The decade in which James Bond enjoyed his wildest degree of fame was, of course, the swinging Sixties. Bond and the Beatles were the two most dominant icons of pop culture, and it seemed that almost every popular musical or cinematic trend owed something to either the lads from Liverpool or Ian Fleming s high-living licenced troubleshooter . One twist on the spy-themed TV shows that sprung up in the Sixties was the fascinating and innovative Patrick McGoohan creation The Prisoner .

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this show, a little background is called for. In The Prisoner McGoohan portrays a man - never named during the entire course of the series, but obviously a brilliant secret agent - who resigns abruptly for reasons never revealed. While packing his suitcase apparently for a trip to some tropical hideaway, he is gassed in his own flat. He awakens in what looks like his flat. Upon venturing outside, he discovers that he has been imprisoned in a strange village (called simply The Village ) where all the inmates are known only by numbers. He is called Number Six by all including the Village s top official, Number Two. Number Two s identity changes in every episode (although a few return), but one thing remains constant - they re all trying to extract the knowledge in his head, by fair means or foul. Number Six has a self-appointed mission - thwart them at every turn, discover the identity of Number One , and destroy The Village, all while retaining his sanity against their psychological warfare.

The show was created by its executive producer, McGoohan, and developed by McGoohan and the late George Markstein. McGoohan scripted and/or directed a number of the episodes, some under pseudonyms such as Paddy Fitz and Joseph Serf, and exercised total creative control (it is said that he even composed the theme music for which Ron Grainer is credited, whistling the melody for Grainer to transcribe and arrange). The McGoohan-Markstein alliance was a stormy one, and Markstein eventually left the series after thirteen episodes were filmed. One of the popular controversies that serves to illustrate the difference in viewpoints between the two men: Markstein maintained right up until his death that the show was a continuation of Secret Agent/Danger Man , and that Number Six was John Drake of that show, an assertion McGoohan has always vehemently denied.

Both men, however, definitely agreed on one thing - the concept of "The Village" itself was based on their firm belief that such places actually existed. These real - life "villages" were supposedly internment camps for people whose specialized knowledge made them too valuable to leave at liberty - or to kill. They claimed at times to know of the existence of four such places in the U.K. alone.

The Prisoner was arguably the first of the miniseries that have since become a staple of television fare from the Seventies onward. McGoohan had originally conceived it as a seven-episode series. He was asked to produce thirty to improve its marketability in the American market and in syndication, but only seventeen episodes were ultimately produced. The show, with its overtones of Kafka and Orwell, was far ahead of its time - perhaps too far. Many viewers never completely understood the allegories and sociological messages, but the sci-fi and spy themes combined to make it a cult favorite - which it remains even now, three decades after its original run.

As startlingly original as The Prisoner was - and is - even it was not immune from its own unique links with Her Majesty s most famous secret servant. As a fan of both The Prisoner and of the James Bond characters-I say characters because for the most part the literary and cinematic Bonds develop along wildly divergent but occasionally intersecting paths-I humbly submit the following for your approval.

The first and most obvious link is the fact that McGoohan could have been Bond and wasn t interested, as noted in the opening interview excerpt. It was widely believed that Bond s amoral lifestyle was the reason until that 1995 interview. It s only speculation, mind you, but the only crew member I can find on Dr. No who had previously worked with McGoohan - and whom he might therefore have a reason to dislike - was Terence Young, who directed McGoohan in Zarak (1955). It s unlikely, after all, that he would have opted out of a film because of a grip or sound man; but reluctance to work with a director could explain it...

After that, of course, we can take the Six Degrees... approach; that is, performers common to both series. In the interests of leaving nothing out, non-EON films will be included.

Before anyone gets excited, yes, I know there is an Ian Fleming listed in the credits of The General . This Ian Fleming, as Prisonerphiles - and Fleming buffs - are well aware, is the actor, not the author (who had, of course, died three years previously). He portrayed Dr. Watson to Arthur Wontner s Sherlock Holmes in several Holmes films of the Thirties.

Having dispensed with the more simplistic links between 007 and The Prisoner , let s explore the ones I find the most fascinating, all of which are to be found in:

Based on an unused script idea from the Secret Agent TV series, this episode is not really one of my personal favorites and does not seem to address any blazing social issue except perhaps cautioning us to be more mindful of the sort of fairy tales we feed our children. However, it does appear to take several interesting pokes at the film series inspired by the character Patrick McGoohan turned down the chance to play in 1961-James Bond. Fans of one series or the other, however, may not be aware of just how many links there are between this episode and James Bond's cinematic-and literary-mythos. On close examination, it appears that writer Terence Feely and director/producer David Tomblin did their homework very thoroughly indeed if the similarities I perceive were intentional.

The story begins at a cricket match where British agent Col. Hawke-Englishe is murdered with an exploding cricket ball. This fits with the structure of the Bond films, which start with a short subject (usually but not always related to the plotline) to draw us into the film . The folding rifle briefly seen in an agent s bag is a nice touch.

No.6 gets his briefing from a shoeshine vendor with a phone in his kit, and in a listening booth at a record shop. These scenes, of course, parody the way agents were briefed in the entire spy film genre of the Sixties. No.6 s punning remark about Col. Hawke-Englishe s murder ( it certainly wasn t cricket ) is exactly the sort of throwaway wisecrack Connery s 007 was noted for. It is interesting to note that the shoeshine kit phone was actually used six years later in a Bond film, 1973 s Live And Let Die .

No.6 is told to take over where the Colonel left off. This is the first pointer to a number of plot devices that actually very closely resemble those in Ian Fleming s 1955 Bond novel Moonraker . Bond is asked to take over as security man on an important rocket project from Major Tallon, who was assassinated.

No.6 s first stop while looking for clues after the cricket match is a local pub. So was Bond s in Moonraker ; however, 007 received a large whisky and soda and some useful gossip rather than the poisoned pint that is served to No 6.

There is a scene in a Turkish bath where No.6 is barricaded in the cabinet by Sonia using a broomstick to jam the door handles. James Bond does the same thing to Count Lippe in Thunderball . Lippe, however, can t muster the strength to break the broom handle. No.6 does, and strangely emerges fully dressed in, of all things, an Inverness cape, and wearing thick horn-rimmed glasses. This seems to me to parody the scene in Goldfinger where James Bond strips off a black diving suit to reveal a white dinner jacket. The cape and glasses may have been a device to help smooth over the fact that Patrick McGoohan was not present for the amusement park exterior shots which were done with a double. They may at the same time have been an affectionate poke at Sherlock Holmes and at Harry Palmer, the spy character played by Michael Caine in The Ipcress File , who wore thick horn-rimmed glasses. Incidentally, "The Ipcress File" was produced by Harry Saltzman, edited by Peter Hunt, scored by John Barry, featured production design by Ken Adam, and co-starred Guy Doleman.

No.6 then begins his dance of death with Sonia, beginning in the Tunnel Of Love and continuing to the obstacle course in Witchwood. The character of Sonia is reminiscent of the gleefully evil female assassin Fiona Volpe in Thunderball . The obstacle course itself, although not similarly structured, reminds me of the obstacle course Bond runs in the novel Dr. No .

The action shifts to a lighthouse with high chalk cliffs nearby. It is here that Prof. Schnipps has built his rocket to destroy London. The Professor has Napoleonic delusions and seems to want to exact revenge for his hero s defeat at Waterloo. The Professor and Sonia tie No.6 up in the rocket so he will be its first casualty. They then intend to head out to sea and watch the action. No.6, however, turns the tables on them by escaping and making off in their boat. The explosives he has sabotaged then destroy the rocket and the plotters. (Sound familiar, Fleming readers?) This is where the connection to the Moonraker novel seems strongest to me. The headquarters of Hugo Drax in the Moonraker novel were situated on the Dover chalk cliffs. From here Drax intends to destroy London with a nuclear missile. Although backed by the Soviets, Drax is personally driven by a desire to avenge the destruction of the Third Reich, of which he had been a loyal soldier (it is interesting to recall that in an early script draft of The Girl Who Was Death Schnipps people were to be dressed as Hitler). Drax ties Bond and the heroine, Gala Brand of Special Branch, up in the launch chamber of the rocket so they will be the first casualties. Drax and his people then intend to rendezvous with a Russian submarine at sea and watch the action. Bond and Gala escape and frustrate the plot by altering the missile s gyro settings. The missile comes down near the submarine, destroying it and the conspirators.

Another interesting aspect of the connection to the Moonraker novel is that it is the only one of the series where Bond clearly will never have an affair with the heroine, Gala Brand. In light of the original story that one of the reasons Patrick McGoohan turned down the 007 role was his perception of Bond s sexual promiscuity (true, the literary Bond was no saint, but this was grossly exaggerated for the screen), it s ironic to me - although perhaps not coincidental after all - that the teleplay for The Girl Who Was Death seems to resemble this among all the James Bond stories.

Finally, at the conclusion of the episode, No.6 says good night, children... and then, facing the camera, everywhere . He places a clown doll in front of the lens and strides out the door. Could this be Patrick McGoohan s way of mocking the people who elevated Bond to super-hero status and saying that James Bond himself is merely a clown in a fairy tale?

A Parting Shot. For the last couple of years now, Prisoner fans have been teased by talk of a Prisoner movie said to be in development at Polygram Pictures. Supposedly, McGoohan himself has written a screenplay and Mel Gibson was under serious consideration for No.6, partly since he was an admitted longtime Prisoner fan and partly because Gibson and McGoohan had a good rapport on Braveheart . Even though I realize it would probably never happen, I put forth the suggestion that Timothy Dalton would make an excellent big-screen Prisoner if and when the movie comes to pass.

My principal reasons are these:
1. He is an intense and highly skilled actor who excels at portraying the type of caged tiger personality projected by McGoohan in the original series.
2. Being a Welshman by birth he should have no trouble finding, spelling, or pronouncing Penrhyndeudraeth, the location of the Portmeirion resort that was the exterior location for The Village .
3. He did, after all, resign his position as a top British secret agent...oh, well-