History Series / ThePrisoner

*** No. 6 also [[spoiler: outright states why he resigned]] in "Once Upon a Time". ([[spoiler: "Too many people know too much."]] Which is actually a reasonable reason for resigning.)

** In a bit of FridgeBrilliance, this is probably why Checkmate represents Six's darkest hour. Not only did he fail utterly at his plan, [[spoiler: he did so because he proved he would be an incredibly effective jailer in his own right, having convinced the other prisoners he already is one.]]

The series is believed by many to be a sequel of sorts to [=McGoohan=]'s previous series, ''Series/DangerMan'', with "Number Six" actually being ''Danger Man'''s John Drake. There is at least one [[CrossOver shared character]] (or possibly just a character with the same name and actor), Number Six's "civilian" clothes are the distinctive outfit usually worn by Drake, and a publicity photo of [=McGoohan=] as Drake is X'ed out during the opening credits. Official ''Prisoner'' novels flat out name the Prisoner as Drake. For many years, [=McGoohan=] publicly maintained that the Prisoner was ''not'' Drake, but it is suspected that he was just being contrary. It has also been speculated, if Number Six was actually said to be John Drake, that [=McGoohan=] would've owed royalties to Ralph Smart, the creator of ''Series/DangerMan''.

* '''Number 2''': A succession of leaders who live in the Green Dome. They all try in their turn to break Number 6. Each episode has a unique Number 2 (or in a couple of episodes, more than one per episode). Only those played by Leo [=McKern=] and Colin Gordon appeared more than once.

* SpottingTheThread: In "The Chimes of Big Ben," Number Six is tipped that he hasn't really escaped when he notices that [[spoiler:the eponymous chimes sync with the time on a watch he was given in what was supposedly Poland, even though the two are in different time zones]].

* ADayAtTheBizarro: Basically every single episode after the first 11 - owing to a case of FranchiseZombie. "Bizarre" is relative, but "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" gives us the first real example in the series. It's immediately followed by "Living In Harmony", in which the ''entire'' show (including the iconic opening sequence) is transformed into a {{western}}. The episode after ''that'' ("The Girl Who Was Death") turns out to be [[spoiler: a bedtime story told by Number 6]]. The reason for these stories is because the script editor, George Markstein, quit the series and was not replaced. Scripts and story ideas came from random people and places: the Western episode was suggested by a video editor and "The Girl Who Was Death" was an unused script from ''Danger Man''. All this adds to a dissonance of tone and distances the series from exploring life in the Village and Number Six's struggles.
** And after that, everything [[ItGetsWorse goes to hell]], [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome although some fans feel it happens in the best possible way.]]

'''No.2:''' That would be telling. We want information...\\
information... information!\\

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The animated show featured a whole episode parody, featuring Homer revealing secrets on the internet and being kidnapped to "The Island" where he is given the number 5 and meets Number 6 voiced by [[InkSuitActor McGoohan]].

* TrollingCreator: Yes. Just... yes.

* YouAreNumberSix: TropeNamer.

* BeyondTheImpossible: In "It's Your Funeral," it's revealed that Number Two has a supercomputer so sophisticated that it can predict the events of Number Six's day down to the minute, right down to how long his chess game will last, who will win, and how many moves they will win it in.

* HeroBall / WhatAnIdiot: Although No. 6 is the show's OnlySaneMan ''most'' of the time, it's hard not to facepalm once he [[spoiler: ends up at the white cliffs of Dover and ''doesn't recognise them'', falls asleep on a truck without even bothering to hide himself, and subsequently goes straight back to his own home, even though he already ''knows'' from previous episodes that his former friends are after him.]]

* CompanionCube: Rover!

** ''[[{{Clue}} Communism was just a]] [[IncrediblyLamePun red herring]].''

''ThePrisoner'' is known for its obscure, confusing, yet intricate subtexts and plot twists, which culminated in the most notorious (and most beloved) GainaxEnding in British television history. Patrick [=McGoohan=] had almost complete creative control, a budget 1.4 times as large as that of most other series, and ''no idea'' where the show was going from episode to episode. After what was broadcast as episode 11, the script editor, George Markstein, quit the series and was not replaced. Scripts and story ideas from that point on came from random people and places: a Western-themed episode was suggested by a video editor, and the infamous episode "The Girl Who Was Death" was an unused script from ''Series/DangerMan'' (featuring characters, props and locations from said series). Finally, the series' infamous ending takes a turn for the surreal, fueled by [=McGoohan=]'s wish to have "controversy, arguments, fights, discussions, people in anger waving fists in my face saying, ''how dare you?''". Let's just say the GainaxEnding could easily have been called "The Prisoner Ending" and leave it at that.

* CouchGag: A rare serious example. Most episodes' introductions feature the back-and-forth quotation at the top of this page, but have redubbed No. 2's lines with the voice of the new No. 2 from the current episode, often featuring a brief shot of them.

* NoEnding: [[spoiler:The series ended with Number 6 getting home, flash of lightning, wait... it's the opening credits!]]

''ThePrisoner'' is known for its obscure, confusing, yet intricate subtexts and plot twists, which culminated in the most notorious (and most beloved) GainaxEnding in British television history. Patrick [=McGoohan=] had almost complete creative control, a budget 1.4 times as large as that of most other series, and ''no idea'' where the show was going from episode to episode. After what was broadcast as episode 11, the script editor, George Markstein, quit the series and was not replaced. Scripts and story ideas from that point on came from random people and places: a Western-themed episode was suggested by a video editor, and the infamous episode "The Girl Who Was Death" was an unused script from ''DangerMan'' (featuring characters, props and locations from said series). Finally, the series' infamous ending takes a turn for the surreal, fueled by [=McGoohan=]'s wish to have "controversy, arguments, fights, discussions, people in anger waving fists in my face saying, ''how dare you?''". Let's just say the GainaxEnding could easily have been called "The Prisoner Ending" and leave it at that.

The series is believed by many to be a sequel of sorts to [=McGoohan=]'s previous series, ''DangerMan'', with "Number Six" actually being ''Danger Man'''s John Drake. There is at least one [[CrossOver shared character]] (or possibly just a character with the same name and actor), Number Six's "civilian" clothes are the distinctive outfit usually worn by Drake, and a publicity photo of [=McGoohan=] as Drake is X'ed out during the opening credits. Official ''Prisoner'' novels flat out name the Prisoner as Drake. For many years, [=McGoohan=] publicly maintained that the Prisoner was ''not'' Drake, but it is suspected that he was just being contrary. It has also been speculated, if Number Six was actually said to be John Drake, that [=McGoohan=] would've owed royalties to Ralph Smart, the creator of ''DangerMan''.

* NoNameGiven: The Prisoner's real name (although many fans assume he's John Drake, the character [=McGoohan=] played in his previous series, DangerMan (aka Secret Agent); in fact, he's not even called "Number Six" in the scripts, except by other characters, only "P" or "Prisoner".

* ShoutOut: In "The Girl Who Was Death," Number Six receives his orders in a manner mimicking that of Jim Phelps in ''MissionImpossible''.
** The ''ShatteredVisage'' comic series is just loaded with these, with the references running from ''DangerMan'' to the short-lived, little known medical series ''Rafferty'', which starred McGoohan.
* ''TheSimpsons'': The animated show featured a whole episode parody, featuring Homer revealing secrets on the internet and being kidnapped to "The Island" where he is given the number 5 and meets Number 6 voiced by [[InkSuitActor McGoohan]].

* SoundtrackDissonance: Some truly masterful MindScrew examples in the GrandFinale ranging from Carmen Miranda to "Dem Bones" to "All You Need Is Love".

* SpiritualSuccessor: Even if the Prisoner isn't John Drake, the show is at least a spiritual successor to ''DangerMan'', which actually featured a Village-like facility in an episode entitled "Colony Three" (and included scenes filmed in Portmeirion in its very first episode "View from the Villa").

* YouLookFamiliar: Alexis Kanner played Number 48, "The Kid", and an uncredited photographer in different episodes.
** Also Patrick Cargill, who played a British government official in ''Many Happy Returns'', and Number 2 in ''Hammer into Anvil''.

** Christopher Benjamin appears as different characters in "Arrival" and "The Girl Who Was Death", and in the latter actually reprises a character named Potter that he played in an episode of DangerMan.

'''No.2:''' That would be telling. We want information . . .\\
information . . . information!\\

'''No.2:''' By hook or by crook . . . we will.\\

* GildedCage: The Village.

To keep things focused on the story's development, [=McGoohan=] often censored any hint of romance between his character and female prisoners/collaborators in submitted scripts, keeping the characters' attraction to Number 6 strictly one-sided. [[spoiler: In the second batch of episodes, in order to finally do away with any love B-plots, Number 6 turns out to be happily engaged.]] Instead of romance, the story deals with the battles between Number 6 and his surroundings: his struggles are often physical, but in the end, always come down to his mental resilience. More than once, Number 6 breaks his opponents down by utterly crushing their sanity.

''ThePrisoner'' is known for its obscure, confusing, yet intricate subtexts and plot twists, which culminated in the most notorious (and most beloved) GainaxEnding in British television history. Patrick [=McGoohan=] had almost complete creative control, a budget 1.4 times as large as that of most other series, and ''no idea'' where the show was going from episode to episode. After what was broadcast as episode 11, the script editor, George Markstein, quit the series and was not replaced. Scripts and story ideas from that point on came from random people and places: a Western-themed episode was suggested by a video editor, and the infamous episode "The Girl Who Was Death" was an unused script from ''DangerMan'' (featuring characters, props and locations from said series). Finally, the series' ending takes a turn for the surreal, fueled by [=McGoohan=]'s wish to have "controversy, arguments, fights, discussions, people in anger waving fists in my face saying, ''how dare you?''". The end result has to be seen to be believed. (Though because it's such a defining moment of British television, we'll spoil it for you right here if you like: ''[[spoiler: DancePartyEnding]].'')

* '''Number 6''': A nameless former spy who has resigned as "a matter of conscience". (He elaborates later [[spoiler:to add he was disturbed that "too many people knew too much".]]) The only character to appear in each of the 17 episodes.

A {{remake}}, in the form of a six-hour miniseries with Jim "The Passionate Christ" Caviezel as Number 6 and Sir Ian "The White Wizard" [=McKellen=] as Number 2, ran in November 2009. This was not a direct remake, as characterisation, atmosphere, and ending were almost entirely different. YMMV as to whether the miniseries worked taken on its own terms, and on whether it deserved to keep the name.