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NUMMER 6 / THE PRISONER was first broadcast in Germany from August 1969 until April 1970 by "Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen" (ZDF) around 11 p.m. According to ZDF the series was supplied by a company from Vienna. Apparently in order to fill up the summer broadcasting period and to contrast the Olympic Games of that year only the episodes 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12 & 13 (German screening order) were repeated by ZDF in August and September 1972. Years after this transmission private owned station Pro 7 in 1989 aired the complete (German) version together with a rerun one year later.

Patrick McGoohan, creator, principal actor, producee and director of the series died Jan. 13th, 2009, round about two months before his 81. birthday. Go ahead...

"What's special about THE PRISONER?" DePauw University

The following NEWS section requires some German language skills.

General facts:
year of production: 1966/Great Britain
production company: I.T.C. & Everyman Films, producer: David Tomblin
number of episodes: 17, US-Network: 16, Germany: 13
German debut: ZDF, Aug. 1969 - Apr. 1970; rerun of 7 episodes 1972 (more...)
director of photography: Brandan Stafford B.S.C.
title theme: Ron Grainer,
other scores by: Albert Elms, Wilfred Josephs u.a.
running time: approx. 55 minutes, format: 35 mm, colour
regular cast: Patrick McGoohan (Number Six), Angelo Muscat (The Butler), Peter Swanwick (Supervisor)
guests: Leo McKern, Eric Portman, Patrick Cargill, Colin Gordon, Mary Morris, Peter Wyngarde, Alexis Kanner
directors (the most important): Don Chaffey, Pat Jackson, David Tomblin, Patrick McGoohan, aka "Joseph Serf", in addition one or the other unfortunate fellow who only served a single day...

In September 1966 the exterior shots in North-Wales were made, additional photography which became necessary was accomplished in March of 1967. Occasionally this circumstance is visible by the tree's and bushes' meagre foliage. And very much to the advantage of the mood in the episode "Many Happy Returns". As a result in most episodes footage of this first shooting is used. "Stock footage" and "establishing shots" were taken from a hired helicopter. Such photographic material is not inteded for the use in a certain scene or as a part of some acting context but was used to enrich the serie's atmosphere and to pump up some episodes to their required running length. Sometimes the contrast between the episodes shot in the studio, with their exaggerated artificial light, medium shots and building parts more or less excellently crafted, becomes obviously unpleasant in comparison to those made on location.

Generally said, most of the actors never saw the real location of the Village, Portmeirion, because their scenes were shot in the studio even if they were situated in the Village. This also applies to McGoohan's Number Six character who in many Portmeirion scenes was doubled by Frank Maher. The most famous one should be the one of the opening scene showing Number Six on the beach with his fist high in the air, "I am not a number I am a free man...!"

The following batch of episodes was the first to be produced and on location in Portmeirion:
"Die Ankunft/Arrival", "Free For All", "Schachmatt/Checkmate", "Herzlichen Glückwunsch/Many Happy Returns", "Die Anklage/Dance Of The Dead".
Mainly produced in the studios of Borehamwood or at MGM were "The Schizoid Man", "A Change Of Mind", "Living In Harmony", "3-2-1-0/The Girl Who Was Death", "Die Glocken von Big Ben/The Chimes Of Big Ben", "A, B & C", "Der General/The General", "Hammer oder Amboss/Hammer Into Anvil", "2:2=2/Do Not Forsake Me...", " Das Amtssiegel/It's Your Funeral", "Pas de deux/Once Upon A Time", "Demaskierung/Fall Out".

Information on whether "Die Ankunft/Arrival" was envisaged as a pilot for the show of about one hour and a half and was then cut down to nearly 60 minutes isn't clear. Clips of this episode are contained in the German order episodes 8 and 12, so are outtakes of "Free For All" which, until 2006, wasn't shown at all in Germany. The same applies to the German versions of "Living In Harmony", "The Schizoid Man" and "A Change Of Mind" published only on the release of the DVD version.
When first aired in Great Britain one scene of "Free For All" was missing showing Number Six being heavily beaten. This scene was reinserted later.

It isn't quite clear why the episode "Living In Harmony" wasn't aired in the USA by CBS on its original screening. The most plausible reason is a certain degree of self-censorship in connection with the war in Vietnam ever more expanding regarding the episode events. Here one representative of the authority, the Sheriff, refuses to carry and pick up a gun. The station denies this. They argue it was the use of hallucinogenic drugs that couldn't be shown. This seems kind of strange for a show like THE PRISONER because the use of drugs against people like Number Six who dissent obviously isn't considered a contradiction. There are sources that report that legal aspects by McGoohan kept the episode on the shelf because this episode, in the beginning, is quite different from all others and can be recognized as THE PRISONER only near the end. "Harmony" could only be watched some time later when the series was shown in syndication on US television.

"6 Private" - the interior of the house inhabited by Number Six, and parts of its outward appearance, was a replica erected in the studio.

In Portmeirion the original is known as the "Round House". In reality it is extremely small. It has housed the PRISONER-Shop run for many years by Max Hora. Videos, buttons, literature and everything connected to the series can still be obtained here. The neighbouring house beyond the archway used to be the shop where Number Six initially wants to have a map of the Village.

The above map intends to illustrate the real proportions of the different sections of Number Six' quarter.
Only the lower part on the picture is real (with the fleece rug in front of the fireplace). This is where Number Six wakes up from his forced sleep, it is an exact replica of his living room and this is where in Portmeirion the Prisoner shop is situated. Invisible at first, the steps to the extension are behind an automatically rising wall which disappears in the ceiling. What is most remarkable, is that this cinematic-architectural trick is never realised as such although the house is seen several times from the outside. Below the door, it must be imagined, is the entrance hall of Number Six' London home, 1 Buckingham Place.

Recently in April, Steve Raines, editor of the new der Prisoner Appreciation Society magazine unexpectedly was able to visit the interior of this London address which has been in use, if not always, at least for a long time as an office. Steve was told that the proprietor was even willing to put a plaque on the outside wall of his house and thus commemorate the filming of THE PRISONER.

The German mail Deutsche Post AG offers a very special service, but regrettably not for people outside of Germany! On www.plusbrief-individuell.de you can easily create not only your own envelope but your own stamps! Handling the web interface is quite simple, and there is also an explaining video available. Advance payment for a certain quantity of envelopes is effected after the operation is finished.

You are free to use any image or sketch as a template but the copyright should be respected! As a good example to remind your friends of the upcoming anniversary: 40 years German TV premiere NUMMER 6! So, Number Six might be tempted to vary his famous credo, "I will be stamped, filed, indexed, briefed (sic!)..." Outch!

THE PRISONER as a feature film

There is no THE PRISONER - The Movie in sight up to this day. It had been disputed controversely in its early stage of development. But it isn't mentioned as being "in pre-production" in the Internet Movie Database. Internet sources were writing about "development hell".
And McGoohan was said to be (co-) producer and that he had written a script. But nobody, so far, has been able to confirm this. Allegedly, the title role should have been given to Mel Gibson (BRAVEHEART was the collaboration of the two). And Simon West, not much of whom except of CON AIR and TOMB RAIDER was known so far, could have become the director.
Perhaps the best possible outcome for those involved would be when no movie is realised at all.

The most recent news (by mid-August 2006) concerns newly talk of a PRISONER feature movie to be directed by Chris Nolan who, among others, made INSOMNIA and is working on the BATMAN BEGINS. The film is said to be a "contemporized transformation" of the classic series THE PRISONER. Janet and David Peoples are said to be the script writers. This is quite remarkable because the wrote Terry Gilliam's TWELVE MONKEYS and David Peoples was the co-writer of the famous SF movie BLADE RUNNER, directed by Ridley Scott.
But as of now no confirmation of this information was given by The Prisoner Appreciation Society SIX OF ONE.

Touches of THE PRISONER/NUMMER 6 in later TV or movie productions are quite evident. And it's impossible for me to list them all here.

"What's special about THE PRISONER?" DePauw University
See "prisoneresk - prisoneresque"