Number One

What with Patrick McGoohan's death this week, here is my view of the meaning of The Prisoner.


One of the most common questions McGoohan was asked was whether number six was John Drake, the hero if his previous show Danger Man (aka Secret Agent). He always denied this, but it was assumed that he had to as if Number Six was Drake, McGoohan would have to pay royalties to the earlier show's creators. However, I think that McGoohan was telling the truth.
The Prisoner was Patrick McGoohan himself.

In 1967, Patrick McGoohan was one of the most well known people on television in Britan. Danger man was one of the most popular shows at the time, even competing well with other shows in the same genre-the Avenegers, the saint, Man from Uncle and so.

Goohan was also getting film roles, but most of them were along the same lines as John Drake. He famously turned down an offer to be James Bond in Dr No and had also turned down being the Saint.

Sir Lew Grade, who owned the network that made danger man was happy with his show. It had started off as a half hour black and white show. Grade had arranged for it to be filmed in colour and to extend the running time to an hour. McGoohan, however, having already done 54 episodes was less enthused and offered Sir Lew an alternative.

He wanted a show that would provoke debates, discussions, arguments and, afetr a promise to make it audience friendly as well he got it.

And so, The Prisoner was made. Under the guise of another secret agent show, McGoohan as star, writer, director and executive producer was able to depict his views on individuality, freedom, democracy and anything else that struck him.

And on a meta level, McGoohan was also looking at television and fame.
The opening titles show number six resigning-just as McGoohan had effectively resigned from Danger Man. (Note that the person he resigns to in the credits is George Markstein-script editor pisof danger man and the prisoner (for the first seven episodes, anyway)).
The question the Villages authority keep asking him is "Why did you resign?" Or, why would anyone leave a successful show. McGoohan/number six wanted to do something differently, but he's put in a concept that is similar to one that he is was in before.

Number six tries to escape, but also tries to fool the authorities as to what he is really up to.
McGohhan is trying to escape his previous role, but also tries to fool the audience by presenting something different from the same old stuff.

This is way in "Fall Out" hen he finally confronts Number One, he sees himself. I beleive that Number one is actually "John Drake", the role that he was most identified as and the one that was effectively keeping him prisoner.

At the end of the show, number six escapes-or does he. He drops the butler off at his London flat, but the door opens automatically as it does in the village. The final shot of the show mirrors the opening shot implying that everything is going to start again. McGooham has freed himself from John Drake, but is now a prisoner of The Prisoner. Number six is the new number one. And given that its now 42 years since the show was made, and we're still talking about it, you'd have to say that this was awfully prescient.

Other hints that McGoohan himself was the prisoner?

• number six has McGoohan's birthday ("Arrival")
• photos used of number six are MCGoohan's offical publicity shots from Danger man ("Arrival", "Free for all")
• "The Girl who was death" was a rewritten Danger man script. It included a semi-regular character from the earlier show-Potter-played by the same actor Christopher Benjamin)

Most notably, I dug out my DVDs of the show to rewatch (since its unlikley that any TV station is going to) and noted, on the preview to each episode is the legend "PATRICK McGOOHAN IS THE PRISONER"

Well quite