Much of Number Six's background is kept a mystery during the series, including his name, his job and whom he worked for.[2] In the first episode, it is stated that he was born on 19 March 1928, the same date as McGoohan, and that he held a position of some responsibility with the British government.[3] Certain clues though can be determined from some episodes where Number Six knows and appears to have worked for people in British Intelligence.
Life before The Village
During the episode "Once Upon a Time", Number Six undergoes an intense form of brainwashing and interrogation in which his mind is reverted to that of a child and he is made to relive major events of his life.
Among the events presented is the suggestion that, as a young man, Number Six caused a fatal car accident by speeding. It is also suggested that he attended some sort of private school and was once punished for not telling the headmaster about some of his friends' rule-breaking activities. Later in the episode, it is also stated that Number Six was a bomb-aimer during "the War", and that he worked for a British banking firm before being enrolled in a top secret government job.
"The Prisoner" : the house of number 6 (Portmeirion)
Other episodes suggest that he was a spy or similar operative, though director Alex Cox stated in his 2017 book I Am (Not) A Number: Decoding The Prisoner that he was in fact a rocket engineer who resigned from his work because he felt his research was being misused.[4] He is shown to be highly sagacious, if not a genius, with proficiency and expertise in subjects ranging from fencing, boxing and marksmanship to mathematics, languages, astronomy and craftsmanship.
Prior to his capture and internment in the Village, he was engaged to be married to Janet Portland, the daughter of his superior, Sir Charles Portland.
Ultimate fate
In the final episode, "Fall Out", Number Six and several other residents appear to have escaped the Village. However, his ultimate fate is not revealed, and McGoohan repeatedly maintained in interviews that Number Six does not have his freedom at the end of the series. The last shot of the series is of Angelo Muscat (the butler of Number Two, The Village's overseer) entering Number Six’s house in the City of Westminster, and the door of the house automatically opening and closing like that of his house in The Village.
Adaptations and remakes of Number Six
Shattered Visage
In the late 1980s, DC Comics published Shattered Visage, a four-issue comic book based on The Prisoner, with events taking place twenty years after the television series.[5] The first official follow-up to the TV show,[5] it was illustrated by Mister X creator Dean Motter and co-written with Mark Askwith.[5]
In the mini-series, Alice Drake is shipwrecked on the shores of the Village and meets an older Number Six, the single resident of the Village.
2009 mini-series
The Prisoner was remade in a 2009 mini-series produced by AMC with Jim Caviezel playing the part of Number Six. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the remake was nominated for several awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie.
Fan theories
John Drake
Many fans of The Prisoner believe that Number Six is really John Drake, the title character of McGoohan's prior series Danger Man. McGoohan always denied the theory; in a 1966 interview in The Los Angeles Times, he stated that "John Drake of Secret Agent [as Danger Man was known in the US] is gone." Furthermore, McGoohan stated in a 1985 interview that Number Six is not the same character as John Drake, adding that he had originally wanted another actor to portray the character.[6]
However, script editor George Markstein, who co-created the series with McGoohan, always claimed that Number Six is John Drake. According to Markstein, he conceived The Prisoner as a sequel of Danger Man when McGoohan resigned from the role.[7]
Novels based on the series by Thomas Disch and David McDaniel also connect John Drake to Number Six, though these are generally not considered canonical. McDaniel's novel refers to Number Six as "Drake" from its very first sentence: "Drake woke."[8]
While John Drake and Number Six look identical and have the same moral integrity, profession, skills, and mannerisms, some differences are noteworthy. Drake is a less emotional, more restrained character, while Number Six has a tendency to act out in anger. Drake is also a regular smoker and drinker, while Number Six smokes only twice in The Prisoner and claims to rarely drink.
Number 93
In the opening moments of the 2009 mini-series, Michael, the amnesiac who would be known in that series as Six, discovers an old man in the middle of the desert being fired upon by security forces in some kind of an escape attempt. The old man is dressed in Number Six's trademark black sweater jacket with white trim, now displaying a badge that identifies the wearer as "93." 93's final words were "Listen to me: tell them all that I got out… be seeing you." Six later explores 93's apartment, which is identical to Number Six's from the original series.[9] Producer Trevor Hopkins stated on a ComiCon panel that he had invited Patrick McGoohan to play the role of 93; McGoohan declined, suggesting that he could play Two instead (the role of Two went to Ian McKellen).[10]
Number Six, played by Tricia Helfer, is a character on the television series Battlestar Galactica. According to Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, it is a tribute to the original character.[12]
Several Iron Maiden songs allude to the original series. In the song, "The Prisoner", lines from the original series are played at the beginning of the song.[13] The Village is also the setting of their song "Back in the Village."[14]
UK indie rock act Mansun's second album, Six, is heavily inspired by the series as the band's former frontman Paul Draper is a big fan of the show.[15]
References
^Fairclough, Robert (2002). The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series. iBooks. pp. 88–89. ISBN0-7434-5256-9.
