THE PRISONER

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       From September 1967 to February 1968, British television broadcast a 17-episode intriguing drama called The Prisoner. It was co-created by its star, and only consistent actor, Patrick McGoohan. A wonderfully bizarre combination of spy and science fiction, it presented a town where everything seemed to be controlled by the Guardians who watch all action via multiple cameras, easedropping on conversations, sending in people when needed and eliminating others as called for.
       Some disagreement remains as to who really first created the concept for this drama but it is widely believed that Mr. McGoohan, working on but growing tired of the action adventures Danger Man (retitled Secret Agent for the U.S. market), came up with the basic idea for The Prisoner while pondering what would happen to an agent like the one he played, John Drake, should he decide to get out. He discussed this with George Markstein, a writer, script editor, and producer who helped flesh out the idea and eventually wrote most of the pilot episode. The controversy was who was the real creator and who got the network to greenlight the project. With both gentlemen now deceased, it is a moot point.
       The show did not gain the ratings that had been hoped and it only lasted the one season. Over the next few years, however, in syndication that show grew into a major cult hit, much like Star Trek with a huge fan base devoted to keeping it alive. In addition to the three books that were published by mainstream companies, there were a plethora of fan fiction covering an enormous amount of data on the mysterious people running the mysterious community where mysterious agents from apparently all over the world existed.

       In 2009, a remake of the series appeard on AMC in the U.S. This six-part mini-series starred James Caviezel as Numbe Six and had veteran actor Ian McKellan take the role of Number Two, a part that had been played by several different actors in the original drama leading to the question of whether the designation was a name or a title.

Note: Numerous websites exist on the Internet devoted to this series. People wanting to know more than they could believe are invited to search and enjoy.

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