Customer Reviews

The Official Prisoner Companion

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Matthew White and Jaffer Ali have done a fantastic job in the preparation of this book about the television program, "The Prisoner".

The book is divided into seven major parts (five chapters and two appendices). The first is a guide to all 17 episodes, with 5 to 8 pages per show. The guide gives cast and crew credits for each episode, a very thorough synopsis of the episode, and the authors' observations and comments about production details, script changes, deleted scenes, etc.

The second part is entitled "Notes, Anecdotes, and Nonsense" and it provides trivia and more production notes. It is shallow, and you can find more detailed explanations about the facts and issues elsewhere, but since one could make a several hundred page book out of this material alone, the authors can hardly be faulted for being selective in their presentation.

The third part is absolutely invaluable for new-comers to "The Prisoner". Entitled "The Great Debates", this section summarizes the major points of contention among the show's fans. Among them are: Was the Prisoner really John Drake from "Danger Man"? Who runs the Village? What is the proper order to watch the episodes in? If you are new to the series, be sure to read this section before you start posting to discussion groups, it will save you the embarassment of repeating some well-known points.

The fourth part, "What Does it All Mean?", discusses symbolism in the show, the philosophical implications of it, etc. This is also a section which could be deeper, but it is another good introduction.

Next is a brief biography/filmography of Patick McGoohan (the Prisoner/No. 6 himself). The highlight of this section is a 1985 interview McGoohan gave to New Video Magazine, which he claimed would be the last interview he would do about "The Prisoner". (McGoohan has actually discussed the show several times since then, but the interview is fascinating nonetheless.)

Sixth is a section on further sources of information about "The Prisoner". Unfortunately, it is rather out of date, since the last few years have seen a resurgence of interest in the series. However, it still has such useful facts as the address for The Prisoner Shop in Portmeirion or how you can contact the major fan clubs devoted to the series.

Finally, part seven has excerpts of shooting scripts from several episodes, including much of "Arrival", the Prisoner's campaign speech from "Free For All", and the ultimate battle of wits between the Prisoner and No. 2 in "Once Upon A Time".

My only major regret about this book is that I got it before I had seen the entire series. The synopses do give away secrets and twists from the episodes, so I would recommend that you see all 17 shows before you read this book to get the full impact of the series.

A final note: New information has come to light which resolves a contradiction the book mentions. There had been speculation for years about the original nature of "Rover" (the security device). The book argues that there is no evidence Rover was originally a blue VW bug (as popularly claimed) and asserts that a weather balloon was planned to be used from the beginning. However, production photos have subsequently been found which *do* show a blue VW bug as Rover. Obviously, this is not the authors' fault, but readers should be aware of the error.

I suspect that a lot of the shortcomings of this book are due to it being written no less than 20 years after the original airing of the series. Put this together with the fact that the authors are (apparently) Americans, and you can begin to see why the book fails to show any great depth of understanding of what is a very profoundly British TV series.

At one point, for example, we are told that the Scots, Irish and Welsh Napoleans (in 'The Girl Who was Death') "represent various components of the British Commonwealth". I guess they meant the British Isles, or the United Kingdom - though neither of those groups includes Ireland, of course, only Northern Ireland. And in any case, how does this explain the Yorkshire Napolean?

On a different note, in their "Observations" regarding the episode 'A Change of Mind', the authors suggest that "it is easy to make comparisons between the committee in this episode and McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee of the 1950s."
If the authors knew a little more about the period when The Prisoner was filmed they might have made the rather more relevant observation that the various events in this episode very closely resemble the excesses of the Chinese Cultural Revolution - of the 1960s.

I was also less than impressed by the actual episode guides. Most of these are written in a very uninspired style and contain regular, if largely trivial, errors of fact and grammar.
In the commentary for 'It's Your Funeral', for example, one of the photos shows McGoohan standing beside the helicopter with Eric Portman sitting at the controls and holding a phone. In fact, Number 2 in this episode was played by Andre Van Gyseghem (with Derren Nesbitt as his stand-in), whilst Eric Portman played Number 2 back in episode 4 - 'Free for All'.

Having said that, the book is certainly not a complete waste of space, containing material from production company handouts, script fragments, etc. As in The Prisoner itself, the reader simply needs to be careful about sorting fact (official material) from fiction.

Be seeing you 8¬)

The book is written for a fan of the show who has average intelligence; unfortunately, the average fan is brighter than that. Much to much of the obvious and not enough insight. A decent book at best.

The book breaks down each episode so if you've seen the complete series then you can skip about 2/3 of the book. The remainder of the book gives an analysis of themes that are repeated in the series: defiance, escape, and even Number 6 being seen as a Savior of the village and society. Neat read if you want to read more into the series.

Saw original TV show in 60s,AUSTRALIA,always thought related to Danger Man. Interresting to see insights to show, how rover came about, and the "futuristic thoughts" of the day. An interresting read full of what ifs! yet still clear as mud answers to base line of show.

Awesome book to have for any Prisoner fan. This book is better than the new mini series.

1988's "The Official Prisoner Companion" is a still useful guide for those just discovering the long-lived TV cult clasic "The Prisoner", first aired in 1967 and still selling in its DVD incarnation. The show starred Patrick McGoohan, fresh from his stint as TV's Secret Agent/Danger Man, as a British secret agent who, after resigning from the Secret Intelligence Service, is kidnapped and held prisoner at a remote and unlocated seaside village.

In the village, the inhabitants are known by their place in a numerical sequence. Patrick McGoohan is re-christened Number Six, while the village is run by Number Two, played by a new actor each episode. Number Two's job, among others, is to find out why Number Six resigned. It is implied that those behind Number Two fear Number Six is a traitor. Number Six vigorously resists being questioned or imprisoned. His plaintive "I am not a number, I am a free man" is part of the opening sequence of each show. Most plots center around Number Six's efforts to escape or to undermine the authority of Number Two.

"The Prisoner" only ran for 17 episodes. The episodes are summarized in the guide, along with some fascinating production notes. The Prisoner Official Companion also explores the debates over the meaning of the series, which was considered cutting edge and provocative in the late 1960's and is still fascinating TV today.

"The Official Prisoner Companion" is recommended to those seeking some backstory on the series. The series itself is highly recommended to those looking for something different in classic TV.

Actor Patrick McGoohan passed away 14 January 2009, aged 80 years. ITV has announced a revival of "The Prisoner" tv series, starring Sir Ian McKellan as Number Two and Jim Cavezeal as Number Six.

For thsoe who liked the series and want to know a littlle more about it this book is it. But it is not to much more than a reference book in my opinion and can put you asleep if you are not excited about the subject matter. If you own the TV series on DVD or tape this book is recommended.

In this book, it is stated:

"On a different note, in their "Observations" regarding the episode 'A Change of Mind', the authors suggest that "it is easy to make comparisons between the committee in this episode and McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee of the 1950s."
If the authors knew a little more about the period when The Prisoner was filmed they might have made the rather more relevant observation that the various events in this episode very closely resemble the excesses of the Chinese Cultural Revolution - of the 1960s."

Even worse than missing the importance of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the authors show even less knowledge of US history. McCarthy was NOT a member of the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was a Republican Senator from Wisconsin, thus, not even a member of the House.

HUAC's primary interest in those days seemed to be in rooting out left-wingers from Hollywood. McCarthy made his fame from claims, never established, of as many as 205 Communists or sympathizers (whatever that might mean) in the Army and the State Department. McCarthy never undertook investigations of former spies nor did his tactics, based more on implications of guilt by association or skillfully worded queries of the "do you still beat your wife?" type, that trapped witnesses into unintended and incorrect answers, ever kidnap or imprison those suspected of wrongdoing.

In the days of the Red Scare, simply implying a person was "soft" on Communism could ruin a career.

The information on McCarthy and HUAC is readily available. Errors of this sort mean sloppy research by the authors. What, then, of their critique can we trust?

That he had problems with intimacy on the set of his tv show The Prisoner. He never did kiss any pretty lady on the mouth on his tv show. This book testifies by a crewmember of the Prisoner that McGoohan had trouble with intimacy on the set of the show.