The Chimes Of Big Ben

   So, ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ and No.6 is escaping the village along with No.8-Nadia, sealed in a crate together. First by sea to Gadansk/Danzig, then by air to Copenhagen, and by air again to London, a journey which will take 12 hours. Yes we have been here before! And indeed we see that there is road travel by lorry, then the crate is loaded aboard a ship, and later the crate is put on as freight on an aircraft. But of course these scenes are simply for the television viewer, and does not actually take place. What precisely happens can only be open to interpretation, yet this is how my friend interpreted what actually happens to that crate with Nadia and No.6 sealed inside.

    Obviously the crate is too heavy for just one man to move alone, so naturally others must have been involved. The crate must have been loaded onto some sort of transportation, a lorry I should think, which was then driven back to the Village and unloaded into a restricted area. From time to time the crate would have to be moved, and lifted about as though being lifted aboard a ship, and then a cargo plane. Sound effects, such as the ships engines, cranes, and the engines of the Aircraft, would be called for to help maintain the illusion that the crate was actually being moved from place to place according to the time taken for the planned escape route.

   So its easy to imagine this crate with two people inside, set on a rig which can imitate the motion of a ship, and aircraft, the crate lifted up and swung about as though being loaded and off loaded. With sound equipment to give audio sound effects which would actually be heard by the two people inside the crate during the supposed journey. So in fact none of the journey actually takes place, well apart from having the crate wheeled on a trolley into the Colonel's office, but even that bit is faked if you see what I mean. And to be perfectly honest, the first time I watched ‘The Chimes of Big Ben, when I was twelve years of age, up until we hear the chimes of Big Ben and discover that the watch given to No.6 is an hour slow, I actually thought No.6 and Nadia had escaped the Village. Such was the Prisoner’s disappointment, and mine! This episode is good, and one of my favourites, but the true effect of the episode can only work the one time, the first time you watch it!

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