A favourite Scene In The Prisoner

    When the Butler stands on an outlook overlooking the Piazza, where the citizens parade around in fancy dress costume, because its carnival! The Butler holds up his black and white striped umbrella, not because it’s raining, but to act as a parasol to protect himself against the sun. As indeed do a number of citizens in the Piazza. Plus of course twirling colourful umbrellas do add a little something to the parade. And the Brass Band is playing, from Mini-Mokes which are driven round in the parade.
   I like this brief scene in ‘Dance of the Dead,’ because it appears at the end of the previous episode ‘Many Happy Returns.’ When Number 6 looks through his cottage window upon this scene, it suggests he arrived back on the morning of Carnival, at the start of ‘Dance of The Dead’ in fact. And so when I watch this scene in ‘Dance of The Dead,’ I cannot help but imagine Number 6 looking out of his cottage window upon this scene. The one problem with that of course, Mrs Butterworth {as Number 2} is in Number 6’s cottage, while a new Number 2 has been ensconced in The Village. Indeed while she is speaking on the telephone to Number 2, Number 6 is in his bathroom shaving. And with that the link I like so much between ‘Many Happy Returns’ and ‘Dance of The Dead’ is broken. Because when the Butler stands on the lookout looking over the Piazza, its 8 minutes into the episode!

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The Therapy Zone

    When I first went to Portmeirion on holiday in September 1988, I arrived on the Saturday the week after the Prisoner Convention that year. I stayed in the self-catering cottage of Lower Trinity. There was a sign on the wall, its read ‘Private.’ I was sitting in my cottage in the late afternoon, having a cup of coffee and  flicking through the television channels. I remember that there was a video channel, you could telephone reception and book a film for the night, if no-one had beaten you to it of course. However each evening episodes of ‘the Prisoner’ were screened on Portmeirion’s hotel video channel. That was a real novelty, sitting in a cottage in The Village, while at the same time glancing out of the window half expecting to see Number 6 crossing the Piazza as he did on the day of his arrival in The Village.
   But it was that sign Private, did that help instigate the Village signs with the word private after every number? After all they could simply have had the number of the cottage, there was no need to add the word private. But of course there’s the irony in the use of the word private, in a Village which thrives on the fact that there is no privacy anywhere!

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Caught On Camera!

   So now we know how the Prisoner arrived in The Village! The two undertakers, having rendered ZM73 unconscious with nerve gas {careful to use one squirt only} then abducted him from his home in London by placing him inside a coffin. That coffin is then transported overland by hearse, or should that be Land Rover, then by boat to the landing stage, and from there by helicopter to The Village!

BCNU

Rover And Out!

    I don’t think I can run any further, and I’m still within sight of The Village. I had planned to steal a Mini-Moke, but there was only one on the taxi rank, and that had a flat tyre! My heart’s pounding, my breathing heavier, my legs are tired in running on this soft sand. They’ll notice I’ve gone soon, what’s that in the distance............that white ball..............it’s coming my way. They know I’ve gone and they’ve sent “it” after me oh God what now? That noise it emanates, a cross between Gregorian chant, a bicycle, and someone breathing through an aqualung, and then that blood curdling roar. Which way, out across the sand, or towards the cliffs, yes I shouldn’t think this “thing” is capable of scaling cliffs. But can I make it, its closer now, rolling and bounding along.....I’ve just got to make it, right run for it!
    The rocks, if I can just get over the rocks oh no its here, turn and face it that’s all there is left to do.........no wait, when you do that Rover suffocates its victim. Lie flat on the sand that’s the way, lay down flat and bury my face in the sand that way it won’t get me! Its close now, I can hear it breathing, I think its breathing........its stopped, if I look out of the corner of my eye......oh God no, have mercy nooooooooooo!
    The white membrane begins to take on a pinkish hue, then it turns red as Rover thoroughly absorbs the body of the man lying prostrate on the sand. His screams echo and re-echo as the man’s hands claw at the inside of the membrane, but the man grows weaker, and weaker as the enzymes within the membrane break down the human tissue, and the clothes he wears until there is nothing left, not even the slightest trace of bone or tissue, the man has been completely and utterly eaten away, dissolved, and absorbed.

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Under The Closest Possible Surveillance!

    On the face of it, it appears that “they” had been watching the wrong man! After all when does ZM73 wear a grey polo necked jersey? On the other hand, Number 1 does wear such a grey polo necked jersey!

   So is the man being watched via hidden cameras in his house, as seen during the de-briefing of the Prisoner in ‘Arrival,’ Number 1?

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Standing for Election!

   Number 6 thought he might as well take up Number 2’s suggestion of standing as a candidate for the position of Number 2, during the local election. No doubt he thought it not fun to do exactly, but perhaps it’s something to do while he’s waiting. Waiting for what exactly, a chance to escape? But Number 6 underestimated Number 2’s power of manipulation, aided by mind conditioning and mind controlling drugs. But a fool always falls for praise, flattery, and a bit of good old fashioned flannel! As it is Number 6 is just the type of candidate Number 2 wants to run against him….a gullible one! However there comes a point when the drugs and mind conditioning begin to wear off, and Number 6 is returning to his senses. He is suddenly repulsed by the fact that he’s wearing his badge, well at least his number. And no doubt he then regretted his decision to stand for election, because he cannot wait to get as far away from The Village as possible…..his chance for escape is at hand!

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Caught On Camera!

    What might that be hanging on the wall in the Town Hall? It looks like a charter of some kind, but in The Village appertaining to what? The definition of a charter would be, “A written grant by the sovereign or legislative power of a country, by which a body such as a borough, company, or university is created or its rights and privileges defined.” But why should The Village require a charter? It’s highly questionable that the Queen knew anything about The Village to draw up a charter for it. And even the Queen did………what rights do people have in The Village, what privileges……..and yet Madam Professor told Number 6 that she and her husband have certain privileges. And there are “The Rules” of course, which are referred to during the Prisoner’s trial in ‘Dance of The Dead.’ After all isn’t that what a charter is, basically, a list of rules?
   There is another one of these charters, seen again in The Town Hall in ‘Dance of The Dead’ when Number 6 is making his reconnaissance!

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Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

                                      “Hello!”

BcNu

The Therapy Zone

    An iconic visualisation in ‘the Prisoner’ is the white membranic Guardian. It’s brilliant in its simplicity, meteorological weather balloon controlled by fishing line, and to add to the effect, when you see the Guardian moving forward on the television screen, it’s actually moving away. Because the film of the Guardian is screened in reverse! You can tell that in a scene in ‘Arrival,’ when the Guardian is approaching the helicopter, the smoke from the chimneys of the Old People’s home is going back down the chimneys.
    And the white weather balloon as the Guardian is memorable, perhaps arguably the most memorable thing about ‘the Prisoner.’ Who would remember a Go-Kart with a dome and blue flashing light on it? Not that the television viewer would have known that there was a Go-Kart under the dome. If I remember rightly, originally the Mk 1 Rover was to have been able to absorb people when it emitted a blue light. It’s a pity that idea was not retained with the use of Rover Mk2. There was the idea that Rover Mk2 would have that ability, with the white membrane taking on a red or pinkish hue as its victim was absorbed. But it was thought that that would be too horrific for the television viewer at the time, so the idea was dropped. Mind you, I have a photograph of which there will be many, when the Guardian is floating through the air having left the top of the Gloriette in ‘Arrival, the membrane of the Guardian has a pinkish hue to it! Perhaps it’s simply a trick of the camera, but then again..................

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The Village Hermit!

    A man living in a cave called The Therapy Zone, simply brewing his brew, his alcoholic brew or hooch. On the whole it seems improbable. A chemist living as a hermit brewing his brew and playing with his chalk, coming up with new formulae for drugs. Then Number 2’s people come along once a week, photograph the stuff, clean the blackboard for him so that so that he can start on another lot, but that seems even more improbable, but not impossible. However the supposed hermit is a chemist and its perfectly clear that he works as part of the medical staff, seeing as he has prepared and administered a drug of exact proportions to Number 6 through his brew to see him through the election. So what happened to this able and confident chemist to turn him into a nervous citizen, afraid of anyone who tries to enquire? Number 6 asked him what his number is, I’ve never understood why, as he must have had a better view of the “umbrella man’s” badge that the television viewer! Perhaps the “umbrella man” was like Number 48, that he was with them, but then he went and gone!

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Citizeness No.39

   We’ve seen you before, but I doubt Number 6 would remember the occasion. You were in Number 6’s cottage assisting , when the doctor-Number 40 was conducting another experiment with Number 6 in an attempt to extract information, by using Number 42 as a communication medium. Now you’re conducting word association tests with Number 6. So you work in the psychologist department, or perhaps you are called upon when any number of different tasks come along. And you’re working under a different doctor, Number 23, and yet she’s nothing more than the female equivalent of the male doctor Number 40. I wonder what happened to him? Over stepped the mark once too many times did he? Perhaps it’s not always desirable to be the boss, but to be one of the minions, and an underling. At least that way you survive, after all after Number 2, it’s the doctors who have the biggest turnover in personnel. Even Number 1’s position might not be that secure!
   I see from your results that you are getting some strange associations, from Number 6, the Hope And Anchor public house he knows from his school days. And free for all must still rancour with him after what happened. Anyway I’ll leave you to gaze lovingly into Number 6’s eyes. That’s the one thing that seems to be lacking in Number 6’s life, the love of a good woman. Number 8 is under the impression that she is that woman. Manufactured love, there’s nothing quite like it!

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Don’t Stop Dance!

    “How many of these have you been to? This is my first and last” Number 6 told his Observer, or rather Little Bo-Peep!

    There he is, Number 6 as himself, at the Ball. He’s supposed to be dancing with Number 240, in fact the Supervisor as the Queen of Sheba tells Number 240 “Don’t stop dance.” But straight away Number 6 folds his arms, and in so doing instantly puts up a barrier between himself and Little Bo-Peep, as well as keeping his distance from her. Number 240 does dance a little, a dance which seems  vaguely to have something to do with “The Twist!” While Number 6 just walks backwards for the most part, making no attempt to dance with the young woman, but he’s good at talking as he tries to pump 240 for information. It’s as though Number 6 cannot allow himself to enjoy himself for one minute. As little Bo-Peep, she is forced to dance alone, trying to dance “The Twist” in a long flowing dress!

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A Favourite Scene In The General

   It takes place in the Professor’s house when Number 6 decides to prowl about the house after being seen at Madam Professor’s art seminars. The whole house is most elegant, books, paintings, and in one room there are a number of columns with dust sheets thrown over them.
   Number 6 peers out over the garden and art seminar through a pair widow shutters, and is then found by Madam Professor.

    “This is a private room” she tells him.
    “Interesting view from here.”
    “Who are you, a spy?”
    “How long have you been in this place?”
    “I don’t have to answer your questions, kindly leave.”
    “The whole house is most elegant. Books, paintings, and a very beautiful garden.”
    “The Professor and I have certain privileges.”
    “As prisoners or as warders?”
    “We came here voluntarily, we have everything we need, we’re perfectly happy.”

    “Doing what?”
    “My husband is a teacher, he teaches.”
    “Yes indeed, and you are the artist.”
    Number 6 then begins to remove each of the dust sheets in turn, revealing a number of busts, or simple finger exercises as Madam Professor describes them. They are very good, she seems to have  remarkable talent as a sculptress.
   I would have perhaps expected a bust of the current Number 2, seeing how close he is to both the Professor and his wife, but not one of his predecessor from ‘The Chimes of Big Ben.’ However the existence of this bust suggests that the Professor and his wife have been in The Village for a considerable amount of time, certainly for longer than a couple of months. And the arts and crafts exhibition which took place during ‘The Chimes of Big Ben,’ would have been right up Madam Professor’s street. So much so that she produced a bust of that particular Number 2, and entered it in one of the groups for the arts and crafts exhibition. So in both case of Number 2 it’s quite understandable for Madam Professor to be in possession of such two busts, what is not quite so understandable is the fact of the bust of Number 6! Number 6 smirks to himself when he unveils his own bust, for which it seems highly unlikely that Number 6 actually “sat” for the sculptress. More likely the bust was produced from photographs of the subject.
   As for Madam Professor, she is very perceptive if she thinks Number 6 is a spy, because he is a former secret agent, a danger man in fact! She told him that she and her husband came to The Village voluntarily, and because of that she and her husband enjoy certain privileges. Well there seems no need to doubt that, the house and its garden are proof enough of that. She also said she and her husband have everything they need. Well everything except their freedom within the prison! One other thing Madam Professor told Number 6, she said that she and her husband are perfectly happy, the way she says that strongly suggests that they are far from happy. Who would be, given their situation?
   As for those “privileges,” the elegant house, all its contents, along with garden, I expect they went west soon after Madam Professor became a widow. After that she might well have been expected to cut her cloth to suit her new circumstances!

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Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

                   “To Hell With The Village!”

 BcNu

You Don’t Want To Do That!

   Hold it! You don’t want to do that No.6, surely you know what would happen if you throw that glass ashtray at the television set. It will smash the screen, and the vacuum tube, or cathode ray tube, will either implode or explode. There will be a cloud of thick grey smoke, fire, and flying shrapnel. You seem to have knowledge of most things, so I should have expected you to know about that. But do as you please.

   Ah, that was lucky for chummy! This television doesn’t appear to have a cathode ray tube! Where are the valves? It appears that this television features a projection unit and a separate screen, but No. 6 didn’t know that! What he did was completely reckless, and at the very least endangering his own life, but then according to the doctor’s psychology report on No. 6, he has a total disregard for personal safety! So was No. 6 simply displaying an act of anger at those on the television screen? Or in smashing the television screen did he think he was breaking the television link between M.S. Plotska, stopping No. 2 from seeing what was about to happen aboard the motor cruiser? If he did, he was wrong! Or perhaps No. 6 being aware of what would happen if he smashed the television tube, and therefore carried out the act in an attempted suicide refusing to be retaken. After all there was a situation in the previous episode when Number 6 would have died first before he gave any information away! However having survived this, and seeing he had been given a second chance, he carried on with his attempted escape. Having overpowered the two crewmen, it’s just a pity that No.6 couldn’t find a way to disengage the lock on the helm. But with the rudder amidships, the white membranic Guardian came along to act as a rudder and steer the vessel, and the helpless No.6 home.

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Who Pays The Ferryman?

    Am I in heaven?
    No.
    I’m not in heaven?
    No, I’ve already told you that.
    Then I must be in.......hell!
    What makes you think that?
    Well there are only two places, heaven and hell. So if I’m not in the one, I must be in the other place!
    Its worse than that, you’re in The Village!
    The Village?
    Yes don’t you remember?
    All I remember is that I was............................
    In Prague, in the hotel Miramar.
    Yes that’s right with.........
    Shall we leave her out of it?
    Why?
    If you decline we might have to bring her here to The Village.
    She’s done nothing wrong, I’ve done nothing wrong!
    Can you be sure of that, I mean absolutely sure with certainty? After all we’re all guilty of something.
    Not me!
    Especially you!
    Why me?
    Because.
    I can’t go back, can I?
    No, you are beyond all hope, for you lies the deep dark pit of oblivion. Soon you will become a distant memory, and eventually a forgotten memory.
    Why me?
    I’ve already told you, because.
    That’s no reason.
    Reason enough in your case, and those who have gone before you.
    Wait, I can pay!
    What with?
    Information.
    What kind of information?
    Any kind you like. Although we do not accept fake information made up on the spur of the moment.
    No, I accept that. But you will need time to verify what I tell you is true.
    And you think to buy your time with information?
    Yes.
    That will not appease the Ferryman. He expects payment in full.
    What credit units?
    You must prepare yourself for the journey.
    Who is the Ferryman, and where will he take me?
    To the Island in the estuary, the Island of lost souls. See there he is aboard the boat already.
    But who, who pays the Ferryman?
    You, with all that you have, and more!

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Bureau of Visual Records

    The moment the Prisoner steps into Number 2’s impressive office he’s put straight under the spotlight! Is there a purpose to this, does it aid Number 2 in dealing with the new arrival? Is it some kind of interrogation technique? Perhaps the spotlight has no purpose, except for dramatic effect in highlighting the subject. On stage the spotlight, sometimes known as the followspot, operated by a spotlight operator {obvious really} uses the light to track actors around the stage. So it would seem that although ‘the Prisoner’ was being filmed for television, a stage effect was being used on this set. As the Prisoner walks around the chamber the spotlight is kept on him all the time. Perhaps it’s simply because Patrick McGoohan is the chief antagonist in this scene, and so the spotlight is kept on him.

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Quote For The Day

    “Shouldn’t you be doing this in the hospital?”
                                  {The Supervisor - –Dance of The Dead}

    The Supervisor is of course referring to the experiment the doctor Number 40 is about to carry out on Number 6, using Number 42, Roland Walter Dutton, as a communications medium. So why is the

doctor carrying out a medical experiment from the Control Room, instead of in the hospital? The reason is probably because there isn’t a large wall screen in the hospital like there is in the Control Room, without which the doctor might not have been able to carry out the experiment. He needs to supervise Dutton, and yet be able to observe Number 6’s reaction to Dutton’s telephone call. But might not the doctor have conducted the experiment with Dutton and Number 6 speaking on the telephone whilst in the same room?

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The Arrival

    Why was the Prisoner brought to The Village, why is any prisoner taken to The Village? Because they want information, and that is the main purpose for The Village, the extraction or protection of information! In Number 6’s case they know everything about him anyway, we’ve seen the file they have on him. But one thing is missing from that file, the reason behind his resignation, extract that from Number 6 and his file can be completed, then no doubt to be stored away in one of those grey filing cabinets seen in the opening sequence. You’ll recall how a card with Number 6’s picture upon it was filed under RESIGNED. Who then has access to the information filed away is anyone’s guess. But as they say, information is power. But then what about Number 6? If the reason for his resignation had been extracted, what would have happened to him then? In all probability he would have been of no further value, if they couldn’t turn him like they did with Cobb, and would have been left to live out his days in quiet solitude in The Village. As it is I should think that most days not giving up the reason behind his resignation gave him purpose, when he wasn’t trying to escape, either poking his nose in where it wasn’t welcome, or countering the machinations of Number 2. But think about it for a moment, if it had been Roland Walter Dutton we the viewer had been following in ‘the Prisoner, there would have been no future in the series after the doctor had conducted his final experiment on Dutton. There was no value in Dutton being the main character. Number 6 had to be a man of a very different calibre. And for the most part ‘the Prisoner’ is about Number 6, with the other citizens merely players who have their exits and their entrances, and once their part is played are never seen again. Except for the lucky few who lurk in the background, who on occasion, if only fleetingly, return to the fore, because no-one is as important as Number 6. And yet had Number 6 told the reason why he resigned, apart from it being a matter of conscience, just how important might he had been to them after that?

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Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

                      “Tic Tic Tic Tic!”

 BcNu

Thought For The Day

    I know the 50^th anniversary of the screening of ‘the Prisoner’ in Britain is coming up next year, and that is very much on the mind of enthusiasts for the series. This month I’ve had the production of the series much on my mind. The location filming at Portmeirion will have taken place by the end of the month, but a second film unit would be returning there in March 1967 to carry out further filming, with Frank Maher, Patrick McGoohan’s stunt double, mainly as Number 6. Meanwhile filming continued at MGM film studios at Elstree, creating huge interior and exterior sets, and huge painted backdrops of Portmeirion, which will be convincing enough at the time, and yet the atmosphere there will be very different from what it was elsewhere!
    And it must not be forgotten that ‘Arrival’ received its World premier at the Coliseum cinema in Porthmadog organized by Clough Williams-Ellis,  the very first preview of the episode. Clough sent out invitations to all his friends and important dignitaries, High Sheriffs, even the Chief Constable of Caernarfon, and Director/Producer David Tomblin also attended. Clough had sent for a 35mm print of the film, which was the only print in existence at that time, so extreme care had to be taken of it, being the only copy. The preview took place on a Sunday evening, even though the cinema had no license for seven days, and they were not allowed to show films on a Sunday. But the event went ahead anyway, and was a great success, and that was the first screening of ‘the Prisoner’ anywhere, a world premier in fact at the Coliseum cinema in Porthmadog albeit it a silent one!
    Actors and actresses would come and go, some only having worked on an episode for one day or perhaps two or three at most, and some not even working together. For example Peter Howell and Betty McDowell never worked together in ‘The General,’ they never once appear in a scene together. Sad to say, but for others working on ‘the Prisoner’ was perhaps the last acting role of their lives, all of whom had had wonderful acting careers having appeared on stage, screen, and television.
    50 years of my life have been spent appreciating ‘the Prisoner,’ there are those who would say get a life, well that’s a bit late now, at my age. And I’m far from alone, there are hundreds and hundreds of people of my generation who are still enthusiastic for ‘the Prisoner,’ it might be that we’re showing our age a little bit. Mind you the jacket of my suit, just like the one Patrick McGoohan wore in ‘The Prisoner,’ fits me perfectly just as it did in the mid 1990’s when I wore it to Prisoner Conventions. Though the trousers wore out years ago!
    As September draws on so does the end of the location filming for ‘the Prisoner’ at Portmeirion, the final day of filming was on the 30^th, when Patrick McGoohan directed a number of scenes for ‘The Arrival’ as it was called then. One being the Prisoner’s restructured first encounter with the Guardian on the beach. Meanwhile the second film unit was picking up on shots in the woods and for the beach chase scene. However yesterday September 16^th was the main film day for the Alouette helicopter, which covered Number 2 {Bill Tailor doubling for Guy Doleman} and Number 6 stepping out of the helicopter. The main scene filmed that day was Number 6’s attempted escape by jet boat, chased by Number 2 piloting the helicopter, and Number 6’s second encounter with the Guardian.

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Citizeness No.14

   You really should have told Number 2 you know, why didn’t you? The fact that Number 6 opened his eyes for a moment and saw you, your image projected onto the wall screen, and you didn’t inform Number 2 of this. What was it, the way Number 2 threatened to have the drug tested on you, if you failed to use it on Number 6? You are just like the rest, well not quite like all the rest, you have a conscience. You didn’t want your wonder drug proved on Number 6, before it had had a chance of being tested on animals first. I’d like to see you get into the dreams of a rat, or guinea pig! But your drug did work, you were able to get into Number 6’s subconscious, and even to manipulate his dream. You put him at one of Engadine’s celebrated parties in Paris. You engineered three meetings, put words into ‘B’s mouth. That’s called “inception!”
   Number 2 said your drug failed, but Number 6 succeeded, and you were pleased about that. Was it by chance that Number 6 was able to follow you from your cottage, through The Village, through the woods to the laboratory unobserved by you? Did you know you were being followed? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you used Number 6 against Number 2 from the moment Number 6 opened his eyes and saw you projecting your image on the wall screen. That’s why you didn’t inform Number 2, why you were so pleased that Number 6 succeeded.
    What happened to Number 14 after the events of ‘A B and C’ is anyone’s guess. It might be supposed that she was permitted to leave The Village, or continued to work on behind the scenes at the hospital, carrying on with her experiments seeing as her drug works. Or perhaps she paid the price for her betrayal of Number 2. In any case, at some point the number 14 becomes vacant, as the next number 14 is a chess playing ex-Count.

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What Was It No.2 Said?

   It was during the Prisoner’s de-briefing in ‘Arrival’ when they were watching pictures taken from the Prisoner’s life. He had arrived back  from Singapore, a change in climate, possibly feeling a bit shaky, he seemed to be sickening for a cold Number 2 said “Sneezed yourself out of our camera.” So it was agents working for The Village who were watching ZM73. The question now is, which British Military Intelligence department was responsible for The Village?

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A Favourite Scene In The Prisoner

   In ‘It’s Your Funeral’ a daily activity prognosis report on Number 6 is carried out, and during that report Number 6 daily climbs the Bell Tower, the subject is seen as eccentric, he’s constantly watching, waiting, or that he simply likes the view. But Number 6 never does anything without good reason. He might well be motivated to climb the Bell Tower because of what happened down on the beach that evening during ‘Dance of the Dead,’ when Number 2 caught Number 6 looking out to see. He was looking for a light, a boat, a plane, somebody who belongs to his world. So it seems reasonable that Number 6 still maintains that look out, but now from the highest point in The Village, the Bell Tower.
   Just one other thing, the statue has been removed since the Prisoner first climbed the Bell Tower on the day of his arrival in The Village. It makes one wonder why the statue was carried up the tower in the first place. If for some reason it was for the Prisoner’s benefit, it was a lot of trouble to go to haul a heavy statue to the top of the Bell tower, only later to have to remove it.

  If Number 6 is looking for someone from his world, a light for example, perhaps he should climb the Bell Tower at night, then he might see a light in a window of the house on the other side of the estuary! Unless the house is an outpost of The Village!

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Village People!

   The Village enjoys a youthful population, many of who must surely work for The Village, and the reward for that is they are looked after you for as long as they live. Which means they are the senior citizens of The Village, those who reside in the Old People’s Home, and for them The Village is no longer just a blueprint, but an actual place. Some of The Village’s senior citizens were probably responsible for the construction of The Village in some way, bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers etcetera, who were then forced to make it their home. But one day those senior citizens will no longer be, but found lying in The Village cemetery, until one day no-one living in The Village will know anyone who originally came to work on The Village. But The Village would always need to be maintained, and so the youthful members of the population would be trained to work as apprentices, and take the place of their predecessors. 

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Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

              “Something’s Not To His Liking!”


BcNu

Unrelated Numbers!

   Within ‘the Prisoner’ it is astonishing how many times a particular number is reused, such as 8, 10, 14, 22. The number 8 for example is nearly always issued to a woman, only in one case was it issued to a man, that of Number 8 in ‘Living In Harmony.’ We know what happened to Number 8 during ‘The Chimes of Big Ben,’ she was allowed to leave The Village. But what happened to change the number 8 of ‘Checkmate’ for a man in ‘Living In Harmony?’ While the number 14 is mostly a male number, only once issued to a female, that of a doctor in ‘A B and C.’ What might have happened to the good doctor-Number 14 in order for that number to be reissued to the ex-Count in ‘Checkmate?’ Who apparently wasn’t returned to the chessboard like Number 6, seeing as the number 14 is re-issued again to Number 2’s assistant in ‘Hammer Into Anvil.’

    And yet there are those in The Village who turn up in different episodes and wearing a different number! Have they been promoted, or demoted? It might well be that too much is made out of the numbers. ‘The Prisoner’ series is made up by 17 separate stories, so its quite probable that any numbers used in one episode are not relative to those same numbers used in other episodes, unless of course a character appears in more than one episode with the same number. There are only three numbers in ‘the Prisoner’ which keep to the same characters throughout the series, they are 2, 6, and 26, being the Supervisor.

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Bureau of Visual Records

   What do you do with a computer which has blown a few circuits, as with the General?

You salvage what components you can, and then those components can be incorporated in another computer. Then you relegate it to the cipher room as seen in ‘Hammer Into Anvil’ and ‘It’s Your Funeral.’

More than that, they saved the machine into which the Professor’s lectures were fed and transferred onto a metal strip, which in turn is fed into the General. This machine can be seen set on a stand in the background as Number 2 stumbles over the base of the arch in the top picture. On the other hand in this case the machine is just what it appears to be, a plain and simple Xerox photocopier!

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Caught On Camera!

    Or rather not in this case! Where is Number 22?
    Number 6 having realized the truth of what had been happening in Harmony, he hears the Brass Band playing, and sets off along a country track-way to find the source of the music. The Village he finds is less than a hundred yards away, and stands looking down upon an almost deserted Piazza. He then goes to the Green Dome where he finds Number 2 and Number 8 together, the Kid and the Judge. But what of Cathy-Number 22, she only appears in the scene in close-up, not in long-shot. And for that matter where’s the Penny Farthing bicycle gone?

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Village Life!

    “Now look lady, I’ve told you until I’m blue in the face. We don’t sell Woman’s Own, Women’s Realm, The People’s Friend, or The Radio Times.”
    No.36 “Well what magazines do you sell?”
    “The Tally Ho Journal and the Village Mercury, take your pick.”

    “Yes what do you want? No don’t tell me, you want a copy of Parade!”
    No.6 “Don’t be disgusting!”
    No.36 “Parade, what’s that?”
    “It’s a magazine full of birds!”
    “Exotic birds?”
    “Well one issue had this bird from Ceylon, she was pretty exotic!.......Look I haven’t time to bandy words with the likes of you. And you, if you don’t want a copy of Parade, what do you want, no don’t tell me, I’ll tell you. A copy of Exchange And Mart.”

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Numbers And Housing!

    When you consider that each Prisoner in The Village probably enjoys an exact replica of his, hers, or their own apartment, cottage, or house {Or at least part of it} it might require some transitional time between the arrival of one prisoner and another, in regard to their using the same number. But of course there is no evidence to say the newly arrived Number 8 had to wait until that number became vacant. Nadia could just have been issued with any vacant number, it just happened to be the number 8, seeing as the former Number 8 had vacated the premises. The same goes for Number 6. Also I wrote that his, hers, theirs was a perfect replica of their own apartment, cottage, or house, but is that correct? Because it isn’t in the case of Number 6, the only room in his cottage which is a perfect replica of his house in London {as far as we know} is the study. You will recall during ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ how Number 2 said to Number 6, while watching Nadia Rakovski waking up via the wall screen “An exact replica of her own room of course,” you will observe the word “room.” So if there has to be a transitional time between the old Number 8 having vacated the premises, and the arrival of a new Number 8, that time is greatly reduced because only a room in a building has to be an exact replica of a room in Nadia’s house back home in Estonia. The rest of ‘8 Private’ could have been as the former Number 8 vacated it. The same goes for Number 6, Alison-Number 24 in ‘The Schizoid Man,’ not to mention both the Professor and madam Professor in ‘The General. Number 6 said of Madam Professor that she lives in a most elegant house, which is suggestive of him having made a search of the whole house, although it appears he’s judging the whole house on one room. And that’s it, except for ‘6 Private’ we the viewer only see that one or perhaps two rooms of any house in The Village, and not the entire house. It would be a logistical nightmare if those responsible for construction in The Village, had to build exact replicas of entire houses instead of just one room. Imagine Number 6 on the day of his arrival in The Village, that when he stepped outside there was a perfect replica of his whole house as it stands in Buckingham Place in London!
    Numbers in The Village have to be constant, and there can be no same two numbers, unless sub-divided. And the number of a person’s cell dwelling must be the same as a prisoner’s personal number, otherwise you could have Number 9 living at ‘67 Private,’ and that would confuse things!
    Yes, there would have to be a transitional period between a person who had used a number, and someone who was to be given that same number at some point. Number 113 for example, was an old woman who died a month ago. What happened to the previous Number 113, a newspaper reporter for The Tally Ho, is unknown. But it would be a sad lookout for The Village administration if no-one could be brought there until someone dies. And yet numbers are reused. What happened to the number 8 of ‘Checkmate’ to be given to a man in ‘Living In Harmony,’ And the doctor-Number 14 for the number to be reissued to the ex-Count in ‘Checkmate,’ who may not have been returned to the chessboard like Number 6, only for the Number 14 to be re-issued again to Number 2’s assistant in ‘Hammer Into Anvil.’ And there is a question in that, what happened to the doctor-Number 14, and when did the ex-Count arrive in The Village? And yet there are those in The Village who turn up in different episodes and wearing a different number! It might well be that too much is made out of the numbers. The majority of the episodes that go to make up ‘the Prisoner’ are independent stories, and so it could be that a number which appears in one episode is not relative to that same number used in other episodes, unless a character appears in more than one episode with the same number. As a matter of fact the only characters who appear in ‘the Prisoner’ more than once who always bear the same number, are Number 6 and the Supervisor-Number 26, along with two Number 2s.

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The Last of MGM’s Film Studios!

    It doesn’t look much does it? It looks to be an ordinary, and architecturally uninspiring little building. However this little electrical substation provided electrical power for years to the MGM film Studios at Elstree.
    Back in 1970, after over 30 years of film and television production, the doors of MGM Studios, where the interior scenes for 'the Prisoner' were filmed, were closed, and over the next 16 years the site was gradually demolished.
   Today the site of the former film studio is occupied by office buildings, housing estates, and depots. And one can be forgiven for not realising the history and importance of the site, if one wasn’t aware. So much relating to the history of ‘the Prisoner,’ along with many films and television series have been swept away, but with one small exception. That ordinary, uninspiring little building, the electrical substation is all that remains of MGM Studios close to the old East Gate of the studio.
   However this is set to change, because Sainsbury’s, who own the building, which is located next to the Supermarket’s distribution depot, have sold of the property for development. The work is not due to commence for another 12-18 months, but it will be a sad day when the very last piece of the iconic MGM Studios will be no more.
   The news story can be read via the first link.

http://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/14694281.Up_to_250_people_may_lose_jobs_in_supermarket_distribution_
centre_move/

   And more information and details regarding MGM Studios can be read via the second link.

http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/mgmbore.htm

    Thanks go to Rick Davy for permission to use text information, and use of SR’s photograph.

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Extraction or Protection?

   When it comes to extracting information from Number 6, sometimes there are too many constraints placed upon Number 2. No extreme measure are to be used, mustn’t damage him say their masters, not wanting a man of fragments, or cannot use the usual methods, Number 6 being too important, but there are other ways! On the other hand take Number 40-the doctor in ‘Dance of The Dead’ who tried to extract information from Number 6 by using Dutton as a communications medium. He might not have succeeded, but we’ll never know if he could or might have done, because as it is Number 2 appears in the Control Room and puts an end to the doctor’s experiment. Perhaps because she was afraid that the doctor would go too far with Number 6. Unlike Dutton, Number 6 isn’t expendable.

    When Number 1 puts pressure on Number 2 it’s as though he or she is being put to the test as well as Number 6. It’s almost as though Number 1 doesn’t want Number 6 harmed, but doesn’t want the information he has extracted either. Is it Number 6 Number 1 is protecting, or the information inside his head?

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My Lights Have Gone Out!

     Hello my lights have just gone out.
     Well please remain where you are. You will find candles for such an emergency in the lower bottom cabinet in the kitchen.
     So it’s an emergency, that means the electrician will be walking here, and arrive at any moment.
    Did I say emergency?
    Yes.
    Well it’s not a proper emergency is it, I mean your lights have only fused. In the olden days people fixed a blown fuse themselves with length of fuse wire.
    You said the candles are in the lower bottom cabinet.
    Yes.
    And the matches?
    Matches?
    In a small box, short wooden sticks with a dollop of sulphur on one end, you strike.......
    Yes I know what a match is thank you very much. I just can’t recall which kitchen drawer they are in.
    Well there are only two drawers, so it’s a simple matter of elimination wouldn’t you say?
    Always depending on whether or not matches were placed in one of the drawers in the first place.

   You don’t happen to have a cigarette lighter do you?
    I don’t smoke.
    Well you don’t have to smoke to own a cigarette lighter you know.
    Ah, the electrician is here.
    Sorry for the intrusion sir. Ah I see you found the candles, and the matches!
    Yes.
    They don’t always you know.
    Don’t they?
    You’d be surprised.
    Now where’s the fault?
    In the fuse box I think.
    Don’t you know?
    Well if I knew I’d be the electrician wouldn’t I?
    Yes sir, I expect you would be.
    Now then where is the fuse box, I only ask sir, seeing as you live here and I don’t.
    It’s..........oh!
    Problem sir?
    The fuse box................
    What about it sir?
    It’s under the stairs.
    Well in my home the fuse box is under the stairs.
    There aren’t any stairs sir.
    I’ve just realized that, and this is supposed to be a replica of my home in Peterborough.
    Never mind sir, I expect I’ll find it.
    What Peterborough?
    No the fuse box. In the mean time I’ll get Electrics control to switch in temporary reserve. Can I use your phone sir.
   Yes, yes of course.
    Thank you sir. Hello operator put me through to Electrics Control.......what’s my number? 2468139200877866233490123654.......hello 257, this is 2468139 oh never mind, just switch temporary reserve electricity into Private 7.......yes that’s right. Well I can’t find the fuse box, this chap here seems to be under the impression its under the stairs, ’cept there isn’t any stairs.............well switch the temporary reserve in and that will bring the lights back on, then I’ll be clear to find the fuse box.............well I expect its a question of a blown fuse.........well you’d think he could fix it himself with a bit of fuse wire, well you know what they are, call us out for any little emergency..............well no it wasn’t really, that’s why I came on one of those tractor things.......No he doesn’t look as though he could fix a fuse, mind you he did find the candles and matches...............ah good the lights are back on.......he’s what, oh dear that’s nasty, a short circuiting table lamp..................
    Now the lights are on you can find the fuse box.
    All in good time sir. I’ll come back in the morning.
    What do you mean you’ll come back in the morning, what about the fuse?
    You’ve got lights haven’t you? I don’t know, some people want jam on it! Anyway I’ve got to go round to Private 12 there’s a short circuiting table lamp, someone could kill themselves if they’re not careful.
    Is it an emergency?
    Well it has to be, I’ve been told to walk!

BCNU

Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

                      “Fun And Games!”

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