the prisoner

I never, ever got into the Prisoner, it's always been totally out of my scope and I never quite understood why that was, you know I tried to watch it and had it explained by fans and stuff but it's always just gone right past me, be interesting to see what people say about it.

I don't remember very much about The Prisoner, apart from a pervasive sense of malice. Really weird homespun knitted cardigan nastiness. I would have been about eight when it was screening, though, so it probably wasn't that bad.

I can't see the remake being that flash. I mean, how can they compete with Portmerion (sp?) as a set?

Never watched it actually, I've been to Port Merion though and that was pretty cool.
When I lived in Amsterdam I saw an excellent "adult" movie based on it - Prisoner of Sex I believe it was called, it featured a porn star who wanted to leave the industry but was drugged, kidnapped and awoke in this village, the exit of which was guarded by a huge green bubble. There was quite a lot to it (probably some sex) but in the end I think he escaped when one of his fellow prisoners distracted the bubble by flashing her tits at it.
I've always meant to check out the real thing though.

Looks as though you were right reeltoreel it should be Portmerion (one word) in fact.

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&resnum=0&q=portmeirion&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

It is, quite simply, one of the greatest TV programmes of all time. No serious list of top 50 TV works of art could be without it.

Agree with you, Derek. We went to Portmeirion whilst on holiday in the area...thought it was a fascinating place. The fact that it famously does not tie everything up in the final episode, or 'explain' anything, is just perfect.

"I think progress is the biggest enemy on earth, apart from oneself… I think we're gonna take good care of this planet shortly… there's never been a weapon created yet on the face of the Earth that hadn't been used…
We're run by the Pentagon, we're run by Madison Avenue, we're run by television, and as long as we accept those things and don't revolt we'll have to go along with the stream to the eventual avalanche… As long as we go out and buy stuff, we're at their mercy. We're at the mercy of the advertiser and of course there are certain things that we need, but a lot of the stuff that is bought is not needed…
We all live in a little Village… Your village may be different from other people's villages but we are all prisoners."

— Patrick McGoohan, 1977

Prisoner rules

greatest tv series ever. they were repeating them a couple of months back on itv 4. i'm sure it doesn't need to suffer a remake.

Best TV series ever, along with the first series (& final episode) of Twin Peaks. Total babbling genius. & genuinely psychedelic. "A,B&C" is the best episode, I think. It's like 120 Days of Sodom in the mind of Prince Charles, as terrifying as that sounds. & it's as beautifully made & existentially nasty as one of his fucking model villages.