Insoluble For Both Man And Machine!

    No.100, he was the interim No.2’s assistant in ‘It’s Your Funeral.’ He was involved with Plan Division Q, and radicalized No.51 the watchmaker. So at the end of that fight with No.6, when 100 had been attempting to retrieve the remote detonator, what would have made the Guardian attack No.100? The original script has the Guardian suffocating No.100, this was actually filmed, but never used in ‘It’s Your Funeral.’ However part of the scene was used in ‘Arrival’ when the young man in the sunglasses and striped jersey is being suffocated by the Guardian. So I feel the question is still very much relevant, why would the Guardian have attacked No.100 when he was the interim No.2’s assistant? I can only surmise it was to protect No.6, but that seems an odd thing for it to do!

Be seeing you

Quote For The Day!

    “Its not often one gets a second chance.”
    “There are no second chances.”
    “There are sometimes for the lucky ones.”
                             {Curtis No.6 and Alison-No.24 ‘The Schizoid Man}

   Three No.2's are given a second term of office, No.2 of ‘A B & C,’ who was returned for a second term of ‘The General.’ He saw Speed Learn as being the most important human experiment ever to be conducted. During this episode he placed his trust in technology namely the General. And yet he allowed No.6 to get the better of him, just as he had allowed No.6 to out manoeuvre him in ‘A B & C’ when he had placed his trust in the doctor-No.14 and her new wonder drug. Such was this man's over confidence in both cases, and his underestimation of No.6. And yet had ‘A B and C’ and ‘The General’ run consecutively, or possibly the other way around, then this No.2 would have had to leave the village simply to be brought back at a later date. It would also have proved to have given the series a slightly different aspect, to have one defeated No.2 still to be in office in the following episode. And that might have been the original idea, after all in the opening sequence of ‘The General’ it goes that he is the New No.2, when in the opening sequence of ‘A B and C’ Colin Gordon tells the Prisoner he is No.2.

    No.2 of ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ was to be brought back to the village for a second term of office, and he was far from happy about it. He told them the last time that No. 1 was using the wrong approach, this time they do it his way, and that there is no other way. He was a good man, is a good man but if they get No.6, he will be better. Such was Degree Absolute, it had to be either one of them, and No.2 put his life on the line for the cause. But perhaps there are better causes to die for!

     What of the third No.2 who was returned to the village? Well not exactly for a second term of office, but for the role of a High Court Judge, he was brought back to oversee three court cases against three individuals, and resolve the question of revolt in ‘Fall Out.’ And perhaps, depending on how you look at it, to have a final throw of the dice against No.6 in a final attempt to manipulate the Prisoner by first praising him for his private war against the village, then offering him ultimate power. Finally they faced No.6 with himself, as they had once before when they took away his identity in an attempt to break him. In ‘Fall Out’ they faced the Prisoner with himself again, in order to show him that he has been responsible for his own predicament and therefore responsible for the village all the time. Well I suppose it was worth a try. Anything is worth a try once.

Be seeing you

THEPR1S6NER

    16 is the number, or it could be 1-6, perhaps 1 and 6, that’s one and sixpence in old money, or 18 pennies, 36 half pennies. Either that or 1 and 6 different sides of the same coin, added together they make 7. Perhaps No.7 is the boss, after all 1 and 6 cannot both be the boss, and yet they are both prisoners. Although it appears to me that 6 as a prisoner enjoys a certain amount of freedom in the village, unlike his other self who is a prisoner cooped up inside that rocket day and night. 1 doesn’t even get to go out into the village like No.6 does. I’m surprised 1 didn’t try to change places with No.6, to put the cowled robe on 6 and see how he likes it being cooped up in that rocket. But perhaps that might be too dangerous, we saw what No.6 attempted to do soon after assuming the role as the new No.2, imagine what he might try to do as No.1 in that rocket!

Be seeing you

A Right Pair of Six’s!

    “Well you seem pretty pleased with yourself, that’s not like me at all! What’s put you in a good mood?”
    “I’ll be damned!”
    “Yes, you probably will be.”
    “I suppose you’re supposed to be me!”
    “There’s no supposed about it.”
    “You’re the goodie Number 6 who is supposed to be proving me wrong.”
    “That’s right.”
    “Well how do you propose to do that? Oh don’t tell me, you work on the principle that the good cowboy wears a white hat, and the baddie a black hat.”
    “Something like that.”
    “Well you’ve got off to rather a bad start, looking at the colour of your blazer.”
    “Its brown, what’s wrong with that?”
    “Nothing, except in a certain light it looks black!”
    “Well I’ve certainly never worn a white blazer like that before!”
    “Well you know what they say.”
    “No, what do they say?”
    “A change is as good as a rest!”
    “I’d never go about wearing a badge like that. So that’s twice you’ve got me wrong!”
    “You mean you would refuse your identity?”
    “I am not a number……..”
    “I am a free man!”
    “You mock me!”
    “Not at all, it’s just that acceptance makes life here a little more worth living.”
    “You’ve never tried to escape?”
    “Yes several times.”
    “Then why are you still here?”
    “That’s because you have never succeeded!”
    “What do you mean by that?”
    “Well if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here, it’s as simple as that!”
    “You expect me to believe that I’m you and you are me?”
    “The sooner you come to terms with that, the easier it will be for the both of us.”
    “You, you’re nothing like me!”
    “I should take a look in the mirror if I were you mate!”
    “Look I know who I am, Number 2 knows who I am, I just don’t know who you are!”

    “There’s an easy way to settle this.”
    “How do you mean?”

    “Show me your bruised fingernail!”
   

Be seeing you

In The Village!

    In the Village there are times when people genuinely appear to be enjoying themselves, mostly down on the beach, either sunbathing, playing beach ball, building sand castles, or sailing plastic boats. Not like that time during Carnival when there was nothing but blank expressions on people’s faces. The brass band played, but the cheers of the parading people were fake, piped over the Village via the public address system! Well no-one truly enjoys Carnival do they, and those that do are simply an annoyance to those who do not. And yet there was the Mardi-Gras atmosphere in the Village at the time of Speed Learn dashing about, brandishing placards “No home work with Speed Learn” and wearing masks of all kinds. I think that was truly the one time when the citizens were enjoying themselves, as they celebrated the joys of Speed Learn. Yes the students were being force fed knowledge, but there didn’t seem to be any use of drugs, merely hypnosis as they sat staring at television screens.

Be seeing you

Life In The Village!

    “222 I’m just about fed up with your continuously playing “sailing by!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFdas-kMF74

    “It was composed by Ronald Binge in 1963. Where are we by the way? This isn’t the village.”
    “No, we’re in the Atlantic ocean.”
    “What are we doing here?”
    “Having a nice little sea voyage.”
    “What are you doing now?”
    “You have one component I need.”
    “I’ve warned you before, deliberate damage to official property will result in a fine or imprisonment.”
    “Tell it to the Judge!”
    “You can’t take me to pieces like this, you’ll be all alone!”
    “That’s no bad thing!”
    “Look I warn you if you don’t sto…………..”

Be seeing you

Tales From The Village

    As No.9 arrived on the quayside she could see a day on the beach was out of the question, seeing as the tide was in, in fact the tide had not gone out for three whole days! Then she noticed the two motor mechanics working on a speed boat, she made her way to the slipway and approached the two men.

    “Waterskiing miss?” the first mechanic asked “not sure about that.”

    “Has she got a chit?” the second mechanic asked busy working on the engine.

    “A what?” No.9 asked.

    “A chit from No.2 authorising you to go swimming.”

    “I had no idea I needed a chit” she told them.

    “Well if you go and get the proper permit, me and my mate here will be more than happy to take you water skiing.”

    They watched as the girl in the white bathing costume made her way back to the road.

    “I didn’t know you needed a permit” No.251 said.

    “Perhaps by the time she comes back, you’ll have that engine fixed.”

    “A what?” No.2 asked.

    No.22, his assistant simply stood and shrugged his shoulders.

    “I was told” the girl began “by one of the motor mechanics that in order for me to go water skiing I would need a chit signed by you.”

    No.22 grinned.

    No.2 shot 22 a disparaging glance “Well my dear that is quite correct” and he searched for a piece of paper “ah yes, here we are” he said producing a note pad. If you would do the honours 22.”

    No.22 stepped forward and took the accepted note pad and pencil “How would you like the permit phrased Number 2?”

    “I hereby give Number 8 permission to go water skiing, signed Number 2.”

    “I hereby” No.22 said as he wrote “give Number 9 permission to go water skiing, signed Number 2” then tearing off the top sheet handed the permit to No.9.

    No.9 accepted the permit then asked “Who do I give it to?”

    No.22 looked puzzled “That’s a good question…..I suppose you had better give it to me” he said.

    “There you are then, you see I like to obey the rules” she said handing back the permit to No.22

    No.9 left the Green Dome, crossed the street, went down the steps and walked along the cobbled path. There was another set of steps just before the Pink pavilion, No.9 descended the steps until she stood at the foot of the waterfall, then made her way to the slipway.

    “Look out, she’s back!” said one of the motor mechanics.

    “So she is, come water skiing then miss?”

    “She’s come water skiing, but has she got the permit?”

    “Did Number 2 give you a permit to go water skiing?” asked the second motor mechanic.

    “He authorised it, but it was his assistant Number 22 who wrote out the permit, although Number 2 signed it” she told them.

    “Can we see the permit?”

    “I gave it back to Number 22.”

    The two motor mechanics looked at each other.

    “Why did you do that?” asked the first motor mechanic.

    “I asked who should I give it to, and 22 said I should give it to him.”

    Again the motor mechanics looked at each other.

    “I can’t help but think there’s a flaw in that somewhere” said the first mechanic.

    “You should have brought the permit to us.”

    “Why?”

    “So that we can see you have a permit to go water skiing!”

    “Well I don’t really care whether I go water skiing or not now!” she said.

    “What?”

    “She said she doesn’t care whether or not she goes water skiing or not”

    “I know, I heard!”

    “I think I’ll go for a paddle in the free sea!”

    “Yes I should, instead of bothering the likes of us, we’re busy you know, we’ve not got time to go water skiing, or paddling in the free sea!”

    It was some little time later that No.9 found herself in the Piazza where a number of citizens were promenading; after all it was the place to be seen. There was a chap wearing a straw boater trying to paddle about in a small dingy, but with little success. No.9 laid a towel on a bench then walked casually across to the pool and fountain. She stood there for a moment or two looking into the water.

    Two men sat on a nearby bench watching Number 9, she was attractive, tallish, with a trim figure, and auburn hair.

    “What do you think she’s going to do Number 52?”

    “Go for a paddle I expect 46.”

    “She’s rather attractive don’t you think?”

    “Yes rather, she’s just my type.”

    “You don’t think……..”

    “I don’t think what?”

    “That she’s going to dive in do you?”

    “Course not, anyone with an ounce of sense can see that’s the shallow end!”

    No.9 moved along more towards the fountain still gazing into the water.

    “She is you know, she’s going to dive or jump in!”

    “She’ll do herself a mischief if she does!”

    No.9 stepped up to the very edge of the pool, now other people stopped their promenading and watched the young woman. A woman stepped forward.

    “I wouldn’t do that if I were you miss, you’ll hurt yourself.”

    But she wasn’t listening, and dived headfirst into the free sea, and was gone!

    “What!” shouted No.2 into the yellow ‘L’ shaped intercom “She can’t be, it’s impossible!”

    “But sir” said the Supervisor “there are witnesses to swear to the fact that Number 9 dived into the free sea.”

    Two frogmen were duly sent to the Piazza, they stood on the edge of the pool looking into the water.

    “This is daft, it’s impossible!” said one.

    “Someone’s off their head” said the other

    No.22 was close by keeping the situation under observation “Are you two ready?” he asked.

    The two men in wetsuits looked quizzically at No.22.

    “Look it’s as shallow as shallow can be” said the first.

    “Why don’t you simply have the pool drained?” asked the other.

    “Get your breathing apparatus on and get into the water” 22 ordered.

    One of the frogmen turned and picked up an oxygen tank and strapped it on, his diving buddy did likewise.

    “You know what?”

    “Yes I think I do, we’re going to look a complete couple of idiots flapping about in the shallow water!”

    “I couldn’t have put it better myself!”

    Each diver dipped his face mask in the water, spat on it and put it on. Then tested their mouth pieces, and jumped into the water……………

    Much to the two diver’s surprise the water was deeper than expected, and the deeper they dived the darker the water became. They switched on their torches and swam on, a little way ahead rock walls made a narrow underwater passageway, the divers looked at each other, both perplexed as to what had happened. Checking their air gauges they saw they had about twenty minutes of air left in their tanks, which meant they had five minutes before they had to turn back. They went on along the underwater passage way which eventually led them upwards, but by now they had passed the point of no return, with less than fifteen minutes of air left they swam on. Eventually they broke the surface of the water to find themselves in an underwater cavern. They shone their torches about the cavern, then lying on some rocks on the further side, was a body in a white bathing costume. The two frogmen emerged from the water, removed their air tanks and went to the body of the woman known as No.8, she was dead. Then two glowing spheres appeared, two amorphous membrane beings…..Guardians! The two frogmen stood perfectly still, then one made a sudden move for his air tank, one of the Guardians was on him before he reached it. He struggled against the thing that was trying to cover his face, he clawed at the membrane, he screamed, and screamed again as the membrane covered his face, his lungs bursting for air as he was slowly suffocated falling back on the sandy floor of the cavern……dead! The second frogman took his chance and dived into the water, the two Guardians returned to the dark depths of the underwater cavern. It was some two days later, and the good citizens in their brightly coloured clothes were promenading in the Piazza. When suddenly there came a large water spout, and the body of the frogman shot up and floated in the free sea. An ambulance was called for, and the body taken to the hospital, the man had drowned. During the ensuing days the pool of the free sea was drained, there was no sign of a hole or any other portal through which three people could disappear. The base of the pool was solid concrete, and just to make sure, another two inches of solid concrete were added. No-One goes paddling in the free sea any more, however the ex-Admiral and his flag officer can be seen sailing their plastic boats in the water. Despite the fact that a small Guardian has been known to make an appearance via the fountain from time to time.

Be seeing you

Die 6 Die, Diiiiiiiiieeeeeeeee

   The television viewer is told, as No.2 told No.1, that he must risk either one of them. Meaning that with Degree Absolute it must to be one or the other of them, No.6 or No.2, that only one of then can leave the Embryo Room….alive! That being the case, No.2 foresaw the real possibility of his own death. And in reality Patrick McGoohan almost did kill Leo Mckern, at least that’s how it looks on the screen, and such was Leo’s experience at the hands of McGoohan!

   No.2 is a good man, he was a good man but the failure of ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ was not his fault as he told them earlier they were using the wrong approach, and yet it was he who ultimately carried the can, no matter how much Nadia expressed it in her report how No.2 had done his best. But there seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to why No.2 should have to die, but then it was he who suggested that it had to be either one of them. I realize that Degree Absolute is a recognized method used in psychoanalysis, or at least No.6 recognized it as such. But having one of them die does seem rather extreme. But was it No.2 who died in that embryo room? I only ask in recalling the words of the Prisoner “Die Six….die….die…diiiee!”

Because it must not be forgotten that at some point in their deliberations, the patient had changed places with the doctor, and it was No.6 that the Prisoner wanted dead!

BCNU

Life In The Village!

    “222 what’s the time?”
    “Its ten minutes to curfew. If Number 8 doesn’t leave soon she will be locked in.”
    “Don’t you mean locked out?”
    “No, 8 Private isn’t fitted with an electronic door!”

Be seeing you

Watching The Prisoner – Checkmate

    It has now been 3 months and 6 days since the Prisoner’s abduction to the village and yet we have witnessed a mere 3 hours and 20 minutes of those 3 months and 9 days. During which time at a secret establishment an electronic engineer invented an electronic defence system. A problem developed, he thought that every nation should have it, because in his mind it would have meant world peace. Such thoughts were seen to be treasonable, so presumably he was put under close surveillance. But then some petty bureaucrat let his bag, containing the plans for the electronic defence system, get swiped by an agent working for the village. Once the plans had arrived in the village scientists began to work on them in order to implement an electronic defence system for the village. However problems probably developed in trying to reduce the system to a workable size, and so seeing as the inventor was being brought to the village anyway for expressing treasonable thoughts, No.2 forced No.53 {the Rook} to work with scientists and eventually his electronic defence system evolved into the Beam which is deployed in a later episode, ‘Hammer Into Anvil,’ to bring down a pigeon!

    In an earlier episode No.6 questioned how many of each, who is standing beside you now? He went on to say he intended to discover them, who the prisoners and who the warders. In this episode No.6 is given a lesson in learning who is for him or against, the way it is in life, you judge by people’s attitudes. And so armed with knowledge No.6 sets about discovering people he can trust.
    No.6 organises an escape plan, but alone on the raft the Rook has time to think and puts to No.6 his own test. You see there’s been a slight misunderstanding.

   “You, you’re one of them!”
   “I’m not, you are! You deliberately tried to trap me.”
   “I did what?”
   A slight misunderstanding, when No.6 took command of the escape venture his air of authority convinced the Rook that he was one of them. Then he rowed the raft back to shore, made his way to the Green Dome, convinced the rest of No.6’s confederates, who released No.2.  No.6 asked what will happen to them? No.2 said they would be back on the chessboard the next day as pawns. But we never see No.56 the shopkeeper again, he’s replaced by No.112, a weasel type of character. The white Queen is never seen again after being seen down on the beach, neither is No.53 {the Rook}.

    Who says people do not enjoy themselves in the Village? Down on the beach citizens spend time sunbathing, playing beach ball, building sandcastles, sailing plastic boats, or simply relaxing in the sunshine giving the village an almost holiday resort atmosphere. Less work and more play you might say.

  There might be the enjoyment of a car chase in ‘The Girl Who Was Death’ when Mister X is the hunter on the trail of the Girl, there is also a car chase of sorts in ‘Checkmate,’ and for once No. 6 is the hunted! No. 8 is put on the trail of No. 6 by the doctor who has had her hypnotized into believing she is in love with No. 6 and he with her. No. 6 steals a taxi and No. 8 steals another and goes after him but how she manages to lose him I don’t know seeing as the village is small enough, you’d think it would be difficult to lose anyone. At one point No. 6 takes a side road and No. 8 drives on seemingly out of the village and along the driveway towards…..towards where? But there’s no danger of interference as No.2 wants this new device {the reaction transmitter} to have a proper test. There is also the question of love, No.8 declares her love to No. 6 and sees how they could be happy together. Whilst the Girl in ‘The Girl Who Was Death’ having declared her love for him, would probably love him to death!
   Whereas ‘Free For All’ has an election for its theme, ‘Dance of the Death’ is wrapped around death, ‘Checkmate’ has technology and experimentation as its theme. Adaptation of Pavlov’s experiments with dogs, and Naval experiments using Dolphins to detect submarines. The doctor No.23 sees the citizens of the village only as experimental subject matter. It doesn’t take her long to size up No.6 wanting to know his breaking point. The doctor-No.40 of ‘Dance of The Dead’ saw how every man has his breaking point, but then he went too far with Dutton. No.6 on the other hand is put through a number of severe word association tests, and it’s in a couple of scenes we see the psychologist No.39, who we shall see again in ‘The Schizoid Man’ to be watched on Feb10th.

Be seeing you

Quote For The Day

    “One likes to know everything.”
                                  {Number 2 – Arrival}

    That being the case, No. 2 had better read my book ‘The Prisoner Dusted Down!’ And that’s the rub you see, might it not be a simple case of No. 6 having been brought to the village in order to have his personal file brought up to date? The one piece of information lacking was the reason behind his resignation. And yet there was no lawful reason they should need to know, no lawful reason why he should tell them. But had he told them what then? Would they simply let him go? Not likely, not with the knowledge of the village inside his head. The moment the Prisoner woke up in the village, and the attitude he displayed made him a lifer, with no hope of parole!

Be seeing you

No One Will Be Any The Wiser!

    “I’ll know.”

    “That’s as may be, but will you tell?”

    “Number 6 is dead.”

    “Yes.”

    “Rover got him.”

    “Yes funnily enough I’ve been keeping up with current events.”

    “What’s to be done?”

    “I’m thinking.”

    “What’s to think about, and isn’t it time I was leaving?”

    “What, yes, well perhaps a word with the girl Alison before you go.”

    “What for?”

    “Our masters think she might have some insight into Number 6’s motivations.”

    No.12 made to leave No.2’s office, the steel doors opened then closed. No.12 spun round.

    “I have had an idea.”

    “Really?”

    “Number 6 is dead, and they’ll blame me for it.”

    “Yes most probably. Can you open the doors?”

    “I don’t think I can allow you to leave the village.”

    “Yes why not?”

    “You can help me resolve this situation.”

    “How can I do that?”

    “It’s Number 12 who died. Rover attacked him and its 12 who is lying on a slab in the mortuary!”

    “Now let’s not get excited!”

    “While you can live out the rest of your life in the peaceful atmosphere of the village as Number 6!”

    “You’ll never get away with it!”

    “Why?”

    “Because I’ll tell, I’ll tell everyone I’m Number 12 not Number 6.”

    “Who is going to believe you? All that’s needed is a change in blazer, put it on!”

    No.2 threw a brown blazer to No.6.

    “Put it on!”

    No.6 removed the cream blazer and let it drop from his hand, and donned the brown blazer.

    “There now you are our Number 6 and no-one will be any the wiser!”

  

Be seeing you

Caught On Camera!

   The Tally Ho, according to No.6 in ‘Many Happy Returns,’ is issued daily at noon, and yet by the time of ‘A Change of Mind’ two editions are issued during the same day! The above is the first edition No.6 is issued with while on his way home from the Town Hall.
    After the second occasion when No.6 leaves the Town Hall, having been declared as being unmutual by the Committee, he takes a copy of the second edition from the Tally Ho dispenser himself. He pauses outside his home taking time to read at least the headline “No.6    Declared   Unmutual.”

Just a minute, there’s something wrong here! Never mind the fact that The Tally Ho has been published prior to No.6 being posted unmutual, we have seen that sort of thing before, but look at the supposed second edition through the back of the paper.

In long-shot it is plain that both the first and second editions of The Tally Ho are one and the same, with “No.6   Declared   Unmutual” inserted as a one-off close-up shot. I did think that the second scene with No.6 and his copy of The Tally Ho was made up of out-takes from the first scene. Only in the first scene the Tally Ho ends up crumpled up and thrown into the grate in the fireplace. In the second scene the broadsheet is again crumpled up, but thrown away outside his cottage.
    Interestingly only the top half of this edition of The Tally Ho was produced by the production team, as the bottom half of the broadsheet is blank, half hidden by the Tally Ho dispenser, and the leaves of the large plant in the foreground.  

   This is the first time I have observed this about The Tally Ho, and I no doubt the bottom half of The Tally Ho with the headline “No.6   Declared   Unmutual” is also blank. It just goes to show that visually there is still much to be discovered in ‘the Prisoner.’

Be seeing you 

Tales From The Village

    The silver grey Alouette helicopter had made its usual arrival at the village at two o’clock. The pilot circled a couple of times, not that his passenger was awake to enjoy the view. She was an attractive woman, late twenty’s, early thirties, not very tall, brown hair, hazel eyes, slight of build.

    The helicopter flew out across the estuary then turned and made its approach to land on the triangular lawn by the sea wall. A white Mini-Moke towing a Red Cross trailer acted as an ambulance, and two medical orderlies alighted the vehicle as the helicopter landed. They took a stretcher from the trailer and waited for the rotor blades to stop turning before they approached the helicopter. It was the pilot who opened the cabin door, and helped place the unconscious woman onto the stretcher. With the patient safely in the trailer the medical orderlies drove the ambulance back to the hospital.

    The pilot was making his routine safety checks on the helicopter watched by someone skulking behind a bush. After a moment or two No.117 casually stepped out from the bush and approached the helicopter. In his pocket an electronic device called an Electro Pass which synchronises with the alarm and lets one through. But in this case there was no need to use it, as there was no alarm, no membranic Guardian on station, just the helicopter pilot checking the tail rotor. The cabin door was still open, this was his chance. 117 climbed up onto the float and then into the Perspex cabin quietly closing the door behind him. It was at this point the pilot ran to the cabin, he saw the man seated at the controls, the engine coughed into life, the rotor blades began to turn. The pilot jumped up onto the float and opened the cabin door, 117 held a gas gun in his hand.

    “One squirt you’re paralysed, two squirts you’re dead.”

    The pilot closed the cabin door and stepped down from the float, then stooping slightly backed away from the helicopter, its rotor blades spinning faster and faster until it lifted off the ground, and turning flew out across the estuary making for the hills on the far side.

    In the Control room an Observer reported the unauthorised flight of the helicopter.

    “Let’s have it on the screen” ordered the bald-headed supervisor.

    In an instant the large wall screen came to life and the helicopter gaining height across the estuary was being closely tracked. The matter was reported to No.2.

    The yellow ‘L’ shaped intercom began to bleep, No.2 who was just enjoying an afternoon cup of tea picked it up “Really, who would have thought it. Bring him back” he said leaning forward to press a button on the control panel of his desk.

    The wall screen came to life, and he switched in one of the aerial view cameras showing the helicopter high above the hills on the further side of the estuary.

    In the Control Room the supervisor-No.28 gave one of the operatives sitting on the steel see-saw device the nod. It was then the operative took remote control of the helicopter. It came as a shock to No.117 when the helicopter hovered in the air for a moment before turning back towards the village. He fought to regain control, but the controls resisted, the helicopter was heading back towards the village eventually landing on the lawn, where a white Mini-Moke was waiting. The rotor blades slowed and a man in a white coat approached the helicopter and opened the cabin door.

   “Come along” said the orderly “time for your medication and a spell of therapy.”

    No.117 was helped into the back of the Mini-Moke and was driven to the hospital.

    A the next day No.117 was called to the Green Dome for an interview with No.2.

    “Sit down 117, perhaps you would care for a cup of tea or coffee, you’re just in time for elevenses” No.2 said pouring out a cup of coffee “You know I never realized you could pilot a helicopter, there’s nothing in your file about that.”

    “I blame the researchers!”

    “Did you really think you could escape 117?”

    “I gave it my best shot.”

    “Don’t you like it here?”

    “I can think of better places to be.”

    “And worse ones Sing-Sing for one, and there are some Russian Gulags in Siberia with atrocious reputations. But I think I’ll let you go back.”

    A spark of hope was suddenly ignited in his heart, and it showed in his eyes “Back, you’re sending me back?”

    “Oh don’t get excited, only back to your cottage. Only if you try to escape again, there is worse out there than a helicopter flown by remote control, you had better remember that.”

    No.117 got out of his chair and walked towards the ramp as the pair of steel blast-proof doors opened and No.12 walked in and down the ramp as 117 was leaving.

    “Just a minute!” No.2 shouted.

    117 stopped dead on his tracks.

    “Who gave you the Electro Pass?”

    117 turned and took the wristwatch looking device from his pocket and dropped it on the floor, then walked up the ramp and through the doors as No.12 was arriving.

   “You’re letting him go?” 12 asked.

   “He’s had enough of adventure for now. I think he’ll be more compliant. What do you want?”

    “I’ve come to report about the sceptic tank.”

    “If we don’t sort it out we’ll be up to our necks in it. What has the works department got to say for themselves?”

    No.12 saw the empty coffee cup, and picked up the coffee pot.

    “Yes do help yourself to coffee.”

    “What no biscuits, there’s always biscuits for elevenses” 12 said adding milk and sugar.

    “There were four digestive biscuits, but I’ve had them.”

    “What no proper biscuits, you know the ones with the cream inside.”

    “I asked the butler about those.”

    “What did he say?”

    “He said it wasn’t his fault! Now about this sceptic tank?”

    “The works department said that they can have a tanker here in a couple of days.”

    “Well if that’s the best they can do. You see Number 12 it’s not all glamour here not by any means. Some of us have to get our hands dirty, if you ask me it’s the prisoners who have the best of it!”

    “We’ll all get the best of it if that tanker doesn’t arrive on time!”

    “Never mind that, 117 had an Electro Pass, I want to know one thing, who gave it to him, and why wasn’t a Guardian on station?”

    “That’s two.”

    “Don’t be facetious, just get on with it, otherwise we’ll both be up to our necks in it!”

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The Village

    The village is alright during the spring, summer and autumn, but what do citizens do during the winter months, or when the weather is inclement? After all there is evidence that it does rain from time to time, and if prolonged then the citizens would have to remain in their cells cottages, or perhaps to sit in the café as though on a wet weekend in Cleethorpes. And there would be the winter months to consider. We have no idea of what winters were like in the village, but if there was snow there would be no promenading around the pool and fountain in the Piazza. Or perhaps they could do a little ice skating on the Free Sea! No doubt the Recreation Hall would come into its own, with exhibitions, concerts, amateur dramatic productions, and entertainment all kinds. But I was forgetting, television, I’m sure the production team screen entertaining programmes as well as educational ones, and the cinema, together with the library. So really the citizens of the village are well catered for on the entertainment front. So basically in the winter months, and times of prolonged periods of inclement weather its mainly indoor entertainment.

    There is another aspect to this, once the bad weather has set in, low cloud, fog, rain, possibly snow, would mean the helicopter would be grounded, it would be possible for M. S. Polotska to reach the village by sea, but there could be times when because of its isolation the village is completely cut off!

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A Favourite Scene in The Prisoner!

    I realize that there had to be some improvisation regarding the helicopter in ‘The Schizoid Man,” after all they were no longer at Portmeirion, but confined to a back-lot at MGM film studios at Elstree. However the scene is set, No.6 is about to escape the village by impersonating Curtis. There’s No.24 who has come to see Curtis off, or rather No.6. No.2 has a word with the helicopter pilot, while Alison makes it clear that she is ashamed of what she did to No.6, it was a betrayal, and if she had a second chance she wouldn’t do it again! But what are all those citizens standing about for, surely not to simply watch the helicopter take off. From a story point of view, they are could be waiting for the Recreation Hall to open its doors, perhaps to attend a music concert, or exhibition of mime and entertainment, or entertainment of some kind! From a production point of view, its most probable the small crowd of people are there simply to “dress the set,” in order to make the back-lot at MGM film studios look more like a scene in the village!

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You Of All People!

    No.6 seems to be the last person Roland Walter Dutton thought to meet in a place like the village, “You…of all people!” Mind you I should think the Prisoner was just as surprised to meet Cobb on the same ward in the hospital. Cobb was confused not only about how he turned up in the village, but about how long he had actually been there, three or four weeks, months, its difficult to work out. Dutton had the same problem, “It’s difficult to say, a couple of months.” No.6 doesn’t seem to share that difficulty because he has a day-date calendar in his cottage, well he did have two, but they were eventually removed from his cottage. I’m actually surprised he was allowed such a thing as a calendar in the first place, after all there wasn’t one in his study. Not unless they were in his bedroom and kitchen in his London home, as they were in his cottage in the village. No.6 isn’t like Dutton, I cannot count Cobb in this, or like any other prisoner. There is no confusion over dates, most likely because of the day date calendars, he knows how long he has been a prisoner in the village. If of course the day date calendars are to be relied upon. But of course No.6 is an intelligent man, intelligent and skilful enough to make his own calendar, just as long as he remembers both the day and the date on which he was abducted to the village!

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Life In The Village!

    “222 play something gentle and romantic.”
    Lullaby for Isabelle gently fills the air.
    “Are we going out?”
    “Yes.”
    “That’s nice, are we going far?”
    “No not far.”
    “There’s someone at the door, do you want the door to let them in?”
    “Yes.”
    “I hope we’re not going to be too long.”
    “Why?”
    “Its only five minutes to curfew, and if we’re not back by then the door will lock us out!”

    “Who is this?”
    “Nadia?”
    “Who?”
    “Nadia.”
    “We don’t use names here.”
    “Oh alright, Number 8.”
    222 “Well this is cosy, and there I was thinking we were going to be alone!”
    “Tell me.”
    Nadia “I do know where the village is.”
    “How do you know?”
    222 “She works for their government!”
    “Who asked you?”
    “You did!”
    “Well be quiet!”

    Nadia “I saw a secret file by accident and for a few seconds only.”
    “Where are we Nadia?”
    222 “Lithuania, on the Baltic, thirty miles from the Polish border
    “Did I ask you? I’ll be back in a minute Nadia.”

    “Where are you going?”

   “To put this irritating thing in……….

    222 “Oh no, not in the refrigerator again!”

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Thought For The Day

   In the Control Room, No.2 swore to break the conspiracy about him. And yet the only conspiracy seems to involve No.2 and his assistant No.14. It is said that there is more harm in the village than is dreamt, according to No.6’s personal message read in the personal column of The Tally Ho. It appears to No.14 that No.6 is out to poison the whole village, and that something should be done about him soon. It seems that every day No.6 becomes a bigger threat to No.2. No,14 said No.6 is undermining his authority, and wants No.2 to let him deal with No.6. All he wants is the word. The trouble is No.2 believes No.6 is a plant, and that if anything happened to No.6 their masters would know who was responsible. But No.14 persists, let him deal with No.6 and he’ll make it look like an accident, which No.2 could never be connected to. It’s clear that No.2 is pondering No.14’s suggestion to rid the village of a troublemaker. Then No.2 appears to have made up his mind, with a nod of his head he and No.14 leave his office but are confronted with No.6 in the foyer. I wonder what was in No.2’s mind, where he and No.14 were going when they left the office, and what would have happened had No.6 not appeared on the scene claiming No.2 had telephoned him, saying he wanted to see him urgently? Perhaps they were on their way to 6 Private to sort No.6 out once and for all. As it is, No.2 gives No.14 “the word” to deal with No.6 with his eyes. No.6’s somewhat timely intervention gave No.14 the opportunity to challenge No.6 to a thorough dusting down in a bout of Kosho. Pity 14 wasn’t up to the challenge!

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Tales From The Village

    The village was deserted; there was no two-ways about it! The café was closed and the door securely locked, as was the Old People’s home, and the General Store. Eventually I had to break into that place in order to supply myself with provisions. I wrote down on the counter what I owed, and left my credit card.
    “Why did you do that if as you say this village was deserted?”
    I don’t know really, out of duty I suppose. There was no-one parading in the Piazza, no-one clambering about in the rigging of the stone boat. I eventually made my way back to my cottage.
    “Why did you do that?”
    Well I didn’t have anywhere else to go.
    “The Town Hall, did you try and go into the Town Hall?”
    No.
    “Now why was that?”
    Its funny about who it lets in, being protected by an electronic force field.
    “So you made your way back to your cottage.”
    Yes. But then I saw the Green Dome, and thought I bet whatever’s going on No.2 will be behind it.
    “Number 2 being the Chairman of the village.”
    That’s right. Anyway I made my way into the Green Dome, there was no sign of the diminutive butler, and the pair of steel doors were open. I went into Number 2’s office, it was as deserted as the rest of the village!
    “What did you do then?”
    I went home.
    “To your cottage.”
    Yes, it was then that I discovered both the electricity and the water had been cut off!
    “What did you do then?”
    I ate cold baked beans and corned beef straight from the tins, and drank pear juice.
    “Again straight from a tin presumably.”
    Yes.
    “Why do you think the village had been deserted or evacuated, why do you think everyone left but you?”
    I don’t know.
    “What did you do next?”
    I waited.
    “What for?”
    Well if it was some kind of ploy against me, I thought if I waited long enough someone would be about to put in an appearance. And perhaps if I went to sleep I would wake up and the village would be miraculously repopulated, just as though nothing had happened. At night time I lit a number of candles, and went to bed. Then the next morning when I woke up I went outside to find the village……..still deserted!
    “I see.”
    It was then that I realized that I had to get away. So as I said, I went back to the General Store and filled a knapsack with tinned provisions and anything I thought I should need for the journey. It was then I had another thought, what about the Guardian?
    “The Guardian, ah yes, this thing that’s made entirely from membrane.”
    Had it been deactivated, or was it still roaming patrolling about as large as life?
    “And was it?”
    I don’t think so, I never encountered it, didn’t even see it from a distance.
    “So you made good your escape, how did you manage that?”
    I walked, I hiked over the hills. I found a road, but which way to go? It was getting dark and thoughts turned to making a fire, then out of the distance lights, headlights coming towards me. I stood in the road waving my arms and shouting. The lorry stopped, and the driver gave me a lift. Eventually the lorry arrived on the outskirts of London.
    “This is as far as I can take you mate” the driver told him.
    “That’s okay, this is fine.”
    I climbed out of the cab and stood on the pavement watching the lorry drive off and merge with the traffic. There was nothing for it, having no money would not make it ideal for me to get about, so there was nothing else for it but to walk. Luckily I was only a few miles away from my ultimate destination.
    “Here.”
    “Yes Colonel.”
    “What do you think of our friend’s story Rodgers?”
    “I don’t believe one word of it. A village where names are not used only numbers.”
    The village is a place where people simply turn up, people who have a certain type of information which is to be either protected or extracted. And they go to the most extraordinary lengths to break a man…..are you sure you haven’t got a village here?
    “My dear fellow, whatever are you talking about?”
    “How did you do it?”
    I’m not quite with you old boy, do what?
    The glass slipped from his hand and he fell unconscious on the floor.
    “That should hold him” the Colonel said “it’s a pity really.”
    “Shall I make the call sir?”
    “Yes if you would Rogers, tell them we have a body for removal.”

    It was about 8 in the morning, he had been allowed to sleep in after all he had been through. It was a housemaid who had roused him from his sleep.
    “You can’t lie in bed all day, I dare say you would like a cup of coffee” the housemaid said.
    “Do you know I’ve had the most extraordinary dream.”
    “Really!” the housemaid said making her way to the kitchen.
    He rose out of his bed, put on his dressing gown and opening a French door went and stood on a small balcony. It was a bright sunny day, people were promenading around the pool and fountain in the Piazza.
    “Coffee’s ready” he heard a voice call out.
    He went back inside “I dreamt I woke up and found the village deserted.”
    “Really, how every odd, why did you dream that?”
    “Yes Number 12, why do you think he dreamt that?”
    “I really have no idea sir.”
    “Do you think we should tell him?”
    “Why would we want to do that sir, now we know it works, and we can use it again?”
    “Quite right Number 12, mustn’t let the cat out of the bag. What have we on for today?”
    “Number 6 sir………….”
    “Ah, if there was no-one else there would always be Number 6. He’s proving to be a very stubborn fellow.”
    “There’s always the comfy chair sir.”
    “You think so?”
    “It worked with Chambers, he became very talkative.”
    “You think that would work with Number 6, a man who wouldn’t drop his guard with his own grandmother!”
    “Well its worth a try, nothing else has worked so far!”

    The pair of steel doors opened and the tall figure of No.6 stood framed in the doorway.
    “Ah there you are Number 6, do come in, do come in and sit down.”

Be seeing you