TV Plots: The Prisoner
In our last TV Plots of the series, Diarmuid Gavin visits Portmeirion - the setting for the cult 1960s series The Prisoner. He does a spot of gardening, and meets TV expert Toby Hadoke who explains the series' impact and talks about the star of the show, the late great Patrick McGoohan.
'I'm not a number, I'm a free man', was the iconic cry from the hero of The Prisoner played by Patrick McGoohan. His character, a spy whose name we never learn, is kidnapped and imprisoned in The Village in the iconic Sixties series.
With no names in The Village, our hero becomes Number Six, and each week his escape attempts are foiled by the terrifying Rover guards, under the watchful eye of a constantly changing Number Two charged with finding out why Number Six resigned.
The Village is actually the stunning Italianate Portmeirion in North Wales designed by architect and environmentalist Clough Williams-Ellis; his dream was to prove that new developments could be built in harmony with the natural surroundings. The Times described the village as 'the last folly of the western world' and ironically whilst Number Six devoted all his energy trying to escape from the village, once there anyone else wouldn't want to leave.
Hopefully Prisoner fans will forgive our homage to the title sequence - and the producers would like to extend their apologies for the fast and loose interpretation of the rules of human chess - it should be noted that members of the Six of One Prisoner Appreciation Society were playing correctly and any errors were on our part. Also special thanks to Steve Raines and the other members of Six of One who joined us at Portmeirion.
We also talk to the grandson of Clough and managing director of Portmeirion, Robin Llewellyn, about his grandfather's vision; and we meet Meurig Jones (Attraction Mananger) and Gwyneed Roberts (Gardening Manager) and discuss the 70 acres of gardens and woodlands. TV Expert Toby Hadoke also returns to explain what this iconic programme was all about!
With thanks to
TV Expert, Writer, Actor and Comedian Toby Hadoke
The Six of One, The Prisoner Appreciation Society
Rennie Chivers and Caterham Cars
Fenella Fielding appears courtesy of talkingheadsvoices.com