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The Prisoner in popular culture

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The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968.[1][2] Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory, and psychological drama. Since its debut, the series' enduring popularity has led to its influencing and being referenced in a range of other media, such as the film The Truman Show,[3][4] and the television shows Lost[4][5] and The X-Files. The producer of The X-Files called The Prisoner "the Gone With The Wind of its genre."[3] The Guardian wrote that "Without The Prisoner, we'd never have had cryptic, mindbending TV series like Twin Peaks or Lost. It's the Citizen Kane of British TV – a programme that changed the landscape."[6]

Comics

  • Jack Kirby fashioned a Prisoner homage in Fantastic Four #s 84, March 1969—87, June 1969, involving Doctor Doom's kingdom of Latveria.[7]
  • Grant Morrison's graphic novel The Invisibles, about a group of revolutionaries rebelling against a secret world-controlling authority, contains several references to The Prisoner. Most notably, in the collection Entropy in the UK, Invisibles leader King Mob has been captured by government agent Sir Miles Delacourt, who exchange the show's famous opening lines: "What do you want?" "Information." "You won't get it." "By hook or by crook, we will."[8] Also worth noting is a major character in the series referred to as Mr. 6.
  • In the graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore, the Village is referenced to as an installation of the Thought Police during the Big Brother regime, the government having put out a contract for "dream inducers and killer balloons for some Welsh set-up", alluding to the series real-life location.
  • In Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, V confronts Lewis Prothero with a recreation of the Larkhill Death Camp that he once ran, which resembles the minimal set against black draps used by Number Two to recreate Number Six's childhood in "Once Upon a Time".
  • The Prisoner is parodied in the story 'Zero Zone' in issues 106-107 of Sonic the Comic, where Sonic is taken to a zone heavily resembling the Village and brainwashed into believing he is 'Citizen Seven'. The zone even features a Rover-esque pink bouncing ball that immobilises and incapacitates Sonic when he tries to escape. It is revealed at the end of the story that the zone's ruler, 'Citizen One', was actually a computer program designed by Dr. Robotnik who broke free of its programming and created the fake reality out of loneliness.[9]
  • In Barry Windsor-Smith's "Weapon X", Wolverine is presented as a secret agent (driving a Lotus Seven) who decides to resign and is then subsequently knocked out by agents and taken to an undisclosed location.

Books

  • In Charles Stross's sci-fi novel Glasshouse, one short scene takes place at a venue called the Village Cafe where an automated public address system, which cannot be turned off, makes regular loud announcements. The one reported in the text begins "Good afternoon! It's another beautiful day ..." and then goes on to inform listeners of the day's ice cream flavours and ends with a weather forecast, echoing a sequence from the TV series' opening episode.
  • Xavier Mauméjean's short story "Be Seeing You!", from the second volume of the Tales of the Shadowmen anthology series, describes the origin of the Village in 1912, including the original Number 1 (Winston Churchill), Number 2 (Denis Nayland Smith), Number 6 (Sherlock Holmes), and Rover.
  • In Stephen King's novel Hearts in Atlantis, The Prisoner is referenced many times by characters in the novels second longer novella which is called Hearts in Atlantis... King notes in the afterword that he took liberty with the pop culture reference because the story was set in 1966, before the series aired.
  • There are references to The Prisoner in several spin-off novels of the BBC TV series Doctor Who. In The Man in the Velvet Mask by Daniel O'Mahony, a parallel universe version of the Marquis de Sade (referred to as Monsieur le 6) repeats the "I am not a number" catchphrase. In Ben Aaronovitch's The Also People, a character scrawls the graffito "I AM NOT A NUMBER, I AM A FREEWHEELING UNICYCLE!" In Dead Romance by Lawrence Miles, the Time Lord colony Simia KK98 is similar to The Village.

Computer games

  • In the point-and-click adventure computer game Simon the Sorcerer II, when Simon is registering to enter the contest for Court Wizard, Simon quotes the "I am not a number" line. When he is told that he is number nine, his response is "I am not a number, I am a free man!", prompting the official who is helping him to remark "I hate people who can shamelessly quote in public".
  • MMORPG RuneScape includes a 'random event' where the player is taken to an island, where several Prisoner references are made, including "I am not a number, I am a free man!"
  • In the first-person shooter computer game The Operative: No One Lives Forever, it is possible to overhear two guards discussing their favorite spy TV shows and movies, including The Prisoner. Other works mentioned include Mission: Impossible, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and the Matt Helm films The Silencers and The Ambushers.
  • In the very early 1980s, Edu-Ware published two adventure games based on The Prisoner in which the player was 6, and had to find a way to escape.

Movies

"Although short-lived, it was credited with setting a thematic, at times surreal template for such films as The Truman Show (1998) with Jim Carrey and the current ABC series Lost."[4]
  • The 1994 film Killing Zoe includes a scene where the bankrobbers discuss the episode "A. B. and C." philosophically.
  • The 1998 movie Double Team has a similar setting where counter terrorist agent Jack Quinn (Jean-Claude Van Damme) after being unconscious from an explosion wakes up in 'the Colony', an inescapable, invisible penal institution island for secret agents reminiscent of the Village.
  • In Shrek (2001), the entrance of Shrek and Donkey at the seemingly deserted village of Duloc echoes Number 6's Arrival in the Village. The font on the village's signs in Shrek is the same as in The Prisoner's Village, and the architecture of the buildings is similar as well.
  • In Alan Moore's 1986 graphic novel Watchmen, Rorschach says "Be seeing you" to several characters. This was carried over into the 2009 film adaptation.
  • In David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Mrs Tremond's grandson covers his face with a mask and then removes it to reveal the face of a monkey in much the same way as Number Six removes Number One's masks in "Fall Out".

Music

"The Prisoner’s musical shadow stretches further into pop culture... Artists as different as Iron Maiden, Supergrass, Roy Harper, The Clash, Michael Penn, XTC, Dhani Harrison and more have riffed directly or indirectly off of The Prisoner."[10]
  • "The Prisoner" is an Iron Maiden song from their album The Number of the Beast. Inspired by the show, it features dialogue from the title sequence: Rod Smallwood had to contact Patrick McGoohan to ask permission to use it for the song.[11] According to witnesses, the usually calm Smallwood was completely star-struck during the conversation. McGoohan was reported to have said, "What did you say the name was? Iron Maiden? Do it." Iron Maiden later recorded the song "Back in the Village", on the album Powerslave, which contained lyrics referencing the series, such as "I'm back in the village", "I see sixes all the way", "Questions are a burden, and answers a prison for oneself" (quoting a sign seen in "Arrival)" or the final line, "I don't have a number, I'm a name", a tweaked version of the catchphrase "I am not a number, I am a free man".[12] Furthermore, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson's second solo album 1994's Balls to Picasso features the dedications "Inspired by number 6" & "Be Seeing you" within the cover. Dickinson's song Broken from his The Best of Bruce Dickinson compilation features the "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped" quote within the lyrics, and Dickinson can also be seen discussing the influence the series had on him in VH1's Classic Albums documentary on The Number of the Beast.
  • George Harrison's son Dhani is the founder of a band called The New No. 2.
  • Scottish pop band Altered Images made a music video to their 1982 single "See Those Eyes", which was filmed in Portmeirion, and featured the band's male members dressed in Village-style clothing. As the video progresses, each member is seen resigning from their previous jobs.
  • The official promo for "Alright" by Supergrass is filmed in Portmeirion and features many iconic images from the series.
  • The British pop group The Times had an early-1980s radio hit titled "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape".
  • The cover of the live album Hullabaloo Soundtrack by Muse references The Prisoner.
  • The series of chess moves called out during the first chess game in "Checkmate" appears in the Michael Nyman opera, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat during the game of mental chess.
  • British pop-rock band XTC performed two music videos ("The Meeting Place" and "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul") wearing costumes from the show.
  • Colourbox, an English electronic musical group's song "Just Give 'Em Whiskey" samples The Prisoner dialogue.
  • Avant Garde group, Devil Doll, released the album, The Girl Who Was... Death in 1989. The title references the 15th episode of the series and contains lyrical references to the show as well as a cover of the show's theme song.
  • Mick Jones titled an early b-side by The Clash after the series, though the lyrical connection is only a thematic one.
  • The cover of Michael Penn's album Resigned visually references the drawer in the opening sequence.
  • Roy Harper twice references The Prisoner in his songs, most obviously in "McGoohan's Blues". The lyrics of his song "Woman" contain the line "I am not a number, I am a free... woman".
  • The cover of the Manic Street Preachers 1998 album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours was taken on Black Rock Sands near Porthmadog, a beach location in the series.
  • British band Mansun referenced The Prisoner many times on their album Six. Not only was the album called Six, but certain song titles were named after episodes such as their song "Fall Out". Paul Draper openly admits to being a big fan of the show as a child.
  • 80's pop group ABC had a song named "Many Happy Returns" which is possibly a reference to an episode of the series.
  • Samples of dialog are featured in Kaki King's song "The Betrayer" from her 2010 spy/espionage themed album Junior.
  • Information, the first album by Toenut, features an altered photo of Number Six's face encased within Rover as its cover art; one of its tracks, "Information/32nd Theme Song," contains audio samples taken from the show's opening sequence.

Radio

Television

"Continuing interest in The Prisoner can be seen in television shows created long after 1967"[13]
  • A 1969 episode of The Avengers, "Wish You Were Here", is influenced by The Prisoner, as Tara goes to visit her uncle and finds him held in a hotel with every attempt at escape thwarted by 'accidents'.[14][15]
  • In the "Krusty Gets Busted" episode of The Simpsons, the "Krusty Gets Busted" animation played on the TV news at the start of Act II recalls The Prisoner's tag[16] (as well as the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies opening titles). In another episode, "The Joy of Sect", Marge flees the "Movementarians" by avoiding various traps. One of these traps is Rover (and a version of The Prisoner theme plays while she runs).[17] In "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes", Homer is kidnapped after accidentally finding out about a vast conspiracy and placed on "The Island"; Patrick McGoohan provides the voice of a caricature of himself as Number Six, and the reason given as to why he is on "The Island" is because he invented the bottomless peanut bag. He asks Homer what number he is, to which Homer replies "I am not a number, I am a man and don't you ever... Oh wait, I'm number 5". During his escape, Homer is chased by Rover, which he easily pops (with a spork).[17]
  • ReBoot episode "Number 7" makes a number of references to The Prisoner series, including visual references such as Number 2's oval chair, quotes such as McGoohan's line "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered!" and a scene that recreates part of the final episode, "Fall Out".
  • The British sitcom 2point4 children features a lengthy tribute to The Prisoner in the episode "Seven Dials", where one of the central characters is imprisoned in Portmeirion by an opponent.
  • During the 3-part episode "Brainwashed" in the animated series Pinky and the Brain, there is a segment based on The Prisoner, in which the main characters are sent to a village where the residents are only identified by the hats they wear, in addition to other homages to the original series.[18]
  • In the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series (2003–2009), the character of Number Six — a beautiful Cylon infiltrator played by model Tricia Helfer — is named as an homage to The Prisoner, according to writer/ producer Ronald D. Moore.[19]
  • The Nowhere Man TV series was heavily influenced by The Prisoner. Its creator, Lawrence Hertzog, speaks at length in the DVD commentaries about how The Prisoner was his favourite show. The protagonist of the series, photojournalist Thomas Veil, is relentlessly pursued for a set of negatives, as The Prisoner's Number Six is similarly pressed to find out the cause of his resignation. Veil finds himself transported to a strange village in episode 105, "Paradise on Your Doorstep", where he is forcibly detained. In episode 119, "Doppelganger", Veil tracks information to a town where a doppelganger Thomas Veil exists, who also works as a photojournalist; this references The Prisoner episode "The Schizoid Man", where there are two identical Number 6 characters.[citation needed]
  • In the episode "Night Lines"[20] of the BBC comedy series Coupling, the opening sequence of The Prisoner is parodied in a dream sequence of Ben Miles' character, Patrick.
  • In 1987, Channel 4 produced The Laughing Prisoner in which Jools Holland appeared as The Prisoner. Holland had recently resigned from the Channel 4 music show The Tube. The programme also features Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.[21]
  • A 2001 episode of the Sci-Fi Channel's The Invisible Man, "A Sense of Community", is a homage to The Prisoner that sees the characters in The Community, a resort for spies they are told they can never leave, under constant surveillance and with their apartments duplicated.[13]
  • The credits of the first three series of the Bob Mills vehicle In Bed with Medinner were an homage to the opening credits of The Prisoner, while the set was designed to look like Number Six's flat.
  • Fox's VR.5 has been called "The Prisoner of the 1990s", which also featured mind games and reluctant spies. A direct homage occurs when a character is handed the message "Just call this number and ask for the Prisoner, no names".[13]
  • J.J. Abrams has said that "I loved The Prisoner, which was a very odd sort of hybrid of sci-fi, mystery and character, and certainly there are elements of The Prisoner in both Alias and Lost. "[22]. The iconic bicycle of The Prisoner logo is featured in an episode of the Abrams-produced Fringe where a special agent's memories are reprogrammed[23].
  • In a 2-part episode of G.I. Joe titled "There's No Place Like Springfield", Shipwreck wakes up in a small, unassuming town on an island that turns out to be a front for Cobra. Much like Number Six, he is subjected to various brainwashing techniques in order to recover a secret formula implanted within his subconscious. There are additional homages such as Shipwreck's address being revealed as "No. 6 Village Drive". Also, there is a scene where Shipwreck is captured within a giant ball that strongly resembles one of the Rovers.
  • In SpongeBob SquarePants, episode 130,[24] Mr. Krabs says "Questions are a danger to you and a burden to others." This is a reference to the phrase "Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself”[25] seen on a sign in the Labour Exchange in "Arrival".
  • In the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys episode, "Stranger in a Strange World", Iolaus is locked in a prison cell and is told he will only be released when his numeral is called. In reference to The Prisoner, Iolaus then exclaims, "I am not a numeral! I am a free man!"
  • The characteristic "be seeing you" phrase and salute are used by several disreputable characters, including Alfred Bester, in Babylon 5.

References

  1. ^ As noted in Andrew Pixley's 2007 The Prisoner - A Complete Production Guide book, the first UK premiere was 29 September 1967 on ATV Midlands and the last episode first aired aired on 1 February 1968 on Scottish Television.
  2. ^ The world broadcast premiere was on the CTV Television Network in Canada on 5 September 1967.Toronto Star, 5 September 1967, p. 22
  3. ^ a b Miller, Toby (2003). Spyscreen: espionage on film and TV from the 1930s to the 1960s. Oxford University Press. p. 219. ISBN 0198159528.
  4. ^ a b c Bernstein, Adam (15 January 2009). "TV Spy Series Star Brought Complex Programming to U.S." Washington Post. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  5. ^ Thill, Scott (3 June 2008). "Lost Joins Shyamalan's Pixies Lovefest". Listening Post. Wired. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  6. ^ Rose, Steve (14 January 2009). "Be seeing you: remembering Patrick McGoohan". TV & Radio Blog. The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  7. ^ Hatfield, Charles, "Once Upon a Time: Kirby's Prisoner," The Jack Kirby Collector, #11, August 1996, Two Morrows Publishing.
  8. ^ The Invisibles vol. 1 #17 annotations, The Bomb, Barbelith
  9. ^ http://archive.sonic-hq.net/newsite/comics/issues/comics.php/series.Fleetway/index.90/index.100
  10. ^ Thill, Scott (11 October 2008). "The Prisoner's Sonic Shadow Looms Large". Listening Post. Wired. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  11. ^ White, Matthew (1988). The Official Prisoner Companion. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. p. 132. ISBN 0-283-99598-X.
  12. ^ "Back in the Village" Lyrics"
  13. ^ a b c Britton, Wesley Alan (2004). Spy television. The Praeger television collection. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 280. ISBN 0275981630.
  14. ^ Chapman, James (2002). Saints and avengers: British adventure series of the 1960s. I.B.Tauris. p. 282. ISBN 1860647537.
  15. ^ Aldgate, Anthony (2000). Windows on the sixties: exploring key texts of media and culture. I.B.Tauris. p. 194. ISBN 1860643833. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ BBC Cult — The Simpsons: Season 1 Episode Guide
  17. ^ a b Booker, M. Keith (2006). Drawn to television: prime-time animation from the Flintstones to Family guy. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 191. ISBN 0275990192.
  18. ^ Rizzo III, Francis (14 June 2007). "Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 3". DVD Talk. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  19. ^ Bassom, David (2005). Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1845760977.
  20. ^ [1]
  21. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095501/
  22. ^ Malcom, Shawna (11 August 2006). "Lost Boss Tackles Star Trek Enterprise". TV Guide. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  23. ^ "Olivia (Episode)". Fringe Wiki. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  24. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqTpZ3cb8_U
  25. ^ http://prisoner.gigacorp.net/quotes.html


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