Episode no. Season 1
Episode 7 Original air date 10 November 1967 | Written by Anthony Skene | |
Directed by Patrick McGoohan using pseudonym Joseph Serf | ||
"Many Happy Returns" is a television episode of the British science fiction-allegorical series, The Prisoner. It was first broadcast on 10 November 1967.
Contents
Additional guest cast
Plot summary
Number Six awakens to find The Village completely deserted. He sees this as an opportunity to escape. He takes numerous photos before assembling a raft and taking flight by sea for 25 days. He takes careful notes as to headings and times as best he can, but has an unfriendly encounter with gun-runners who are of no assistance. He escapes them and ends up on a deserted beach. Wandering, he encounters a small band of Gypsies who speak no English.
He eludes what appears to be a police manhunt and stows away on a truck which takes him to what he now recognizes as London. A Mrs. Butterworth now occupies his old townhouse and drives his Lotus 7. She is unperturbed when he approaches her, seems intrigued by his plight, and feeds and clothes him. He mentions that the next day is his birthday. Receiving Number Six's promises that he will return, Mrs. Butterworth says she might even bake him a birthday cake. He returns to the underground carpark/office where he presents himself to his old boss. His photo (and other) evidence of The Village meets with considerable skepticism. Former colleagues "The Colonel" and "Thorpe" are not entirely convinced that Number Six has not defected and now returned as a double agent, but after verifying all the details of his escape and evasion story, they seem to be more reassured.
With the assistance of some military officers and a map, they determine the general vicinity of the Village ("Coast of Morocco, southwest of Portugal and Spain." "Might be an island".) He leads a jet fighter pilot in a sweep of the area and spots the Village from the air, but is unceremoniously ejected, parachutes in, and is greeted in his cottage by a new Number Two: Mrs. Butterworth. She offers him "Many happy returns!"... and a birthday cake.