"Nice 'Dungeon'!" - "The Prisoner" Quiz

Answer: Spy

This British series concerns the life of an ex Secret Service agent who was preparing to take off for parts unknown, but wakes up on a lovely mysterious island. In spite of being well cared for he is otherwise given no information and is interrogated regularly by the administrator of 'The Village'.

The prisoner has no idea which side his captors are on, and continually thwarts their efforts. He sees many other people on the island, simply going about their business and not forthcoming with information. Each person is assigned a number, but not a name.

It appears to be a stage setting that is meant to create a false sense of well being.

Answer: Number Two

Number Two is always the man's name, although he is usually played by different people in different episodes, indicating that he has been replaced because of his failure to extract information, or simply to confuse "The Prisoner". Number Two uses many means to get information: hallucinogens, mind control, social interchange and dream manipulation.

Answer: Patrick McGoohan

Patrick McGoohan co-authored much of the script and played the title character. The writing was done by six people, and the directing by four, also including McGoohan. Frank Maher was McGoohan's stunt and fight double as well as the stunt/fight co-ordinator. Leo McKern and Colin Gordon had turns playing Number Two.

Answer: Number Six

He resolutely refused to acknowledge being 'Number Six', convinced that part of the scheme was to remove his identity and make him feel less human. He also managed to give very little information, and to train himself to lie convincingly and to believe his lies at the time.

Not knowing who his captors were or their motives, made him always suspect any method used by anyone to find out things about him.

Answer: "Who is Number One?"

The prisoner is never positive who Number One is (a hint is given at the end that it may be himself), or who the inquisitors work for. The struggle for the prisoner is to maintain his sanity, keep planning an escape or revolt, and deny his captors any information.

Answer: Rover

Rover is a giant flexible balloon that follows, captures and then forces the would-be escapist back to the island. There are other devices that monitor and record happenings in the village, and the prisoner gradually realizes that he probably cannot escape.

Answer: True

Named "Fall Out", it lost out to "2001: A Space Odyssey", but has won other prestigious awards such as the 2001 listing by TV Guide as the 55th Greatest TV Episode of All Time. The series itself has won the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award in 2002, and the 2004 and 2007 TV Guide's ranking of Number 7 of Top Cult Shows Ever.

Answer: Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales

The Hotel Portmeirion, Wales, was the location that served as the partial inspiration and setting for the beautiful coastal village where the prisoner and others were kept. The location was kept secret until the last episode of the series was finished, probably to discourage viewers from visiting there in droves.
Co-creator of "The Prisoner", David Markham, was inspired by his research into a World War II deceptively pleasant prison camp called "Inverlair Lodge".

Answer: John Drake

The series known in the U.K. as "Danger Man" and in the U.S. as "Secret Agent", was a typical spy thriller and may or may not have had some influence on "The Prisoner". The scenario of the latter would be entirely plausible as a follow up.
There are many obvious connections from "Danger Man" to "The Prisoner", but each stands on its own as a series.

Answer: 2009

There has also been talk of a film based on the series. "The Prisoner" combined sci-fi, psychological intrigue and danger to form a suspenseful series of episodes that intrigued many followers. There were seventeen episodes in the original series.