The Village (The Prisoner)

The Village
The Prisoner location
The piazza in Portmeirion, the real-life filming location for exterior shots of the Village
First appearance"Arrival" (1967)
Last appearance"Fall Out" (1968)
Created byPatrick McGoohan
George Markstein
In-universe information
TypeVillage
LocationGreat Britain
CharactersNumber Six

The Village is the fictional setting of the 1960s UK television series The Prisoner where the main character, Number Six, is held with other former spies and operatives from various countries.[1] The theme of the series is his captors' attempts to find out why Number Six resigned from his job and his attempts to escape from the Village and learn the identity of Number One. Ostensibly, those running the Village – thought by many to be countries around the world – believe that once Number Six is coerced into explaining the motive(s) behind his resignation, all the state secrets he knows will come tumbling out. However, the ultimate use of these secrets is only intimated, but not overtly explored. Beyond its explicit physical setting, the Village is also viewed as an allegory for humanity and society during the Cold War era. Patrick McGoohan notes in various post-show interviews that the Village is "within all of us ... we all live in a little Village ... Your village may be different from other people's villages but we are all prisoners."[2]

  1. ^ Davies, Steven Paul (17 August 2000). "Merciful release". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  2. ^ McGoohan, Patrick (March 1977). "Interview with Patrick McGoohan". TVOntario (Interview). Interviewed by Troyer, Warner. The Ontario Educational Communications Authority. Retrieved 16 March 2019.