Roland Walter Dutton....................

.............. Is A Man The Prisoner-No.6 Thinks He Once Knew.

    There is no evidence to the contrary, but that phrase "He's a man I think I once knew," has put doubt in the minds of some. Well you can work with someone every day, but never really getting to know them.

   Of course No.6 and Roland Walter Dutton were ex work colleagues, because No.6 knew his name, and said his name at their first encounter in the village, at the cave "Roland Walter Dutton!" And Dutton replied "You, of all people!" And of course Dutton went on to explain what had been happening to him, that he had 72 hours in the peaceful atmosphere to reconsider, that the Prisoner knew that Dutton didn't have access to the "vital stuff" is another confirmation that the two men knew each other, even if they didn't really know each other, if you get my meaning!

   And before all of this, Roland Walter Dutton, even in his drugged state of mind, was on the telephone speaking to No.6, about Arthur and the Colonel, and a suspected security leak, wanting to know all the files he has seen, the projects No.6 knows about. Just headings, not details. Yes, No.6 does ask "Who is that, who is that?" No.6 is simply asking for confirmation of the callers name, to which Dutton responds "It's Dutton, hello, hello are you there?"

   I've often wondered why Dutton was so surprised to meet his old colleague in such a place as the village. Perhaps he thought the Prisoner would be too clever for them to ever be taken to such a place. Or perhaps Dutton thought for a moment that the Prisoner might have been a gaurdian rather than a Prisoner.

    Dutton makes mantion of Arther and the Colonel. Well we've met the Colonel before, although Dutton could be referring to a different Colonel. But Arthur? Is he the same type of character as Fotheringay or Thorpe?

Be seeing you