the Prisoner - the essential guide Review by David A. Stimpson

   I am very impressed by ‘the Prisoner – the essential guide.’ The cover is well designed incorporating three photographs which I had never seen before. Rick Davy has obviously put a great deal of thought into the book which is well written and presented. Although any seasoned fan of ‘the Prisoner’ buying this book, will not find any information within its pages of which they are not already aware, it is a delight to read. ‘the Prisoner – the essential guide’ is an excellent book for anyone new to the series, in answering many questions, and the way it presents information about the series. It is quite astounding the amount of information that is packed into its 36 pages. So much is explained about the series and its production with a minimum of words. Anyone new to ‘the Prisoner’ would find it an absolutely invaluable introduction.
   Personally I was instantly attracted to the ‘Prisoner – the essential guide’ from a pictorial point of view, illustrated as it is with a large number of excellently reproduced photographs, many of the production photographs I had not seen before. I was especially intrigued with two photographs, one obliviously taken from the top of the portico of the Pantheon {Green Dome}, and one of director Don Chaffey who appeared to be wearing what I thought to be a Victorian gentleman’s smoking cap. So intrigued in fact, that I emailed Quoit Media Ltd asking if it was possible for me to see larger photographs of the two in question. Not only did Quoit Media Ltd kindly send the two photographs in question, but 7 others so that I could study them more closely, on the proviso that I keep them for personal viewing only, and so my curiosity was satisfied. I can confirm that director Don Chaffey is definitely wearing what I thought to be a Victorian gentleman’s smoking hat, complete with long tassel. I have never seen that before in any production photograph of ‘the Prisoner’, I find it quite astonishing!
   Rick Davy has my heartiest congratulations in producing ‘the Prisoner – the essential guide’ because although I discovered nothing new about ‘the Prisoner’ series itself there is plenty in it for me, as I was treated to a wonderful array of illustrations. And because of those photographs alone, I can highly recommend this book to both long seasoned fans as well as those new to ‘the Prisoner’ series. Take a bow Rick, and well done.

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Doing As The Cave Man Did!

    That’s a very odd coloured wood, it looks more like concrete!

    Number 6 made his own tools, seeing as basically abstract art is primitive. Stone axe, chisels this is hardly doing as the caveman did as suggested by Number 2. Stone age man used proper cutting tools made from flint. When Number 6 is felling that tree during ‘The Chimes of Big Ben,’ I’ve gone through that piece of film frame by frame and I cannot see where a metal axe {as opposed to the stone axe} is used to make those cuts in the tree trunk! Even though Number 6 had been using a stone axe which he apparently was, there’s no proper cutting edge to it, its blunt! But never the less Number 6 used the axe to fell a tree, to cut away the branches and bark, and then the stone chisels to hollow out the trunk of the tree to fashion the hull of a boat. Not to mention the mast and crosspiece, as well as the abstract bottom of the boat. Boat did I say, Number 6’s coracle was flat bottomed, it would not have behaved well at sea, having no keel. What’s more the bottom of the boat had holes in it. The tarpaulin which was used to wrap the hull of the boat, and give support to the bottom, would have been soaked with sea water, making Number 6’s craft most unseaworthy. 30 miles along the coat, I’d have been surprised if it made 30 feet!

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Thought For The Day

   In The Village there is an ex-Admiral formerly of the British Royal Navy. An ex-Count whose nationality is unknown, but whose ancestors played chess with their retainers, and they were beheaded as they were wiped off the board. And now we have Number 6 who is an ex-secret agent having resigned his job, formerly of British Military Intelligence. So that’s how you become an ex-something or other, you just give something up making the Prisoner-Number 6 an ex-secret agent!

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Village Life!

    “What do you call this.........I asked for coffee and what did I get?”
    “Something which tastes like oxtail soup, you can blame the tea machine, in time that’s what everyone else will do!”

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ThE PRisoneR

    Oh what it must be to be different. 6 is different, he stands out from the crowd wearing his suit at the dance. 2 also is different, the only one to wear a piped blazer, and yet he dressed identically to 6. Not so very different then. 2 also wears a completely different jacket to the normal single or double breasted plain blazer. The colour a kind of dove grey, with cuffs on the sleeves. Mrs. Butterworth as 2 wears her own dress of diamond pattern, as does Number 86 her dress of light blue more feminine than slacks, but not the usual attire for a doctor in The Village. The Butler also gets in on the act, he may have worn the formal dress of black tails, but he wears his colourfully striped cape inside out, as does Number 240. In the one case it would not have done to wear such a garish cape, in the other 240 probably doesn’t want to look stupid that’s all.

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Caught On Camera!

    For Information lift and press says the notice. For information, not to make a telephone call then, after all it is a telephone kiosk. If its information anyone wants they should go to the electronic free information board. You wouldn’t go to that if you were thinking of making a telephone call, so why go to the telephone kiosk for information?

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Teabreak Teaser!

    On the day of his arrival one of the first things he tried to do was make a telephone call. However despite the technological advances in The Village it still doesn’t have an automatic telephone exchange, and even if it had he still wouldn’t be able to make his call! The question is, who was the Prisoner trying to make a telephone call to? My money would be on the Colonel, after all he’s the person Number 6 goes running back to at the first opportunity, and even at the second opportunity! I doubt he would be trying to call his fiancée Janet Portland, he’d have one hell of a task trying to convince her of what had happened to him. He might expect Janet to tell her father Sir Charles Portland, she might even get her father to come to the telephone. Then again there’s always Fotheringay, or an outside bet might be that bureaucrat to whom ZM73 handed in his letter of resignation. But no, my money is still on the Colonel.

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Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

                 “The Guardian - The Retriever!”

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The Therapy Zone

    What was it Number 6 said in ‘A B and C’ whilst looking into a camera? Oh yes, “Be seeing you” and he gave that casual salute of his. This while Number 2 was watching Number 6 on the wall screen in his office, “No” said Number 2 “I’ll be seeing you.” But Number 2 doesn’t spend all his time spying on Number 6, no, he has Observers to do that for him. It’s just a pity they were not watching that time Number 6 followed Number 14 from her cottage, through The Village, and into the woods to the secret laboratory!
   When I watch that scene, I always have the feeling that Number 14 knows she is being followed by Number 6. That she deliberately leads him through The Village, through the woods to the laboratory so that he can break in to discover what she and Number 2 are doing to him. Through the film of Engadine’s party, the three box files, and above all the third dose of the drug which he is able to dilute. I’ve often thought why didn’t the doctor notice that the third dose of the drug was lighter in colour? Because it must have been after Number 6 had diluted it with water. But then perhaps she had, and realized what Number 6 had done, but purposely made no comment, after all Number 2 wouldn’t have noticed.
   Another occasion when the Observers might have been watching Number 6 was at night, when after the housemaid had made Number 6 his nightcap of hot chocolate and had departed the cottage, they would have seen Number 6 tip that nightcap into the sink. Then to take a glass he fills with tap water, and takes a sip. But then again perhaps an Observer had been watching, and he or she might have quietly smiled to him or herself, because it didn’t matter that Number 6 had poured his nightcap into the sink. Because the drug was in the tap water anyway! See, Number 6 has passed out, and is lying on the floor!

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It’s Inexplicable!

    Why did Number 6 choose the number 113 from that gravestone, when the grave of Number 141 is much older? Even though Number 113’s grave looks to be too fresh seeing as she died only a month ago. Number 141’s grave looks much older, and over grown. Perhaps it was to keep the number in the series. Before Number 113 was an old woman in a wheelchair, it was the reporter for The Tally Ho, and later TV cameraman in ‘Free For All. I take it you spotted that? Number 113 being the reporter for the broadsheet, while Number 113b was the photographer. But later they changed roles, Number 113b the reporter with a microphone and a tape recorder, and Number 113 with a strange looking TV camera! I wonder why the change, perhaps they had both been promoted, it certainly looks to be a step up the ladder for the both of them.

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Citizen No.2

   So Number 2 is not only Chairman of The Village, but also he’s the Chief Administrator as Top Hat official of Administration, as well as Chairman of the Board of Education. It would seem that this Number 2 has a great deal of authority. And yet as Chairman of the Board of Education he only has the casting vote, has no say on the board, he is reliant on the board members to approve the Professor’s lectures, as demonstrated with the Professor’s final lecture. The projectionist asked Number 2 if the lecture had been passed by the Board, to which Number 2 replied “It will be.”
   But it all went wrong for this Number 2. Well not wrong, disastrously wrong would be more like it. So what happened to this Number 2? Well he certainly wasn’t fit for a further term, because we never see this particular Number 2 again. Depending on where he originated from, he was probably returned there, maybe he was simply absorbed back into The Village Administration!

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Village Life!

    “You shouldn’t come in here dressed like that you know.”
    “Yes I know.”
    “It’s bad for discipline.”
    “Yes I know that.”
    “Then why do it?”
    “You know how much pressure I’m under.”
    “The last Number Two who went about in his pyjamas and dressing gown didn’t last too long after that.”
    “What happened to him?”
    “Well he’s not here is he, you are.”
    “You know if I didn’t know better I’d say you were enjoying this!”
    “What me?”
    “It’s not me its I, it’s only me when it’s in the predicament.”
    “And you’re in one of those alright!”
    “Alright don’t rub it in.”
    “Why do you think I’ve never gone for promotion, because I’m second to you, and I’ll still be here when you’re not.”
    “You’re a little ray of sunshine and no mistake.”
    “Well how do you think you’re going to get out of this one?”
    “It wasn’t my mistake.”
    “There’ll be the very devil to pay.”
    “It wasn’t my fault.”
    “What made you think it was such a good idea in the first place?”
    “I only did it for a bet.”
    “Yes, and now you’re stuck with it.”
    “Don’t I know it!”
    “Go on, show it to me.”
    “What here?”
    “I could do with a laugh.”
    “Not in front of this lot, you know what they’re like.”
    “Remind me again, what does it say?”
    “I heart Alan Tracy. There, satisfied?”
    “Number One has placed a Thunderbird puppet in charge of The Village!”
    “I’ll call International Rescue, they’ll soon get me out of here.”
    “Go on then, I’d like to see how they’re going to do that. I expect Jeff Tracy to go to any lengths to rescue one of his sons. I’ll get the helicopter to clear the landing pad!”
    “What for?”
    “The arrival of Thunderbird one.”
    “Why not Thunderbird four?”
    “The tides out!”

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New: The Prisoner – Essential Guide book

    AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW - 'THE PRISONER - THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE' - COMING JUNE 30TH 2017

    Rick Davy’s handy 36-page guide to Patrick McGoohan's cult 1960s TV series. Why Portmeirion? Who was Patrick McGoohan? What car did Number Six drive? Why the giant balloon? And what was it all about? The answer to all this, and more, is included. Also includes a reference guide to each episode, and a wealth of officially licensed and previously unpublished colour and black and white photographs.

   The book will very shortly be on sale, details are at:

 http://www.quoitmedia.co.uk/

BcNu

Caught On Camera!

    This is Barbara Yu Ling as Number 18, a taxi driver who is asked to take her fare to the nearest town. But the taxi service is only local, so the Prisoner asks her to take him as far as she can. Being only a local service Number 18 takes her fare on a tour of The Village via the scenic route. However by the end of the tour the taxi driver is still Number 18, but for some reason she has had a change of badge!

   The question is, why should a change in badge be required at all? Even if the badge had fallen off Barbara Yu Ling’s jersey it would still be in the taxi! It’s rather like Denis Shaw who plays the shopkeeper in the next scene. He starts of as Number 19, but by the end of the scene he’s had a change in badge and is Number 56! But in Barbra Yu Ling’s case at least continuity got the number right, if not the Penny Farthing!

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Quote For The Day

    “I told you.”
    “Don't worry, it was a good idea and you did your best. I'll stress it in my report.”
                   {Number 2 and Nadia Rakovsky– The Chimes of Big Ben}
    Nadia Rakovsky, if indeed that is her real name, is dressed for leaving The Village. To whom is she going to report, an external power, or some government department, or person outside The Village? Not to the Colonel, he has first-hand experience of how it all went wrong! But if by any chance Nadia is going to report to Number 1, in person, then she's in for a bit of a shock, considering who Number 1 turns out to be! Mind you she might have been planning to report to the General!

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Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

                          “The Ratcliffian!”

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Thought For The Day

    The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker, and The Girl Who Was Death, I’ve always seen the village of Witchwood as the Girl’s personal killing ground, while the place is standing. An abandoned village with a caterpillar tractor loader parked in the Blacksmiths, Witchwood ready for demolition. The only question is, why was Witchwood abandoned? Generally when a long established village is abandoned its to make way for something else, a reservoir or some such thing. Witchwood and the Village have three things in common, they both have a Bell Tower and a green Dome, and in time The Village will be as deserted as Witchwood!

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Village Life!

    Admiral “Now then this is how it was. The sea port was heavily fortified,”
    “Is this an exact replica of the port?”
    “Not exactly, there are no German gun emplacements.”
    “What about the U Boat pens?”
    “No, there are no U Boat pens. But there are towers, and where you are is the dry dock.”
    “Should we add U Boat pens to the model?”
    “No the U Boat pens aren’t important. It’s the gates to dry dock we we’re going to blow up.”
   “There aren’t any dry dock gates!”
   “No.”
   “That’s because the mission was successful!”
   “We haven’t blown them up yet.”
    “Ah!”
    “Now I was here on the bridge of HMS Tunbridge Wells with only a complement of a skeleton crew, we were crossing the Channel undercover of darkness.”
    “It was a suicide mission!”
    “We were to ram the gates of the dry dock, there were five hundred tons of high explosive aboard the ship. We had to ram the gates and the ship would blow up taking the gates with it. I’ll demonstrate.”
    “The plastic boat is HMS Tunbridge Wells.”
    “Yes.”
    “But why?”
    “Because I haven’t got a plastic model of a destroyer!”
   “No, I mean why did you have to blow these gates up?”
     “Because this dry dock was the only one large enough outside German ports, able to take a pocket battleship.”
    The Admiral demonstrates the attack using the plastic boat.
    “We were flying under German colours to try and fool them. But they must have realized something was wrong and they opened up with their heavy machine guns and then the eighteen pounders. We were hit several times, but it didn’t stop the ship from ramming the gates of the dry dock. The ship was wedged, but the explosive didn’t detonate!”
    “What did you do?”
    “Shells were exploding all around. The ship was on fire and could have blown up at any moment. So I got my men off and ran for it. We took out a couple of sentries, took their weapons and managed to steal a rowing boat. We had just about got out of the harbour when the ship blew up taking the gates with it. Then we rowed out into the English Channel, and as luck would have it we were picked up by a German patrol boat and the crew took us back into the harbour. We were interrogated, then put into a prisoner of War Camp.”
    “What a fantastic story.”
    “I’ll tell you another one, how me and fifteen others escaped that camp. Stalag Luft 23 was situated a few miles from a river, and an idea struck me, that if a group of use could build a boat, we might make it out to sea. So we decided to start a modelling club, making model yachts and ships out of bits of wood, this was to put the guards to sleep so they wouldn’t realize what we were really up to. Then one day Tommy Day hit on the idea of making a model of a destroyer, but full-size, I tell you we had to come up with a first rate plan with which to fool the guards to what we were doing! Well one day after the steal and two twin diesel engines had arrived.............”

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Death And Destruction!

    Symbolically speaking one could say creation out of destruction, although that really is a little unkind on the Professor and Number 12. Destruction of the General and with it Speedlearn, means the citizens of The Village have the freedom to think and learn for themselves. And yet Speedlearn was not meant for the citizens of The Village, but the people in the outside world. After all Speedlearn was but an educational experiment, and the citizens nothing more than guinea pigs. What would a three year history course really mean to anyone living in The Village? It wouldn’t matter in the slightest, but you’d never think it, judging by the way that night the students celebrated the fruits of Speedlearn. They celebrated like it was Carnival or Mardi Gras! One might say they were intoxicated by education, drugged and conditioned more likely, most certainly they were being tricked. And so Number 6, with the aid of Number 12 of Administration came to the aid of the citizens and released them from their slavery. Creation out of destruction!

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Thought For The Day

    Early on in Checkmate, as the human chess pieces are assembling to take their positions on the chessboard, our diminutive friend the Butler appears in the road having walked down the steps from the Green Dome. He is accompanied by a Top Hat official from Administration, who carries the Butler’s black and white striped umbrella and the chessboard. This makes the Butler look very important indeed, especially as he’s carrying the box of chessmen. The Butler is obviously a student of chess because he follows the human game on his own board. Some have said in the past that it’s the Butler who actually makes the first move, and that the two chess players are simply following the moves the Butler makes. It’s a nice idea, but that is not the case. After the game Number 6 and Number 14, the chess champion, are talking in the Piazza by the pool and fountain, when the Butler comes walking passed, he is not accompanied by the Top Hat official from Administration. Now the Butler doesn’t look so important because not only does he have to carry his own umbrella, the box of chessmen, but also the chessboard! The question isn’t why the umbrella, when it’s not raining, the reason being that an umbrella can also act as a parasol against the sun, its why the need for the Top Hat official in the first place?

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Escape And Come Back!

    Why did you escape and come back?
    I came back because I thought it was different!
    Different, you thought it was different?
    I escaped because I thought it was different there.
    Different to where?
    Here, different to here.
    But it wasn’t?
    No, it was just the same, only someone else was asking the questions!
    Someone else?
    Someone who is not you.............the Colonel.
    And so you came back.
    Yes.
    It’s almost as though you couldn’t stay away.
    Don’t flatter yourself, or this place.
    And yet you came back...........why?
    Life is better here.
    Why?
    I don’t fit in anywhere else.
    You’re an exile?
    A nameless exile.
    But here?
    I belong.
    I’m pleased you finally realize that Number Three.
    My number isn’t Three it’s Six.
    Well we thought we would reward you. Now you are only second to me, and two away from One.
    You expect me to be pleased about that?
    I must remember to amend your file. Six is a free number now, to be allocated to the next new arrival.
    Lucky him!
    It might be a her!
    And me?
    You have nothing more to offer us. Clearly you are no use to us in the outside World, clearly you couldn’t wait to return here. You know your trouble Number Three?
    No, but I’ve a feeling you’re going to tell me.
    You’re far too acclimatized to The Village. You have been out of circulation for far too long.
    Then let me go.
    You came back remember?
    What about my resignation?
    Oh not that old chestnut, we don’t care about why you resigned, it’s no longer important. The best we can offer is to find you employment here in The Village. A man of your calibre............ could do sterling work as an Undercover!
    A what?
    You could keep an eye on certain citizens.
    Like you perhaps?
    Oh no not me, I’m Number Two, I am beyond question.
    No-one is beyond question.
    You think so?
    You’re setting a trap for me.
    It’s only a trap if you want it to be.
    Village is all there is for me now.
    Have you only just realized that Number One?

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Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

                       “Ou desirez-vous aller?”

BCNU

Caught On Camera!

   In the background what are those two chaps doing with that dinghy in the pool? Are they just two eccentrics messing about in a boat, or are they secretly, in the open, cleverly practicing an escape plan? The one pulling the other because the water in the pool isn’t deep enough for the use of oars. To be honest I’m surprised the water is deep enough in order for the dinghy to float, I’m sure it must touch the bottom more often than not. It might be they are preparing for a Village boating regatta, certainly the two chaps are dressed for a regatta. Come to think of it, everyone in The Village is always dressed for a regatta! And the tricycle pictured in the foreground, is the third form of peddle transport.

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The Prisoner XXXXXXXXXX-ED Out!

       A week ago saw the end to the current screening of ‘the Prisoner’ on ‘True Entertainment,’ although at the time I didn’t know it! I took a look at ‘True Entertainments’ programme listing for next Sunday {June 25^th} and the two Prisoner episodes are not listed, removed and replaced by the early life of Elizabeth Taylor. Couldn’t they wait and see ‘the Prisoners’ eventual outcome? Apparently not!

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The Prisoner – True Entertainment?

   No longer ‘True Entertainment,’ as for a second time during the Sunday screenings of ‘the Prisoner’ two episodes have been taken off air, today it’s the turn of ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling,’ and ‘Living In Harmony.’ In their place the early years of Elvis {Twice} and John Denver take me home! I could watch the two episodes via good old fashioned video tape, or DVD, but it just wouldn’t be the same as a live screening so to speak, I have even become used to the stretched picture aspect. Well all I can say is, there’s not much harmony about, and the Prisoner has been forsaken, which means there are four episodes missing from this screening. They didn’t re-insert ‘Many Happy Returns’ and ‘Dance of The Dead,’ so they won’t re-insert ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling,’ and ‘Living In Harmony.’

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A Favourite Scene In Hammer Into Anvil

    When Number 2 is interviewing the leader of the Brass Band, all Number 6 did was ask him to play the Farandole from the L’arlesienne suite and Number 2 had the Band leader hauled in for interrogation!

    “A request you say?”

    “Yes sir. That's all, he asked me to play the Farandole from L'Arlesienne suite.”

    “What else?”

    “I don't understand sir.”

    “What else did he say?”

    “Nothing sir.”

    “Nothing! Number Six just asked you to play a tune... and then walked away.”

    “Did he sir? I didn't notice.”

    “Does that make any sense to you?”

    “No sir.”

    “No, it doesn't, does it. I'll ask you once again... did Number Six say anything else.... about me for example?”

    “About you sir?”

    “Well did he?”

    “No sir.”

    “Perhaps you've forgotten. Try to remember!”

    “He didn't sir.”

    “You're lying aren't you? There's something going on!”

    “I don't know what you mean sir.”

    “I don't know what you mean sir. I'm as much in the dark as you are. You're all lying! Its a plot! Going behind my back. Who do they think they're dealing with? Pigmies!”

   Number 2 didn’t believe him, he was sure Number 6 had said something else to him, but of course he hadn’t. Number 202 was merely unwittingly used in one of Number 6’s little jamming activities against Number 2, and he fell for it! But in the end Number 2 did finally realize that the Band leader didn’t know what Number 2 was talking about and let him go. Number 2 doesn’t have a very high opinion of the citizens, he called them pigmies. I suppose he looks upon the citizens of The Village as small insignificant people, personally I’ve always seen that as an insult to the Pigmy people who are anything but insignificant.

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EsCApE

    I would have thought they would have let me go by now, I’ve nothing left to tell them. They did say they would let me go, if I gave them some sort of information. At first I resisted, well you do don’t you at the beginning, it was just questions they asked. It was easy to resist, by simply not answering their questions with no comment. No comment I said, to each question I answered no comment. But then they start playing tricks, by getting some young attractive woman to use her feminine wiles against you, to play on your sympathies, and play the damsel in distress. But I was having none of it, mind you Number 9 was damned attractive. But then they start playing with your mind, they twist things so that you don’t know what day of the week it is, not that you can ever be sure what time of day it is, what week, month, year it is in The Village.
    One chap said he could be my friend, could be but he wasn’t, he had me half electrocuted! Another filled me with mind bending drugs, and that was that, I talked oh God how I talked, I talked so much they couldn’t shut me up! I told them everything I knew, and quite a bit I didn’t think I know.
    Now I’m here, still waiting to be released from the peaceful atmosphere of The Village. Mind you it’s not so bad, they look after you here and for as long as you live. Three square meals a day, with nothing to do and all day to do it in, my god I’m bored!
    In the beginning there was the desire for escape. I’d talked with others and listened to what escape attempts they had all tried, they’d all failed of course because they were still here. So seeing no-one had tried to escape by digging a tunnel, like that Count of Monte Cristo, I started digging. My cottage was less than one hundred yards from the edge of the woods. I had to stop my maid coming to the cottage, couldn’t have her discovering my secret and give the game away before I had hardly begun. But she wouldn’t go away, go away I shouted, your services are no longer required. I drew the curtains and blinds across the window, but that made her even more curious. She whispered to me through the letter box “What are you doing?”
   What I was doing was taking up the floorboards in the living room, and digging a hole in the bare earth with a spade I stole from the gardener’s hut, that’s what I was doing. “Are those floorboards piled up there, and what’s that heap of earth, are you digging a hole?” the maid asked peering through the open letter box. I’m digging a tunnel if you must know. “Oh good, let me in and I’ll help you with it.” What are you doing there Number Twenty-nine?” a man’s voice asked. “Number Nine is digging a tunnel, and he’s going to let me help him with it.” “Oh goody the man said, perhaps he’ll let me help as well.” Before I knew it there was a line of people outside my cottage door, and all I could do was open it and let, all twenty two of them, in. Curiously they had all brought shovels and spades with them.
    We all dug for days on end, in shifts, half would dig while the others slept and vice versa. Then one day, it was around the noon of day when one of the diggers reported that we’d broken through. I was much relieved because my calculations had us having dug our way through to the other side of the woods, and should now be digging upwards to break through to the surface. And yet, we entered a tunnel, a tunnel which opened into a small cavern. It soon became clear that we had dug our way into a little gold mine! In the end it might be thought that wealth bought us all our freedom, but no. Number 2 couldn’t allow us to leave, after all who would work the mine?

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Quote For The Day

    “I am glad you’re here.”
                       {Number 2 – The Chimes of Big Ben}
    Why should Number 2 be glad that Number 6 is in The Village? After all Number 6 could be anyone at all. Perhaps Number 2 has had prior knowledge of Number 6 during his life beyond The Village. After all in ‘Once Upon A Time’ Number 6 did claim to know Number 2. “I know you” he said, and went on to call Number 2 an enemy. Maybe he knew this man worked for The Village. As for Number 2 it’s perhaps a simple case of him having read Number 6’s personal file, and he was glad to have a man of his calibre as an adversary he can pits his wits against!

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Cartoon Capers!

   The Times newspaper June 17^th 2017-06-17

    My wife was reading The Times newspaper this morning, and reaching the business section gave out a cry and said “Look!” I couldn’t believe it!
    This cartoon appeared with an article about the Bank of England and Britain’s rising debt. That’s Mark Carney the Governor of the Bank of England! The Cartoon is by Chris Duggan.

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Patrick McGoohan - A Perfect Likeness!

    I have received intelligence that there is now a bust of Patrick McGoohan in Portmeirion, which is attached to a plinth and positioned in the old Toll Booth attached to Toll House. The bust is an excellent likeness of Patrick, and well placed, as well as in keeping with Portmeirion.

   The bust is by French Sculptor Tiziano and dated 31st May 2017

   The photograph by kind permission of Rick Davy

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thePrisonerCon2017

   Intelligence reached me this morning about the cancellation of thePrisonerCon2017 event to have been held in Seattle in the United States of America. This is due to the lack of registrations of people wanting to attend the event. This is confirmed by the organizers.

BNCU

A Favourite Scene During The Chimes of Big Ben

    After Number 6 emerges, from what he thought was an office he knew very well in London, only to find he’s still in The Village. He sees Fotheringay, Number 2, and the woman Nadia standing outside the Recreation Hall, and walks over to them. He looks up and says nothing. They look down on him as he looks up at them and simply gives the salute and says “Be seeing you,” then walks away. I’m always impressed by the way Number 6 takes this defeat in his stride, but then perhaps he can see that any protest either physical or verbal would be a waste of effort. Besides it would get him precisely nowhere, he probably wouldn’t want to give them the satisfaction. Yes he has been betrayed, but Number 6 only had himself to blame, so gullible as to believe Number 8 knew the location of The Village. He didn’t even question her on how she had been able to contact Karel when she was a prisoner in The Village! But Number 6 has learned a hard lesson, he now knows who has put him in The Village, seeing as he’s been betrayed by his own people, the Colonel and Fotheringay. So he can no longer depend upon help from that quarter, which leaves Number 6 completely on his own, without a friend or anyone he can place his trust in!

Be seeing you