NFT FOR DRAKE

Fans of "Danger Man" will want to put 9th July 2010 in their diaries, and also keep an eye on the BFI website, as this date sees a special screening at the NFT of the 1959 episode "View from the Villa" (which also features footage filmed at Portmeirion).

Brian Clemens (best known for his work on "The Avengers") who wrote the episode, and others in the series, will be interviewed about his career at the same venue on 22nd and 28th July.

For more details click HERE.

With thanks to Dave Lally for this news item.

PRISONER BOARD GAME REVAMPED

Older fans of the series may remember in the early 1990s a "Prisoner" board game was produced.

Now fan Les Proctor has revamped the game, with it now being out of print, and making photos of his version plus a set of rules available free of charge to other interested fans.

Email lesprocol@aol.com for more details.

With thanks to Les Proctor for this news item.

THE STAGE IS SET

Manchester in the UK becomes the setting for a World first in August 2010, as "Everyman", a stage play based on the life of none other than Patrick McGoohan, debuts.

A full press release is online HERE regarding the event, including all the cast and performances details.

With thanks to Brian Gorman and Peter Preston for this news item.

TOUR EVENTS UPDATE

For many years, Dave Lally has been running very successful and enjoyable tours of the "Prisoner" locations in London and the South East, and 2010 will see not just one but three more of these events!

In addition to the London locations walking tour on Sunday October 31st there will also be a Danger Man and Cult TV tour (by public transport) earlier that day.

And on Saturday 24th July there will be a very special picnic visit to Beachy Head lighthouse (left) which appears in two episodes!

For all the details on these fantastic events, visit the events page.

THE PRISONER IN NEW BOOK

A new book is on the shelves, thanks to Plexus Publishing, in which The Prisoner is featured.

"Fantastic Television - 50 Years of Cult Fantasy and Science Fiction" (left) is a well-illustrated book by Steven Savill which encompasses 5 decades of the genres from both sides of the Atlantic.

Other shows included are "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Doctor Who", "Star Trek", "Heroes" and many more. Click HERE for Plexus's full press release.

To purchase the book, click HERE and enter the title in the search box.

With thanks to Jonathan No at No Other for this news item.

HIT MAN SCREENING

Fans of the film work of Patrick McGoohan will be excited to see that one of his best works will be screened at the forthcoming Edinburgh International Film Festival.

"The Hard Way" (reviewed HERE) which co-starred McGoohan alongside Lee Van Cleef will be screened as part of the "Retrospective: After the Wave" series at the festival, which celebrates once-lost or rarely seen British films.

The screening takes place on June 26th at 11.00am will be in Filmhouse 1, more details about which can be found HERE.

With thanks to Andrew Frith and Giles Kendrick for this news item.

REMAKE SCREENED TO MIXED REVIEWS

Following many years speculation, news, updates, and a US screening, the "Prisoner" TV series remake finally hit UK screens on Saturday 17th April to mixed reviews, both from fans and publications.

Have you seen the new series? If so, tell TUW what you think and have your views added to the reviews page HERE.

The Radio Times featured the remake in its 16-23/4/2010 issue (pages 26 & 53), the TV Times on 3 pages of its issue, and ITV show "The South Bank Show" and BBC's "The One Show" featured Ian McKellern discussing the series in the week preceeding the screening. Pre-screening articles also appeared in the Daily Telegraph.

Click HERE for the ITV press pack. The BFI (see below) hosted a preview and Q&A, with Jane Merrow and Tony Sloman attending from the original series. Thanks to journalist Ian Wylie, a full transcript of the Q&A is hosted HERE. The new series is available on both Blu-ray (RRP £17.99) and DVD (RRP £15.99).

Images (c) Stephen Preston

NEW PRISONER CARDS SET

Factory Entertainment will be releasing two sets of Prisoner trading cards in (hopefully) May, one based on the classic, original series, the other based on the 2009 reimagining. Both sets will contain great subset cards including costume cards, Autograph cards, and sketch cards produced by many great artists including Clay McCormack, Don Pedicini Jr, Nick Neocleous, and many others.

More info on release can be found at www.factoryent.com. Clay writes; "It was a dream come true to work on illustrations for my favorite television series, and here's to hoping the cards do well and warrant a follow up set!"

With thanks to Clay McCormack for this news item and image.

JOHN GREEN R.I.P.

It is with much sadness that TUW announces that "Prisoner" fan John Green passed away in April 2010. He was 59. A familiar face at Local Meetings, Walkabouts, and Portmeirion events, John was a well-known and respected fan of the series and many of the stop-press items seen on TUW were often unearthed by John.

TUW and "Prisoner" fandom was represented at his funeral service, which took place in his home county of Essex, and the flowers adorning the occasion had an attached Penny Farthing card and mini Rover balloon, which John would have chuckled at. Music from "Arrival" was also played during the service.

A tribute from John's closest friend, Perry French, can be read HERE. TUW extends it' sincerest sympathies to all of John's family and friends - a much-loved fan, and more importantly man, who will be missed by all.

WEEKEND WALKING WONDERS

On 16-18 April 2010 a large group of Prisoner fans gathered in London for the latest "Walkabout Weekend" hosted by Dave Lally.

On Saturday was a tour of Borehamwood locations from the series, with the Central London tour taking place on the Sunday in warm sunshine. A fuller report and photos will follow soon - the next walks are planned for 31st October 2010.

REMAKE HITS UK

Several months after it aired in the USA to mixed reviews, the AMC Prisoner TV remake has finally been given an airdate for ITV here in the UK - Saturday 17th April 2010, with the evening timeslot yet to be confirmed.

Trailers are appearing on the network and several newspapers and magazines have already covered the news recently (including "TV Times", "Saga" and "The Gay Times").

Don't forget to tell TUW what you think HERE.

With thanks to Rob Fairclough, Cathy Frumerman, Jill Mills, and Leslie Glen for this news item.-

APRIL 2010 STOP PRESSES

Prisoner article comparison to The Omega Factor appears in current "Foundation" sci-fi journal.....Prisoner fan has tattoo made HERE.....disturbing "real life village" HERE......AMC remake on DVD HERE......Prisoner novel reissued HERE.....rare Portmeiriana video HERE.....Leo McKern article HERE.....Portmeirion mentioned HERE.....PMcG mentioned HERE......Annie Lennox appears in PM HERE.....Iron Maiden article HERE....Google Maps London locations tour HERE.....Lew Grade article HERE.

HOTEL EXTENSION NEARS COMPLETION

The new frontage to the main hotel building in Portmeirion, matching that of the original which was sadly destroyed in a fire in 1983, is nearing completion.

With the revamped hotel interior completed in January, the new frontage and reception area is also nearly ready. More info and photos HERE.

With thanks to Lee Arnall for this news item.

CHAPPEL MUSIC SET ON SALE

After many years research and production, TUW is delighted to announce that a new, and unique, "Prisoner" soundrack CD set is now available to privately purchase.

Limited to 1000 copies, the 3-CD set contains the Chappell Music Cues featured throughout the series (numbering over 100 pieces of music, many of which are previously unreleased). Also included is a 56-page booklet, with introduction by Music Editor on the series Eric Mival.

Click HERE to read all the details regarding this unique and exciting "Prisoner" item, including full tracklisting and order form.

With thanks to Derek Lawton for this news item and information.

HOTEL REVAMPED

On 29th January 2010 the planned refurbishment of the interior of the main hotel in Portmeirion was completed. Designed by Sian Llywelyn, she went back to pre 1981 colour photographs of the hotel's interiors in order to restore Clough Williams-Ellis' furniture layout and colour scheme.

More images and info can be seen HERE.

With thanks to Alan Jones for this news item. Photo (c) Portmeirion Limited.

VILLAGE WHO

As mooted by The Unmutual Website in 2008 (article HERE), 2|Entertain are this month releasing the classic Tom Baker Doctor Who story "The Masque of Mandragora". This will be of interest as it features several sequences shot in Portmeirion and the DVD includes a featurette on how Portmeirion has changed since the filming of the story and how its unique features were utilised.

The DVD can be ordered from Amazon by typing the title in the search box HERE.

EVENTS UPDATE

It is soon the time once again for "Prisoner" fans to head to London for the April Prisoner Tours weekend (9-11 April 2010), which includes Dave Lally's unmissable London Locations Walkabout. On the Friday and Saturday evenings there will be informal pub gatherings for attendees, and on the Saturday morning a tour of the Borehamwood Prisoner locations, with the London tour taking place on Sunday.

For more details, visit the events page.

WINTER NEWS

With a short delay in updating the site, a huge number of "stop press" items are now outstanding, here is a collection of them.

Firstly, Ernest Borgnine's autobiography includes mention of PMcG, and PMcG himself is interviewed on the new Braveheart DVD release (left). Article on The Prisoner as a game HERE. Updated Portmeirion Hotel building work info HERE. The village featured on S4C on 8/1/10 Nodyn of 2010 as Elin Fflur presented amongst others Bob Delyn a'r Ebillion in Portmeirion.

Sad news - Charlotte Wallace, the last surviving child of Portmeirion's architect Clough Williams-Ellis, died on December 30th 2009 aged 89.

Latest remake news is that it will be aired in the UK during Spring. You can read an interview with the remake's music provider HERE.

In other news, IYF Number Two Derren Nesbitt appears in a play HERE. In the winter 2009 edition of "Electric Sheep" magazine (ISSN 9771765 649004, £3.95)
Andrew Cartmel discusses The Prisoner. There are details of an R1 re-release on DVD HERE. Tocco Lite uses "I am Not a Number" in its mobile phone advertising.

With thanks to Andrew Frith, Alan Jones, Cathy Frumerman, Roger Goodman, Lew Stringer, John Green, Kevin Ryerson, Giles Kendrick, Lee Arnall, Simon Wells, Dave Lally, Tom Mayer, Leslie Glen for this news item.

SPONSOR A COTTAGE IN SECOND LIFE

More news has reached TUW regarding the excellent village on "Second Life" (new link HERE and new video HERE.)

Not only is the village expanding to include locations from "The Girl Who Was Death" and "Living in Harmony", as maintaining the site is costly opportunities are now available for users to move into the village for as little as £0.30 and also sponsor a cottage!

With thanks to Catty for this news item.

COMIC DOWNLOAD

Following on from a recent article HERE, news has reached TUW from Brian Gorman as follows; "There is now a free download of my 2008 Prisoner-inspired comic book, 'BORDERLINERS: Ceremony Of Innocence' at http://www.doomwatch.org/borderliners.html

There's also more info at the link about Ian McKellen allowing me to use his likeness."

With thanks to Brian Gorman for this news item.

RARE PMcG PLAY RELEASED

Exciting news from TUW's friends at Network DVD is that the very rare and unreleased Patrick McGoohan play "Serjeant Musgrave's Dance" is due for imminent release in 2010.

Most of the early TV plays starring McGoohan have sadly been lost, but along with 4 others SMD has remained intact in the BFI archives.

Visit the Network website HERE for more information.

Also released is the Vincent Tilsey ("Chimes" & "Do Not Forsake") written drama "The Guardians", a 13-part series with lots of Prisoneresque undertones. Click HERE for details & ordering.

BBC PAYS TRIBUTE

Patrick McGoohan featured on the BBC News Channel's 'Review 2009 - We Remember'. This was shown on the afternoon of the 1st January 2010. A
large section of the opening sequence was shown, along with a few captions of information about Patrick McGoohan.

The final one went along the lines of 'Patrick McGoohan once stated that 'Mel Gibson (left) will always be known as Mad Max. . . I will always be just a number''.

With thanks to Crispin Hodges for this news item.

REMAKE AIRS

After years of rumours, hints, links, and teasers, the last few days have finally seen the airing of the Prisoner remake mini-series, produced by AMC.

The 6 episodes were screened between 15th and 17th November in the US to much anticipation, some scepticism, and were aired to mixed reviews.

So now it has been shown what did you think of the remake? Click HERE to read reviews and other viewers' thoughts, and you can submit your own for others to read!

AMC are also providing an interactive online graphic novel to accompany the series, which can be seen HERE.

ALBERT ELMS DIES

More sad news has reached The Unmutual Website recently with the news that composer Albert Elms, who provided much of the original music in "The Prisoner" including the entirety of "Living in Harmony" died in October.

He also worked on several other ITC series in the 1950s and 1960s aswell as several films, and his contribution to the series was massive. TUW extends its sincere sympathies to Mr Elms' family and friends.

A Times Online obituary can be read HERE.

With thanks to Simon Coward and Al Samujh for this news item.

NETWORK RELEASE DM SEASON 1

Following the tremendous success of their box set of the hour-long "Danger Man" episodes, January 2010 sees the release of the "half hour" shows from Network, several of which of course contain footage filmed in Portmeirion.

The set will include all 39 episodes in a 6-disc set plus some extras and a limited edition booklet by Andrew Pixley and is the first release of the episodes in the UK since the early Carlton releases.

Ordering details and the full specifications of the set can be found on Network's website HERE.

With thanks to Matt Courtman and Phil Baker for this news item.

REMAKE SCREENING NEARS

With the US premiere of the "Prisoner" TV remake now only 2 weeks away, more details are emerging about the series, and AMC has been deluging US TV with commercials for the series.

The screening details and episode titles are as follows: Nov. 15, Sun. - episodes "Arrival" and "Harmony". Nov. 16, Mon. - episodes "Anvil" and "Darling". Nov. 17, Tue. - episodes "Schizoid" and "Checkmate".

More information on the remake including trailers, news, interviews, and images can be found on AMC's website, including a Village Map HERE. Whilst there has been no announcement regarding a UK screening date, articles about the series are still appearing, including HERE and HERE.

With thanks to Catherine Frumerman, and Lina Sinistaj. Image (c) AMC.

GRAHAM NEARN R.I.P.

It is with much sadness that news has reached The Unmutual Website that Graham Nearn, the founder of Caterham Cars, has passed away. He was 76.

Instrumental in bringing the Lotus 7 into the World of Number Six, and also releasing the limited-edition Prisoner 7 in the 1990s, Graham even appeared in "Fall Out" on screen in the sequence in which Number Six's house is being made ready.

An interview with Graham about his involvement in Lotus, Caterham, and the series can be read HERE, with news articles HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

With thanks to Carol Brady, Catherine Frumerman, Andrew Frith, Alan Jones, and Paul White.

WALKABOUT SUCCESS

One of the highlights of the Prisoner calendar each year is Dave Lally's twice-yearly Prisoner location tours, or "Walkabouts"

On Sunday 4th October 2009 the latest of these took place, and photos from the day are online HERE. There will be 2 walks again in 2010, so keep an eye on the events page for details!

The Unmutual Website has also received reports of another organisation or persons running Prisoner tours. Please note these have no connection to TUW or Dave's tours, and as such complaints about locations being wrongly identified or missed out should not be directed here.

DO NOT FORSAKE THE MUSIC

An interesting article has appeared at Down The Tubes detailing a US-based band called "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling". They plan to record 17 songs, each with a link to the episodes of "The Prisoner".

Click HERE to read the full article.

With thanks to Lew Stringer for this news item.

THE COLONEL'S LEGACY

The quarterley "Life" newsletter for Hackney's St Joseph's Hospice in London featured an interesting mention of The Prisoner recently, in an article about one of its supporters.

It appears that "Chimes" actor Kevin Stoney in his will left his future royalties from the show, and others such as Doctor Who, to the hospice.

Click HERE to see the article in full.

McGOOHAN SIMPSONS RELEASED

After a long wait, fans in the UK of both Patrick McGoohan and of The Simpsons can now have their wishes granted with the recent R2 DVD (left) release of season 12 of the popular cartoon comedy series.

The set includes the episode "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" in which McGoohan provides the guest voice of his Number Six character in a Prisoneresque special in which Homer Simpson is transported to the mysterious "Island" with countless Prisoner visuals and references.

The set also includes a deleted scene from the episode, which shows Homer riding on a PennyFarthing bicycle.

The set is available from Amazon, simply type "Simpsons 12" into the search box HERE.

With thanks to Leslie Glen and Allan Young for this news item.