Girish Mahajan (Editor)

The Prisoner in other media

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit

The Prisoner has been represented in several other media.

Contents

Ace

Ace Books in the United States published three original novels based upon the television series.

  • The Prisoner by Thomas M. Disch (later republished as I Am Not a Number!), issued in 1969, details the recapture of the Prisoner after he had been brainwashed to forget his original experience in the Village, and his struggles to remember what was taken from him and to escape.
  • The Prisoner: Number Two by David McDaniel (also published as Who is Number Two?) and The Prisoner: A Day in the Life by Hank Stine, published 1969-70, are notable for stating explicitly that Number Six is John Drake from Danger Man.

    • Roger Langley

    In the 1980s, Roger Langley of the Prisoner Appreciation Society wrote three novellas based upon the series:

  • Charmed Life
  • Think Tank
  • When in Rome

    • These books were made available through the fan club, and at the Prisoner Shop in Portmeirion and are long out of print individually. They were reissued and revised in one volume as the Prisoner Trilogy, available from the Prisoner Shop in Portmeirion as well as from online sources.

    Powys Media

    Independent UK publisher that obtained the rights to The Prisoner (and Space: 1999) in the early 2000s. Its books were primarily available by mail-order only.

  • The Prisoner's Dilemma by Jonathan Blum and Rupert Booth; introduction by J. Michael Straczynski (March 2005; ISBN 0-9677280-5-3)
  • Miss Freedom by Andrew Cartmel (February 2008; ISBN 0-9677280-8-8)

    • Additional titles were announced by Powys, but as 2015 have yet to be published.

    Non-fiction

  • Peel, John (1988). Number Six: The Prisoner Book (A Files Magazine Special). Los Angeles, Calif.: Schuster & Schuster. ISBN 1-55698-158-9. 
  • White, Matthew; Ali, Jaffer (1988). The Official Prisoner Companion. New York, N.Y.: Warner Books Inc. ISBN 978-0-446-38744-6. 
  • Rogers, Dave (1992). The Prisoner & Danger Man. London: Boxtree. ISBN 978-1-85283-260-5. 
  • Fairclough, Robert (2002). The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series. iBooks. ISBN 978-1842224342. 
  • Fairclough, Robert (2005). The Prisoner: The Original Scripts Vol. 1. Richmond, Surrey: Reynolds and Hearn. ISBN 1-903111-76-5. 
  • Fairclough, Robert (2006). The Prisoner: The Original Scripts Vol. 2. Richmond, Surrey: Reynolds and Hearn. ISBN 1-903111-81-1. 
  • Davies, Steven Paul; Cox, Alex (2007). The Prisoner Handbook. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-53028-7. 

    • DC Comics

    Shattered Visage is a four-issue comic book mini-series based on The Prisoner published by DC Comics. Illustrated by Mister X creator Dean Motter and co-written with Mark Askwith, this sequel series was later collected as a 208-page trade paperback, with the addition of a new prologue. The trade paperback remains in print.

    Marvel Comics

    The premise of the television series fascinated comic book artist Jack Kirby, who created a four-issue homage in 1969 in Fantastic Four #84-87, in which the superhero team finds itself in Doctor Doom's Latveria, a city like the Village in many respects. In the "Bullpen Bulletins" page in Marvel Comics cover-dated July 1976, Marvel announced a comic book based on The Prisoner, to be written by Steve Englehart and drawn by a then-unchosen artist and scheduled to be "starting this summer". The artist assigned to the project would be Gil Kane. When Jack Kirby returned to Marvel in the mid-70s after a run at DC Comics, the property was transferred to him. A test issue was put together but never completed (all 17 pages were scripted and pencilled by Kirby, but only parts were lettered and inked, by Mike Royer). Original artwork from this comic still exists and occasionally turns up for auction. Some of it has been published in the comic book fanzine The Jack Kirby Collector. The surviving artwork suggests that the first issue, at least, would have been an adaptation of "Arrival."

    Computer games

    In the early 1980s, Edu-Ware produced two computer games based upon the series for the Apple II computer. The first, titled simply, The Prisoner, was released in 1980, followed by a remake, Prisoner 2 in 1982.

    Role-playing games

    Steve Jackson Games' popular role-playing game system GURPS released a (now out of print) world book for The Prisoner. It included maps, episode synopses, details of the Village and its inhabitants, and much other material. For instance, it has suggestions for game scenarios with the premise interpretation for outer space, heroic fantasy, horror and even complete inversion into something akin to Hogan's Heroes.

    Television

    The sixth episode of The Simpsons' twelfth season, "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes", makes a reference to The Prisoner. The episode's third act, which serves as a parody of The Prisoner, features several references to the series. When the secret organization finds out about Homer's discovery, he is taken to a secret location called the "Island". The "Island" is modeled after the "Village", where Number Six is taken in The Prisoner. While he is in the "Island", Homer is repeatedly gassed by unexpected objects, a reference to the way Number Six would often be gassed in The Prisoner. While escaping the "Island", Homer is chased by a "big balloon". The balloon is a reference to Rover, a floating white ball in The Prisoner that was created to keep inhabitants in the "Village". Patrick McGoohan himself provided the voice of Number Six for this episode.

    Numerous other series have featured episodes paying homage to The Prisoner, such as the 2000 version of The Invisible Man.

    Film

    A movie version of The Prisoner was in development hell for many years at Universal Pictures. At one point Simon West was attached as director, with Patrick McGoohan on board as an executive producer, script consultant, and possible cameo appearance. Christopher Nolan has also been reported to be considering a big-screen version. As of 2015 no remake has been announced since the 2009 AMC miniseries.

    Advertising

    LBC used various concepts from The Prisoner, in an advertising campaign in the mid 1980s reflecting London's role as a 'village' for its residents and commuters.

    Audio dramas

    On 5 January 2015, Big Finish Productions, best known for its long-running series of BBC-licensed audio dramas based upon Doctor Who, announced that it will be producing licensed audio dramas based upon The Prisoner, with the first scheduled for release in 2016 and that Mark Elstob will portray Number Six in the new series. The first series, containing new reimaginings of three original series scripts ("Arrival", "The Schizoid Man" and "The Chimes of Big Ben") and one new story ("Your Beautiful Village") and written/directed by Nicholas Briggs, was released in January 2016 and was well received. The first series also featured John Standing, Celia Imrie, Ramon Tikaram and Michael Cochrane as "Number Two" and Helen Goldwyn as "The Village Voice/Operations Controller". A second series is being made and is due for release in August 2017.

    Festival

    The main character of The Prisoner, Number Six inspired the name of Festival N°6 which takes place since 2012 at the village of Portmeirion. This music and art festival is celebrating each year Number Six's way of thinking, that is reflection and independence of mind.

    Music

    Although the main title theme was composed by Ron Grainer, the incidental music used in the series came from a wide variety of sources, including library music and cues from established composers such as Wilfrid Josephs and Albert Elms.

    Soundtracks

    Silva Screen Records released two editions of soundtrack CDs, a three-volume set in the early 1990s, and another three-volume set in the early 2000s subtitled "Files" that included music not included in the previous issue along with dialogue excerpts.

    A single-LP soundtrack release was issued by Six of One for its membership in the 1980s and is considered a collector's item; titled The Prisoner: Original Soundtrack Music from the TV Series Starring Patrick McGoohan, the album was later issued by Bamcaruso Records (WEBA 066) in a deluxe edition that included The Making of the Prisoner, a booklet on the series by Roger Langley, a map of the Village, and a poster featuring a hand-drawn image of Number 6 being chased by Rover.

    In December 2007, it was announced that Network DVD would be releasing a new 3xCD set of the soundtrack, compiled by series music editor Eric Mival, which would include a facsimile of his "music bible" used during the making of the series.

    References in songs/albums

  • "McGoohan's Blues" from Roy Harper's 1969 album Folkjokeopus. Harper had previously used an extract from the episode "Free For All" on the track "Circle" from his 1967 album "Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith".
  • "The Prisoner" from Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast (which features an original sample of the dialogue that runs over the opening titles, for which personal permission from Patrick McGoohan was obtained) and "Back In The Village" from Powerslave.
  • "Escape From The Village", from Blitzkrieg's 2006 album Sins and Greed.
  • "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape", from The Times's 1982 album of the same name. It was accompanied by a tongue in cheek video based on the series. The album also features their version of the Danger Man theme.
  • "The Prisoner", by The Clash.
  • "Another Number", by Carmel Morris, 2001 album re-issued via IODA 2010; complete original music homage, featuring guest voice of David Nettheim.
  • Be Seeing You, a 1977 album by Dr Feelgood. It claimed to be "produced by Number 2 for Number 6", and sleeve photos featured band members wearing piped blazers and scarves.
  • The Girl Who Was... Death, a 1989 album by Devil Doll.

    • Songs containing samples from The Prisoner

  • "Information/32nd Theme Song", from the album Information by Toenut'.
  • "Just Give 'Em Whisky", from the self-titled album by Colourbox.
  • "Speedlearn", by Higher Intelligence Agency.

    • References in album/single artwork

  • "Resigned" (single), by Michael Penn.
  • Six, by Mansun.

    • References in music videos

    Music videos filmed in Portmeirion and featuring Prisoner costumes and props, such as piped blazers and penny farthing badges:

  • "See Those Eyes" by Altered Images.
  • "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" and "The Meeting Place" by XTC.
  • "Alright" by Supergrass.

    • References

    The Prisoner in other media Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA