You Are Number 6

    During the open sequence when Number 6 asks and the reply is given;

    “Who is Number 1?”

    “You are Number 6.”

    And there is nothing wrong in that, because Number 2 is merely telling Number 6 who he is. However, enthusiasts of the Prisoner have changed the context of this short interchange, by placing an emphasis on the word you, or punctuation in the appropriate place. Thereby making it appear that Number 2 is telling Number 6 that he is Number 1, and that in turn has given rise to fans being under the impression that we are told who Number 1 is during the opening sequence.

   It was during one of my forays into a copy of the original script for ‘the Prisoner,’ that I noticed a line in the opening sequences, and that line appears in all the scripts which notes the full opening sequence, as not all of them do. When Number 6 asks who is Number 1 the reply comes;

    “You are our Number 6.”

    Now had that line in the script been retained unedited for the completed opening sequence, it could not have been misconstrued by fans of the series in years to come.

   If during that opening dialogue Number 2 tells the Prisoner that he is Number 1 as fans have interpreted it, in 'Arrival' when Number 6 storms into Number 2’s office why does he demand;

    “Get him!”

    “I have taken his place. I am the new Number 2”

    “Get Number 1.”

    If the Prisoner knew he was Number 1 he wouldn’t demand this, he would be telling Number 2 what to do, and could leave the village anytime he wanted to!     And it must not be forgotten that in ‘Free For All’ Number 6 asks “How’s Number 1?” To which Number 2 replies “At the summit.”
       I like a comment I read this morning on facebook “As has been pointed out numerous times Number Two tells Number six: You are Number Six, with the emphasis on the 'you'. I've always taken this to mean, 'you have no right to ask who Number One is. Your number is six and that's all you need to know.' It's putting Number Six firmly in his place and telling him - or warning him - not to ask impertinent questions.”

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