THE UNMUTUAL WEBSITE FAQ
"The
night is young and there are many questions."
The
Colonel, "The Chimes of Big Ben".
1. What is "The Unmutual Website"?
"The Unmutual Website", or "TUW", is dedicated to the 1960s TV series "The Prisoner", starring Patrick McGoohan, and the Village of Portmeirion, where the series was filmed. Its aim is to be an "online magazine" for all things Prisoner, including the latest news, photos, links, information about the series, plus providing a place for all the talent and discussion in Prisoner fandom to be collated (such as artwork, articles, etc).
In 2005 it was decided that all profits from any events or fundraising activities organised by The Unmutual Website should be donated to Ty Gobaith Children's Hospice.
The name "Unmutual" comes from The Prisoner episode "A Change of Mind" - it's basic meaning in the episode is for someone/thing who is still free-thinking and individual.
The website is independent of any organisation or Society and was created by Lew Stringer in 2002 to enable Prisoner fans to keep in touch with Prisonerdom and have the ability to read about events, news and merchandise without having to join such an organisation and spend money. "The Unmutual" was also the name of a small-scale paper-based newsletter created for the same purpose, which ran for 6 issues 2002-2005. In October 2004, the running of The Unmutual website was taken over by Rick Davy.
The Unmutual Website is not connected in any way to the www.unmutual.com forum or any other web page, web site, or domain using the name Unmutual.
2. Who are "The Unmutuals"?
Put simply, as a body or group or Society, they do not exist. "The Unmutuals" is a collective term that some people have jokingly appropriated for their discussions on the alt.tv.prisoner newsgroup. It was used in fun, as in the case of "The Unmutual Party" which was held in January 2003 being a better name than "Prisoner fans who appreciate the need to remain individual party".
Whilst many people may describe themselves as "unmutual" in spirit (IE non-conformist), there is no "Unmutual" group or collection of people called "The Unmutuals". There is no "Unmutual Society" to enforce any viewpoint. So: No rules. No "Unmutual group". No fan club. Just individuals who appreciate The Prisoner.
3. So if you're not a fan club, what is it that I keep hearing about many people quitting "Six of One"?
Put simply, it is the view of many that they are no longer deserving of support. Immoral and illegal acts (including the secret taping of a magazine editor in his home, the attacking of a charity fundraising event, refusal to publish their accounts and much more) purpotrated by the coordination team of the Society has led to countless numbers of members quitting in disgust. This is not just "fan rumour". A website has been set up outlining all the despicable actions of those who run the Society. We advise all those not fully aware of the facts to visit http://www.sixofone-info.co.uk to furnish themselves of the truth regarding the Society.
4. So why not start an alternative Society?
A Prisoner Appreciation
Society is no longer relevant. What should such a Society provide for its
members? Information about the series, the chance to meet like-minded individuals,
the chance to find out about new books and merchandise, and the chance to
attend events. It is the opinion of most Prisoner fans that one doesn't need
to start a Society or Magazine to provide all of this.
For information on the series there are a wealth of books, online forums,
newsgroups and websites. With a few clicks of the mouse button one can have
all the information about the show one could possibly need. This information,
of course, is also free.
One does not need to be a member of a Society to learn about new items or
events, as this website proves (and, indeed, Six of One themselves often refuse
to promote items which they have not personally been involved in). Thus, everything
any Society could provide can be better provided by individuals *outside*
of such a Society. Thus, Prisoner fans get everything they need without all
the problems (and costs) that come with joining Societies.
5. So who contributes to The Unmutual Website? Why is it a better option than Six of One?
The beauty of The Unmutual Website is that anyone can contribute. You do not need to join a Society, send any money, you don't even have to tell us your name!
Even if you wish to put aside the moral issues with regards to Six of One, The Unmutual Website collates a huge amount of talent in Prisoner and Cult TV fandom which Six of One does not have access to. Contributors to The Unmutual Website include:
Robert Fairclough (author "The Prisoner Official Companion", "The Prisoner: The Original Scripts", "Prisoner: Official Fact Files", "Danger Man Collection"), Howard Foy (editor "Number Six" magazine 1986-1993), David Healey (editor "In The Village" magazine 1993-2001), Vaughan Brunt (editor "Camera Obscura" 1990-1996), Alan Jones and Ronnie Soo (editor and webmaster "The Penny Farthing" 1989-present), Cathy Frumerman (author "On The Trail of The Prisoner"), Roger Goodman (co-founder of Six of One), David Jones (Six of One coordinator and convention/event organiser 1987-2001), Jaz Wiseman (editor "The Morning After" 1989-present, co-author "Danger Man collection"), Dave Lally (London Prisoner Group), David MacKenzie (Online Prisoner Database), Pet Serrano (Unofficial Patrick McGoohan website), Jill Mills (editor "PM Magazine" 1983-84), Simon Coward (Cult TV historian), plus countless other Prisoner aficionados including members of the actual production crew who worked on the series!
6. I have lots of questions regarding The Prisoner. Are the answers here?
A Prisoner FAQ is provided
by Prisoner Fan "Frankymole" at
http://www.web-sighted.co.uk/franks/faq.html which deals with the "basics"
regarding both the series and the alt.tv.prisoner newsgroup, and related FAQs
regarding Prisoner merchandise, costumes and other related issues. If your
question is not answered there, try the alt.tv.prisoner
newsgroup where many of the World's most knowledgable Prisoner fans congregate
to share opinions and information regarding the series.
7. Why is there no Episode Guide or Series Photos?
It was felt that the users of this site would more than likely already be fans of the Series and thus would have access to DVDs or Videos of the Episodes and, as such, would not particularly benefit from an Episode guide or basic series info. We are delighted to have the continued support of The Pennyfarthing Website, whom we link to from our home page, who provide such a service. For more in-depth discussions on the Series, we link to the alt.tv.prisoner newsgroup.
Photograps or "screen grabs" from the series, although included by some websites, are copyright Granada Ventures. At no point do we wish to infringe upon the rights of this organisation, and long may this continue.
We would welcome *any* suggestions from readers of this website on what they would like to see included. New pages and sections are added on an almost weekly basis, and we hope to continue this trend long into the future.
8. A lot of the books/merchandise seem to be out of print. What should I do?
If PrizBiz (online Prisoner store which ships worldwide) are unable to help and the Village Shop does not have the item you are looking for , a good source of information and items is the alt.tv.prisoner newsgroup. Failing that, many hundreds of Prisoner collectables are sold on ebay every day, often at very low prices. We advise putting "prisoner -harry -war -cell" into the search box (thus cutting out the countless "Cell Block H" and other uninteresting "Prisoner" items).
9. Can I email my own pictures, articles, and reviews to The Unmutual?
We are always on the lookout for new news, articles, reviews and links but please email us first (via our contact page) before emailing any images or large documents to us.
If anyone is organising an independent Prisoner event, writing a book on the series, or an article, launching a website, or is involved in anything similar connected with the series, please contact us for possible inclusion in the links section and publicity on the news page. The Unmutual is not a club, society, or "rival gang". It's a website to promote independent Prisoner items and news. As such, we are unwilling to promote anything financed by or connected to Six of One.