THE UNMUTUAL PRISONER VEHICLE GUIDE

THE BREDA

Photos Darren Stokes, Tina Jerke, and David Jones. Vehicle/Series Info: Rick Davy. Additional thanks to David Stimpson.

IN THE PRISONER: The boat used as MS Polotska in "Checkmate" and in "Many Happy Returns" as the Gunrunners' ship.

IN REALITY: The boat used as MS Polotska in "Checkmate" is the same boat used in "Many Happy Returns" as the Gunrunners' ship. The boat was, in reality, the "Breda", at the time owned by North Wales residents Mr and Mrs Harold and Marjorie Beer (who were paid the princely sum of £10 per day for use of the boat). The exterior sequences were filmed at Abersoch (on the Coast of North Wales), with all the interior and close-up shots filmed at a replica at MGM Studios.

The image below shows the boat as it was then.

During the war years, the boat was used to evacuate troops from Dunkirk until it passed to Mr Beer in 1958 (later to be sold to someone in the Halesowen area).

The boat as seen in the series looks different to today, as during the 1960s it had an upper deck (or saloon) which is no longer there today. Mr Beer himself drove the boat in the scenes seen on screen.

The boat is now in private hands in Teddington, and the owners have an excellent website online with more information: http://www.polotska.com

In 2012 the boat took part in The Queen's Jubilee celebrations on the Thames in London.

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