The Prisoner

The Prisoner (1967)

199 mistakes - chronological order

(3 votes)

Show generally

Continuity mistake: During the opening sequence, a white car parked outside the prisoner's London flat disappears between shots as he drives up in the yellow Lotus and walks to the front door.

Jean G

Show generally

Continuity mistake: While the prisoner is packing for his trip (in the opening title sequence), a beach photo placed in his travel bag rotates itself into a different position between shots.

Jean G

Show generally

Continuity mistake: In both the opening and closing sequences, as well as in footage used throughout the series, "Rover" leaves the ocean floor as a transparent sphere, but arrives on the surface colored his usual opaque white.

Jean G

Show generally

Continuity mistake: In the opening sequence, prior to the Prisoner being spirited away to the Village, the holiday photo inside his briefcase appears to turn 90 degrees between two quick edits.

Show generally

Other mistake: In the opening sequence, the zoomed typewriter shows the letter "H" printed as an "X" on the identity card.

Arrival - S1-E1

Visible crew/equipment: In Number 2's chamber Number 6 refuses his offer and says "You won't hold me" as he turns around and goes to walk out. If you look at the bottom right of the screen you can see the shadow of the boom microphone cast on the floor. (00:15:20)

Jack Vaughan

Arrival - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: When the helicopter lands in the field with Number 2 and Number 6 inside, if you look as it sets down you can see a different man (an actual pilot) flying and not the dwarf butler. He isn't even wearing the butler's bowler hat. (00:16:57)

Jack Vaughan

Arrival - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: When Rover attacks Number 6 on the beach, in one of the shots of Number 6 falling to the ground, you can see a tether keeping Rover from roving too far. (00:31:47)

Jack Vaughan

Arrival - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: The Villager Rover attacks changes outfits several times between shots. He's wearing a striped sweater that turns into a pink jacket that turns back into the sweater, etc.

Jean G

Arrival - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: Though the Village isn't supposed to have automobiles (only the little "golf cart" transports), there are several parked cars visible in the shot of Rover floating down to attack the fleeing Villager.

Jean G

Arrival - S1-E1

Visible crew/equipment: In the foot-chase-on-the-beach scene, there are tracks in the sand from the camera crew's truck. They vanish and then reappear when the camera angle changes.

Jean G

Arrival - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: At one point, Rover rolls past the Village retirement home, but the film in this sequence was for some reason shown in reverse. Smoke from the building's fireplace is flowing back into the chimney instead of coming out.

Jean G

Arrival - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: When Number 6 first enters the bedroom, the light that hangs from the ceiling is moving as though someone has brushed against it. But there's no one else in the room.

Jean G

Arrival - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: The maid comes back to Number 6's house for the feather duster she left behind. While they talk, the duster changes positions on the table all by itself.

Jean G

Arrival - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: Number 6 is supposedly flying the helicopter, trying to escape from the Village. There are shadows from the rotor blades crossing his face as he pilots the aircraft. But look closely at the top of the transparent cockpit bubble over his head: you can see the real copter blades - completely stationary and not moving at all.

Jean G

Arrival - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: Watch the stone boat in the background as Number 6 and Number 2 discuss the oldsters having "every comfort." Between shots, the senior citizens vanish from the boat.

Jean G

Arrival - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: Rover drags Number 5 back out of the water to the beach and drops him with his feet pointing toward the recovery vehicle. He starts to get up, but when the shot cuts, he's lying flat again and has changed orientation on the sand, his head now pointing toward the vehicle.

Jean G

Number 6: Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment, and will die here like rotten cabbages.

More quotes from The Prisoner

Living in Harmony - S1-E14

Trivia: This episode was not shown in the initial U.S. airing of "The Prisoner" on CBS. There was speculation that its pacifist, anti-violence moral might have been construed as a Vietnam War protest, but the network's reason for censoring the episode has never been disclosed.

Jean G

More trivia for The Prisoner

Chosen answer: 1) It's never made entirely clear, but it seems that the government, Six's employers, are involved. 2) Because they wanted to know why he resigned. 3) It's never revealed, although many fans assume that Six is really John Drake, McGoohan's character from the prior show Danger Man. McGoohan has, however, denied that this was the intent and there are some notable differences between the characters. 4) It's never revealed, although, as, in the final episode, Six and his companions are able to drive to London, it must logically be located within the British Isles. 5) No details are ever given as to who has ultimate authority over the Village.

Tailkinker

Answer: Hope I am not going on too much, but I was watching bits of "The Prisoner" on YouTube, and have some information in response to question three "What was Number Six's name?" In the opening sequence of "The Prisoner" Patrick McGoohan/The Prisoner/Number Six walks into an office and throws a resignation letter on the table. He then drives to his house and hurriedly packs a suitcase. You can see him throw a UK passport into the suitcase. Seconds later, knockout gas is pumped into his house. He falls unconscious, then revives in "The Village." If he has a UK passport this must give his name, so it can be inferred that his name might be known to, or available to, anybody who really wants to know. After all, it seems plausible that the people or organisation who ordered his removal to "The Village" would have made at least a rudimentary search of his house and found the passport. Subsequently, in "Arrival" the first episode of the series, Patrick McGoohan/The Prisoner/Number Six meets "Number Two" who shows him a series of photographs illustrating his life from his schooldays up till his resignation. I find it inconceivable that Number Two could have acquired such a comprehensive amount of information about Patrick McGoohan/The Prisoner/Number Six, and not known his name. Yet Number Two never once mentions his name. Occasionally, in later episodes, characters mention that they knew Number Six in the time before they were transported to "The Village." But, during all seventeen episodes of the series, neither Patrick McGoohan/The Prisoner/Number Six, nor anybody else, ever mentions his name. From all this, it is clear that it was deliberately intended that viewers of "The Prisoner" would never know his real name.

Rob Halliday

Answer: Patrick McGoohan was often asked these, and many other questions about The Prisoner. He always refused to answer. He said the programme contained the answers. But you might want to try reading "I Am (Not) A Number, Decoding The Prisoner" written by Alex Cox and published in the UK in 2017. I regret that I, personally, was not wholly convinced by everything in this book. However, Alex Cox makes a dedicated and conscientious effort to deal with some questions asked about this very enigmatic television series. Alex Cox argues that Patrick McGoohan intended that the 17 episodes of The Prisoner should be watched in the order in which they were filmed, as these fill in details along the way. Even so, many questions about The Prisoner may always remain unanswered. One obvious paradox is that Patrick McGoohan/The Prisoner/Number 6 always says "I am not a number", and it is quite clear that much of his life before he arrived in "The Village" is well known to everybody, but he never, not even once, ever mentions his real name.

More questions & answers from The Prisoner

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.