The Prisoner

Living in Harmony - S1-E14

Continuity mistake: The drink Kathy brings the Kid changes positions on the table between takes. She places it on top of the small book, but it moves itself to the larger book, then back to the small one again, and so on.

Jean G

The Chimes of Big Ben - S1-E2

Continuity mistake: Nadia and Number 6 go together to the Green Dome (Number 2's residence). While they stand at the entrance, the door knocker changes to one of a completely different design between one shot and the next.

Jean G

Hammer into Anvil - S1-E10

Continuity mistake: During their kosho match, Number 6 ends up dangling Number 14 over the water. In the first shot, he's holding the man with his left hand. In the next, he's using his right hand.

Jean G

The General - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: At the end, using only one finger of one hand, Number 6 types 4 characters on the typewriter. He then expressly states that what he typed was, "W-h-y question mark." But you can't type the question mark with one finger: it requires holding down the shift key.

Jean G

A. B. and C. - S1-E3

Continuity mistake: Number 14 has to push a button to activate the first tape she puts into the player. She then puts on the 'A' tape and it starts playing by itself, with no button pushed. When she puts in 'B,' though, she has to push the button again.

Jean G

Fall Out - S1-E17

Continuity mistake: The council members' signs keep changing during the "Dem Bones" sequence. "Entertainment" becomes "Anarchists" and several others switch places between cuts.

Jean G

Many Happy Returns - S1-E7

Continuity mistake: One of the bad guys prepares a tea tray in the boat's galley and carries it up to the bridge. Throughout his preparations and his trip up the stairs to the upper deck, the contents of the tray keeps changing. The items rearrange themselves, and the size and shape of the bread loaf alternates several times.

Jean G

Free for All - S1-E4

Continuity mistake: The number of toast slices in the rack on the breakfast cart changes between shots. Number 2 takes a piece, leaving three. No one's gone near the cart, but a moment later, the toast rack contains five pieces.

Jean G

The General - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: Number 6 is quite a quick-change artist. In the projection room, after the countdown reaches 2 minutes, he manages to: strip the unconscious technician; take off his own black suit, tie, hat and glasses; get into the white lab outfit, and finally, don all the communications gear in time for the 1-minute countdown announcement.

Jean G

Once Upon A Time - S1-E16

Continuity mistake: When Number 6 is pushing him on the swing, the Butler's hands and arms change positions instantly between shots. One moment, he's holding the rope with his hands: in the next, he has his elbows crooked around the ropes instead.

Jean G

Checkmate - S1-E9

Continuity mistake: Number 6 is taking notes on the Village inhabitants, trying to determine which of them are prisoners and which are keepers. Next to the pond, he's observing Number 62. But on his notepad, he crosses out Number 8.

Jean G

More mistakes in The Prisoner

Number Two: I'm the boss.
Number 6: No. One is the boss.

More quotes from The Prisoner

Fall Out - S1-E17

Trivia: The bizarrely existential ending of the series, which answered none of the questions posed by earlier episodes (but rather seemed to say, "The answer is there is no answer!") upset viewers so much that Patrick McGoohan says he was forced to go into hiding. His phone had been ringing constantly and people who'd found his address were banging on his door to complain.

Jean G

More trivia for The Prisoner

Answer: It's even more obvious than you think, you know who number 1 is in the very first episode. When 2 replies to the question "who is #1?" Change the way he answers from you are number one (in the monotone or accented answer to, "You are, number 6. The comma gives you the answer. #6 is #1. It's the tone of the answer.

Chosen answer: We were never told. In the series finale [Spoiler alert] Number 6 demands an answer to that question, only to be shown his own reflection.

Jean G

Answer: The Prisoner was first shown on British television in 1967. I did not watch it then, but the series was was repeated on UK television in 1977, at which point it became a massive cult. Certainly, I was hooked. Well, ten minutes after I started watching The Prisoner, I was 110% certain as to who Number 1 was. In my opinion, the identity of Number 1 was so utterly, glaringly obvious that I could not understand how anybody could even ask such a question. I thought there was only one candidate for the identity of Number 1, and it was so plainly visible that nobody could even vaguely consider it to be anybody else. So, who did I think Number 1 was? you all ask. My answer? Himself! Patrick McGoohan (or rather, the character Patrick McGoohan played in The Prisoner) was Number 1. I was proved right. In Fall Out, the seventeenth and final episode, "The Prisoner" gets to meet "Number 1." Now this is a real "blink and you'll miss it" moment, but Number 1 has his face covered. The Prisoner pulls off the covering to see a mask, he pulls off the mask, to see himself! The Patrick McGoohan in Number 1's costume laughs in The Prisoner's face and runs away. Unfortunately, I don't know why Patrick McGoohan should be both The Prisoner and Number 1. I don't think anybody does.

Rob Halliday

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.