It’s “Alternative” Chimes

    But not the episode you might think! ‘The Alternative Chimes of Big Ben’ is described on the front cover of the video sleeve as “The Lost Episode,” the 16mm film print of the episode was eventually tracked down by Bruce Clark the American Co-ordinator of Six of One: The Prisoner Appreciation Society in 1986. The print of ‘The “Alternative” Chimes of Big Ben’ was eventually found in the ITC offices in Canada. The print was due to be destroyed with a number of other films in a “cleaning house” operation, as it was seen as an obsolete film. Plans were immediately made to ship the film through customs to Ed Gilbert at the ITC office in New York, who eventually had the 16mm film print transferred to one inch video tape, and despatched it to Bruce Clarke. This is an abridged description in the discovery of ‘The Alternative Chimes of Big Ben,’ but if it had not been for the action of Bruce Clark the 16mm print would have been destroyed and lost forever. Bruce took the video of the lost episode along to the 1986 Prisoner Convention and was first screened there. Copies could be bought direct from America, but none were available in Britain. And those who did have copies guarded them with a passion!

   I am quite sure that many of you reading this will have watched ‘The Alternative Chimes of Big Ben’ contained in ‘the Prisoner’ DVD box sets, and might wonder what all the fuss was about. Back in 1986 the discovery of the ‘first cut’ of ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ was exciting news to fans of ‘the Prisoner,’ as some reading this will recall. I myself did not see the episode until the early 1990’s when I was given a copy of the video. I had missed the 1986 Prisoner Convention at which “The Alternative Chimes of Big Ben” received a surprise screening, not joining Six of One until the December of that year.

   Legend has it, that Patrick McGoohan didn’t want ‘The Alternative Chimes of Big Ben’ to be released to the general public, he didn’t want people seeing it, and tried to put a stop on the release of the episode, he did not succeed. Possibly because he had previously sold all rights to ‘the Prisoner’ series to ITC.

   ‘The Alternative Chimes of Big Ben’ is I believe, to have been used as a press preview for ‘the Prisoner’ series, and was the first completed episode. And yet the episode was taken back into the cutting room and massively edited {I’m sure readers will have compared the two episodes, or have observed the differences between the two episodes} from beginning to end. Not simply a question of changing the theme music to that of Ron Grainer which we are all familiar with, but the film was very closely examined, and many adjustments were made to the episode. Thus if there is an “alternative” Chimes of Big Ben,’ it is the episode contained within the actual series, and not the “first cut” discovered in the vault of the ITC office in Canada. But that is only a personal opinion.

    It would be a waste of my time and yours to read any extensive written description of the difference within the two episodes of ‘The Chimes of Big Ben,’ such as the opening sequence, or the use of the Wilfred Joseph ‘Prisoner’ theme music, which is used for scenes in the series itself. As today it is much easier for the viewer to compare the two episodes for him or herself. But I suppose one difference worthy of note is the “Triquetrum” scene, and yet a tiny segment of that scene remains in the series episode. That is part of the evening scene just before No.6 suggests a nightcap to Nadia, No.6 places a pencil in the breast pocket of his blazer. It’s okay in the “Alternative Chimes,” because he has just made an astronomical notation, but it makes no sense in the series episode, unless No.6 has just been doing a crossword, or chess problem in The Tally Ho.

   There is a scene at the end of ‘Arrival,’ after No.6 has tried and failed, to escape the Village, he is herded away by the Village Guardian, but the film is cut just before the Prisoner trips and falls, and a citizen wheels a Penny farthing bicycle in front of the “Residents Only” sign, as our diminutive friend the Butler approaches holding aloft an open umbrella. While this scene being at the end of the episode of ‘Arrival’, in the “Alternative Chimes” it makes up part of the opening sequence.

   No.6’s knowledge and expertise is demonstrated for the first time in the “Alternative Chimes.” His classical knowledge of the Triquetrum, an ancient Greek astronomical instrument first described by Ptolemy, and is a device which performed the same function as a quadrant. It was devised to overcome the difficulty of graduating arcs and circles. And was one of the most popular astronomical instruments until the invention of the telescope.

  It is a pity that one of Fotheringay’s lines was not retained in the series episode of “Chimes,” “We weren’t just professional colleagues, we were at school together.” This would have helped explain the deeper relationship between Fotheringay and the Prisoner-No.6, linking them together further into the past. And yet I suppose this is conveyed to the viewer by Fotherigay’s enthusiam for seeing his old colleague again.

   And to finish, the end credits show the universe in the Penny wheel of the Canopied Penny Farthing, and the Earth in the Farthing wheel. Symbolic? Well yes, perhaps with the Penny Farthing in space, is suggestive that the Village is becoming the very centre of consciousness of the Universe!

   At the time, the discovery of the “Alternative Chimes,” fans wondered whether there were other such episodes for the remaining 16 within the series still out the there just waiting to be discovered. There was one, the “first cut” of ‘Arrival,’ also to be found in ‘the Prisoner’ box set. But that’s another story!

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