Scripted series · ITV1
The Prisoner
No man is just a number.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Patrick McGoohan
Number Six
17 eps
Peter Swanwick
The Supervisor
8 eps
Fenella Fielding
Loudspeaker Announcer
7 eps
Colin Gordon
Number Two
2 eps
Leo McKern
Former Number Two
3 eps
Derren Nesbitt
New Number Two
1 eps
Eric Portman
Number Two
1 eps
Ronald Radd
Rook
1 eps
David Bauer
The Judge / Number Two
1 eps
Paul Eddington
Cobb
1 eps
John Sharp
Number Two
1 eps
Mary Morris
Number Two
1 eps
Anton Rodgers
Number Two
1 eps
Donald Sinden
The Colonel
1 eps
Nigel Stock
The Colonel / Number Six / Seltzman
1 eps
Alexis Kanner
Number Forty Eight / The Kid
2 eps
Nadia Gray
Nadia Rokovsky, Number 8
1 eps
George Baker
The New Number Two
1 eps
George Coulouris
Man with the Stick
1 eps
Justine Lord
Sonia
1 eps
Mark Eden
Number One Hundred
1 eps
Conrad Phillips
Doctor
1 eps
Victor Maddern
Bandmaster
1 eps
George Benson
Labour Exchange Manager
1 eps
Zena Walker
Janet Portland
1 eps
Norma West
Girl Bo-Peep
1 eps
Denis Shaw
Shopkeeper
2 eps
Richard Wattis
Fotheringay
1 eps
John Castle
Number Twelve
1 eps
Joe Gladwin
Yorkshire Napoleon
1 eps
Clifford Evans
Number Two
1 eps
Thomas Heathcote
Lobo Man
1 eps
Peter Bowles
'A'
1 eps
Earl Cameron
Supervisor
1 eps
Rosalie Crutchley
Queen
1 eps
André van Gyseghem
Retiring Number Two
1 eps
Aubrey Morris
Town Crier / Roman Emperor
1 eps
Gertan Klauber
Cafe Waiter
1 eps
John Cazabon
Umbrella Man
2 eps
Patsy Smart
Waitress
2 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Prisoner actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Prisoner reads strongest on Character Depth, Bingeability and World Building.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
After resigning, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is really a bizarre Kafkaesque prison. His warders demand information. He gives them nothing, but only tries to escape.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E02
The Chimes of Big Ben
A new Number 8 named Nadia arrives in The Village, and together Number 6 and she plot their escape.
- Directed by Don Chaffey
- Written by Vincent Tilsley
S01E01
Arrival
After resigning, a secret agent finds himself trapped in a bizarre prison known only as The Village.
- Directed by Don Chaffey
- Written by David Tomblin, George Markstein
S01E04
Free for All
Number 6 runs for the office of Number 2.
- Directed by Patrick McGoohan
- Written by Patrick McGoohan
S01E09
Checkmate
Inspired by a large chess game with people taking the place of the game pieces, Number 6 formulates a new escape plan with some compatriots.
- Directed by Don Chaffey
- Written by Gerald Kelsey
S01E08
Dance of the Dead
Number 6 comes across a body that has washed ashore with a radio. After sending the body back out to sea, he tries to use the radio to get rescued.
- Directed by Don Chaffey
- Written by Anthony Skene
S01E07
Many Happy Returns
Number 6 wakes up to find the Village totally deserted.
- Directed by Patrick McGoohan
- Written by Anthony Skene
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E16
Once Upon a Time
- Directed by Patrick McGoohan
- Written by Patrick McGoohan
S01E15
The Girl Who Was Death
- Directed by David Tomblin
- Written by Terence Feely
S01E14
Living in Harmony
- Directed by David Tomblin
- Written by David Tomblin, Ian Rakoff
S01E13
Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling
- Directed by Pat Jackson
- Written by Vincent Tilsley
S01E12
A Change of Mind
- Directed by Patrick McGoohan
- Written by Roger Parkes
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
Patrick McGoohan
Showrunner
- Photo unavailable
George Markstein
Creator
- Photo unavailable
Lewis Greifer
Writer
- Photo unavailable
David Tomblin
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Terence Feely
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Gerald Kelsey
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Roger Woddis
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Michael Cramoy
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Ian Rakoff
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Roger Parkes
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Anthony Skene
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Vincent Tilsley
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Created by
- Patrick McGoohanCreator
Executive production
- David TomblinProducer
- Patrick McGoohanProducer
Writing
- Lewis GreiferWriter
- David TomblinWriter
- Terence FeelyWriter
- Gerald KelseyWriter
- Patrick McGoohanWriter
- Roger WoddisWriter
Direction
- David TomblinDirector
- Robert AsherDirector
- Pat JacksonDirector
- Patrick McGoohanDirector
- Don ChaffeyDirector
- Peter Graham ScottDirector
Cinematography
- Brendan J. StaffordDirector of Photography
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon Prime VideoStreaming
- Amazon VideoBuy
- fuboTVStreaming
- Criterion ChannelStreaming
- Night Flight PlusStreaming
- Amazon Prime Video with AdsStreaming
- Shout! Factory Amazon ChannelStreaming
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