The Therapy Zone

The Chimes Of Big Ben

    What if the Prisoner had actually been physically taken back to London. After all the trick might have worked, and No.6 would have revealed the reason behind his resignation.

    Well what would have been the point in that? All that would have been achieved was the confirmation that it was the British who were running the village. And after all were we really supposed to know which side runs the Village, or even why the Prisoner resigned.

   But of course we do, as we are actually told as much during ‘Once Upon A Time.’

Point Of Information

   Originally the episode ‘The Girl Who Was Death’ had been thought up by David Tomblin as a possible episode of Danger Man. Terence Feely confirmed that the story had originally called for a two hour episode. But Lew Grade would not pay for it, so the episode had to be cut in half.

A Change of Mind

   Well not so much a favourite moment in the Prisoner, but certainly an amusing one. As the portly, and heavy No.2 in ‘A Change of Mind,’ having been denounced and marched through the village by the citizens chanting "Unmutual, unmutual, unmutual" to the beat of a drum. No.2 then takes to his heels, and spritely runs up the steps to the relative safety of the Green Dome.

   Can we really believe that a man of No.2's stature is so light on his feet? Well of course we can't, as actor John Sharp who played the role of No.2 never went to Portmeirion. Mind you I do really think that they could have found a slightly heavier and portly man to run up those steps. Perhaps at the time of filming they had no idea that John Sharp was going to play the role of No.2 in ‘A Change of Mind.’

Number 2

   Number 2 is portrayed as being very English even when played by Australian actors Guy Doleman and Leo McKern. However they did get it right with Living In Harmony with American born actor David Bauer as the Judge/No.2.

    If there is one thing which stands out in ‘the Prisoner’ it's it's very Englishness. It is thought that the Prisoner-No.6 is English. But he isn't. Not having been played by Irish-American born Patrick McGoohan. The village maybe an International community, yet in this cosmopolitan village it is it's very Englishness which make you think that the installation known as the village is actually run by the British. But if that it the case, why should the village be thought to be behind the Iron Curtain in the episode ‘The Chimes of Big Ben?’ Well simply going by the information given by Nadia, which if true, makes both the Colonel and Fotheringay as having gone over to the other side. But of course the village is nowhere near the Iron Curtain, let alone behind it. Those 25 days the Prisoner spent at sea, on a north-easterly course, during the episode ‘Many Happy’ Returns goes to prove that much.

    As Prisoner production manager Bernard Williams once said "Perhaps it would have been better if we'd used other, non-English actors as Number Two." Well that would certainly have added to the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the Village.

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