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Number Six (The Prisoner)

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Number Six
The Prisoner character
Patrick McGoohan as Number Six.
First appearance"Arrival" (1967)
Last appearance"Fall Out" (1968)
Created byPatrick McGoohan
George Markstein
Portrayed byPatrick McGoohan (original series)
Nigel Stock (original series, episode: "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling")
Jim Caviezel (2009 series)
Voiced byMark Elstob (Big Finish)
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationVillage resident
NationalityBritish (original series)
American (2009 series)

Number Six is the central character in the 1967–1968 television series The Prisoner. The unnamed character in the original TV series was played by series co-creator Patrick McGoohan. For one episode, "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling", Number Six was portrayed by Nigel Stock due to McGoohan being away filming the movie Ice Station Zebra.[1]

In the AMC remake, Number Six is played by Jim Caviezel; in the Big Finish Productions audio series of 2019, Number Six is voiced by Mark Elstob.

Biography

Much of Number Six's background is kept a mystery during the series, including his name, his job and whom he worked for.[2] In the first episode, it is stated that he was born on 19 March 1928, the same date as McGoohan, and that he held a position of some responsibility with the British government.[3] Certain clues though can be determined from some episodes where Number Six knows and appears to have worked for people in British Intelligence.

Life before The Village

During the episode "Once Upon a Time", Number Six undergoes an intense form of brainwashing and interrogation in which his mind is reverted to that of a child and he is made to relive major events of his life.

Among the events presented is the suggestion that, as a young man, Number Six caused a fatal car accident by speeding. It is also suggested that he attended some sort of private school and was once punished for not telling the headmaster about some of his friends' rule-breaking activities. Later in the episode, it is also stated that Number Six was a bomb-aimer during "the War", and that he worked for a British banking firm before being enrolled in a top secret government job.

"The Prisoner" : the house of number 6
"The Prisoner" : the house of number 6 (Portmeirion)

Other episodes suggest that he was a spy or similar operative, though director Alex Cox stated in his 2017 book I Am (Not) A Number: Decoding The Prisoner that he was in fact a rocket engineer who resigned from his work because he felt his research was being misused.[4] He is shown to be highly sagacious, if not a genius, with proficiency and expertise in subjects ranging from fencing, boxing and marksmanship to mathematics, languages, astronomy and craftsmanship.

Prior to his capture and internment in the Village, he was engaged to be married to Janet Portland, the daughter of his superior, Sir Charles Portland.

Ultimate fate

In the final episode, "Fall Out", Number Six and several other residents appear to have escaped the Village. However, his ultimate fate is not revealed, and McGoohan repeatedly maintained in interviews that Number Six does not have his freedom at the end of the series. The last shot of the series is of Angelo Muscat (the butler of Number Two, The Village's overseer) entering Number Six’s house in the City of Westminster, and the door of the house automatically opening and closing like that of his house in The Village.

Adaptations and remakes of Number Six

Shattered Visage

In the late 1980s, DC Comics published Shattered Visage, a four-issue comic book based on The Prisoner, with events taking place twenty years after the television series.[5] The first official follow-up to the TV show,[5] it was illustrated by Mister X creator Dean Motter and co-written with Mark Askwith.[5]

In the mini-series, Alice Drake is shipwrecked on the shores of the Village and meets an older Number Six, the single resident of the Village.

2009 mini-series

The Prisoner was remade in a 2009 mini-series produced by AMC with Jim Caviezel playing the part of Number Six. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the remake was nominated for several awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie.

Fan theories

John Drake

Many fans of The Prisoner believe that Number Six is really John Drake, the title character of McGoohan's prior series Danger Man. McGoohan always denied the theory; in a 1966 interview in The Los Angeles Times, he stated that "John Drake of Secret Agent [as Danger Man was known in the US] is gone." Furthermore, McGoohan stated in a 1985 interview that Number Six is not the same character as John Drake, adding that he had originally wanted another actor to portray the character.[6]

However, script editor George Markstein, who co-created the series with McGoohan, always claimed that Number Six is John Drake. According to Markstein, he conceived The Prisoner as a sequel of Danger Man when McGoohan resigned from the role.[7]

Novels based on the series by Thomas Disch and David McDaniel also connect John Drake to Number Six, though these are generally not considered canonical. McDaniel's novel refers to Number Six as "Drake" from its very first sentence: "Drake woke."[8]

While John Drake and Number Six look identical and have the same moral integrity, profession, skills, and mannerisms, some differences are noteworthy. Drake is a less emotional, more restrained character, while Number Six has a tendency to act out in anger. Drake is also a regular smoker and drinker, while Number Six smokes only twice in The Prisoner and claims to rarely drink.

Number 93

In the opening moments of the 2009 mini-series, Michael, the amnesiac who would be known in that series as Six, discovers an old man in the middle of the desert being fired upon by security forces in some kind of an escape attempt. The old man is dressed in Number Six's trademark black sweater jacket with white trim, now displaying a badge that identifies the wearer as "93." 93's final words were "Listen to me: tell them all that I got out… be seeing you." Six later explores 93's apartment, which is identical to Number Six's from the original series.[9] Producer Trevor Hopkins stated on a ComiCon panel that he had invited Patrick McGoohan to play the role of 93; McGoohan declined, suggesting that he could play Two instead (the role of Two went to Ian McKellen).[10]

References

  1. ^ Fairclough, Robert (2002). The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series. iBooks. pp. 88–89. ISBN 0-7434-5256-9.
  2. ^ Rakoff, Ian (1998). Inside The Prisoner. Batsford. p. 5. ISBN 0-7134-8413-6.
  3. ^ Fairclough, Robert (2002). The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series. iBooks. p. 36. ISBN 0-7434-5256-9.
  4. ^ Cox, Alex (2017). I Am (Not) A Number: Decoding The Prisoner. Kamera. ISBN 978-0-85730-175-8.
  5. ^ a b c McMillan, Graeme (20 July 2018). "Titan Comics to Reissue 'The Prisoner' Sequel, 'Shattered Visage'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  6. ^ Calia, Barrington (Summer–Fall 1985). "Talking With McGoohan". New Video.
  7. ^ An Interview with George Markstein Archived 25 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ McDaniel, David (1969). The Prisoner #2. New York: Ace Books. p. 1. ASIN B001Q6TDUU.
  9. ^ "Arrival". The Prisoner (2009). November 2009. AMC.
  10. ^ Hopkins, Trevor (Producer). The Prisoner (2009).
  11. ^ Booker, M. Keith (2006). Drawn to Television: Prime-Time Animation from The Flintstones to Family Guy. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 9780313076152.
  12. ^ Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, Titan Books, 2005, ISBN 1-84576-225-8
  13. ^ Gerber, Justin (10 February 2010). "Rock History 101: Iron Maiden – "The Prisoner"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  14. ^ Gregory, Chris (1997). Be Seeing You - Decoding The Prisoner. University of Luton Press. p. 197. ISBN 9781860205217.
  15. ^ Adams, Sean (11 September 2013). "Paul Draper on The Prisoner, Portmeirion and Mansun's Six". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
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