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Sunday 25 March 2012

The Prisoner and Me - Me And The Prisoner

  I was wondering only the other day, oh that's me on the left by the way, as the Prisoner. The photograph was taken during the re-enactment of scenes taken from A B and C perfomed at a Prisoner convention at Portmeirion in the mid 1990's. My wife also appeared in the re-enactment as 'B', but no, she did more than that, Morag helped me with my lines, well I had a whole script to learn, as well as get a few props togther, that wasn't really up to us as it wasn't our re-enactment, but had been asked to perform and help out. 
   I recall during a rehearsal how the guy playing 'A' was giving me some funny lines which I couldn't make out as being from the scene in 'A B and C'. "You've been learning your lines" he said, yeah, and he only had a few lines and couldn't get those right! Not to blow my own trumpet, but I was word perfect all the way through that long re-enactment. That's the trouble you see, I couldn't stand it when people don't try! Mind you I was able to get close to 'B', perhaps a little more close than McGoohan did to Annette Carrell in the actual episode.
   There's a Prisoner Convention coming up this weekend, March 30th - April 1st, but you won't be seeing me there, for myself such days are well behind me. But I do still like to keep up with events you know, as I do have many happy memories of conventions past. Perhaps one day I will write about them. An old, old friend of mine will be taking his wife and family to the convention, and that includes his two sons, who have thoroughly enjoyed the passed two 'Cons.'
   The only trouble I found with Prisoner conventions was, that they seemed to be over as soon as they began, I suppose that that was because Morag and I seemed to be busy almost from the moment we arrived to the moment the Convention ended on the Sunday evening. I recall no sooner had we finished one re-enactment, the boxing scene from The Girl Who Was Death, and we went for a stroll along the beach to relax, then it was time for the human chess match re-enactment, it was all go! But we enjoyed it, and performed and organisd re-enactments not for our own glorification, but for the enjoyment of the conventioneers as well as the many day visitors to Portmeirion at the time of a Prisoner convention. Perhaps you yourself who are reading this, were at Portmeirion at the time of such a convention. But they were not every visiotrs cup of tea you know, one having said that if they'd known a Prisoner convention was being held at the time, they'd never have visited Portmeirion that weekend!
  When it comes to playing the role of the Prisoner I believe that you have to be of the right age, as I was at the time. But now, well I'm too old, and you can't play the role of Number 6 if you are too old, and equally if you are too young, because it doesn't work. But on the other hand I'm not quite ready for the Old People's Home just yet!

I'll be seeing you
   

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