Patrick McGoohan has died. The BBC and other news agencies are reporting the death of actor Patrick McGoohan, following a brief illness. He was 80 years old. McGoohan is best known as the star and co-producer of the 1960s cult classic TV series "The Prisoner", which we have discussed here many times, most recently last week when AMC announced that it would stream all of the original episodes on its website. AMC has also been producing a remake of the series starring Jim Caviezel (as Number 6) and Ian McKellen (as Number 2) for broadcast this fall. [more inside]
posted by briank on Jan 14, 2009 - 116 comments

As we anxiously/eagerly/fearfully await the premiere of the long-in-coming (previously) remake (previously) of that TV Cult Classic (previously) "The Prisoner" (previously), I am delighted that AMC has put all 17 full episodes of the original Patrick McGoohan series online for you to see, unedited, uninterrupted, also not pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed or debriefed but, yes, numbered.
posted by wendell on Jan 8, 2009 - 34 comments

I am not a number, I am a free man. Forty years ago "The Prisoner" made it's American debut on CBS. A surreal and challenging science fiction series that follows "Number 6," a former government operative sent into a seemingly idyllic but twisted prison known as "The Village". Over the course of seventeen episodes, Number 6 struggles to retain his identity in the face of sophisticated and relentless attempts by the powers-that-be (led by people known only as "No. 2") to extract his secrets. It ended with a final episode that defies explanation and caused it's writer (the show's star Patrick McGoohan) to go into hiding after it aired. [more inside]
posted by inthe80s on Oct 1, 2007 - 79 comments