE. The idea is more on the dehumanizing, YOU... Are number Six. At least according to some interpretations. 😊 But you do correctly point out that placing the emphasis on both does let the cat peek out of the bag, so to speak.
My favourite "conspiracy theory" about who Number 1 was, is... "Who is Number 1?" "You are, Number 6" (emphasis on the comma) indicating that Number 6 himself was Number 1.
In religion, number 1 is Jesus (planet Mars, a.k.a. Ares, Hare, Vishnu), the "eye" god, I = 1, I = "eye". A.k.a. Iesvs, Iehovah, (ie = "eye") Yesu, Yesuah, (ayes/eyes -----> yes) Was previously number 2, Mars sacred number was 2, letter I is a 2 pointed star pictogram. Number 6 is Satan (planet Saturn).
I remember my father telling me about the general unhappiness about the final episode, it is almost akin to the whole 'LOST' furore! He said that - like Lost - everyone rushed home to watch 'The Prisoner' and then spent the next week excitedly discussing theories about it at work. They had expected a clear and explicit reveal at the end, so were mad that it turned out to be 'interpretive'. However, you have to wonder whether The Prisoner would have attained it's cult following had there been a clear cut final conclusion to the story?
In 1967, I was 2 years old. My mum was delighted to recant how I would stand in front of the t.v. when the episode would start and yell out, "I am a man!"😂
Loved that dang show. I know this is not a popular option… but I have always believed that when Patrick’s character is asking… “Who is Number One”? He is getting a direct answer. “You are. Number Six” Number Six simply doesn’t remember that he was Number One and the chief spy before quitting and suffering a psychological break. Be seeing you.
True story - I found The Prisoner in the early 1970's - in 1973 I went to England with my dad. In London we tried to find a few of the locales used on the show. My dad, being a reference librarian, we went to a library and looked at a book of British actors. When we got to Patrick McGoohan, his bio information was there, but someone had very neatly cut out his picture. Some previous fan had already been there. A wonder they didn't write "Be seeing you" in the margin, if they were already so inclined to take the picture!
Hey Dan! First time commenter, long time fan! I gotta say I must be your prime audience, me being an older, nerdy, sci fi loving geek! Your channel is my absolute favorite! Let me know if you ever need a photographer/digial artist for anything! I would love to contribute! Thank you for creating such fun and fascinating content! Be seeing you
Iron Maiden wrote 2 songs about The Prisoner. "The Prisoner" from Number of the Beast and "Back in the Village" from Powerslave. LOL posted before Dan got to this.
What is amazing is that I watched The Prisoner as a summer replacement program on KPTV Portland in the 60s. I was a young teen and the show made a huge impression.
I just recently started rewatching this great classic. It’s really so unfortunate that we no longer have writers, & producers with such intellectual wit, & skill with character development/world building in our current media outlets who would rather show everything as if we are toddlers unable to manage on our own cognitive coherence.
