The Prisoner 40th Anniversary DVD Collection Review

In 1967 a television programme hit our screens that would change the face of the medium forever. That programme was not Camp Runamuck, The Girl from Uncle (sic) or even Dad’s Army; it was The Prisoner – now celebrating its 40th anniversary with a definite DVD box set.

A spy/sci-fi/fantasy allegory to end them all, The Prisoner is the story of Number Six (the irreplaceable Patrick McGoohan), an unnamed man who resigns from a high-level government position, is drugged in his London home and promptly awakes in The Village. Unable to escape from this strange community - a kind of fascist utopia guarded by a giant bubble called ‘Rover’ (Wisteria Lane with less baking) - he battles his aggressors for cerebral supremacy. They want to know why he resigned. He wants to know where he is, who they are, and, most important of all, who is Number One.

“I am not a number, I am a free man!”

If this quote is unfamiliar, then you probably think that Lost is the most cutting edge thing on television. The Prisoner is full of dialogue like this, phrases that you've heard of (maybe even use if you’re not one for friends), but cannot necessarily place. The show is as perplexing and mysterious as The Village itself. But what does it all mean? Who is Number One? For our money it is a lot simpler than a hundred overpaid scholars are making out. It has nothing to do with polar bears either.

The Prisoner's genius lies in its foresight. It is not as relevant today; it is more relevant. The 'Big Brother' concept of our lives being monitored on a daily basis, whether on a street corner or surfing the Internet for free porn, is something that grew out from The Prisoner's post-hippie ideology. Number Six is trapped in this strange village (actually Portmeirion in Wales); the same as we are all trapped in our conformist attitude and lifestyle. It is when you look at The Village and think, "actually, chuck in an Xbox and some Magners and that place doesn't look so bad", that is when you really have to worry, and it is just this kind of unquestioning acceptance that The Prisoner rallied so effectively against.

If all this theory sounds too profound to enjoy fret not; there is enough straightforward 'action' in the show to ensure consistent entertainment. The Prisoner is a darned fine diversion with a lot more to say, but only if you care to read the fine print. There is nothing wrong with just revelling in its eccentricity and wondering why we all don’t wear deck shoes and boating jackets on a daily basis.

Stretched out over seventeen episodes (850 minutes) the format does wane ever so slightly; some episodes are filler to Number Six's repeated escape attempts. Indeed there is supposedly such a thing as the 'McGoohan Seven', seven episodes that co-creator McGoohan believes are the most fundamental to the series. These include Arrival, The Chimes of Big Ben and finale Fall Out, amongst others. The extra episodes were a contractual obligation for syndicating the show abroad. However its own architect is selling the series short, as only two or three of these episodes are anything less than greatness (A, B & C being one), and these are near the beginning of the run anyway.

This 40th Anniversary re-issue has way too many extras to list. A feature-length retrospective documentary entitled Don't Knock Yourself Out is the major selling point. Fascinating to the point of making you want to study The Prisoner for a doctorate, this compilation of interviews and behind the scenes footage captures everything you need to know about the series. Plus it is headed up by a McGoohan quote that does not so much answer all your questions as straightforward stop you asking.

Other extras include the original edit of Arrival (interestingly not the show's pilot, that was The Chimes of Big Ben), stills galleries with episode score, slightly creepy trailers, PDF scripts, seven episode commentaries from various production members, and all this on a print as clean as Number Six's housekeeping. A first class collection.

There is too much to say about The Prisoner; we could chat about it all day, though the best thing to do is to actually watch it. Chances are you have already and this box set is merely an opportunity to get reacquainted, but for those of you who haven't, boy, are you in for a trippy treat.

The Prisoner 40th Anniversary DVD box set is out today.