The Prisoner – Remake and infomation, including the real prison for spies

July 24th, 2006 · No Comments

Sky are remaking The Prisoner. My alarm bells are already sounding. They better make it dark and not some super camp throwback that isn’t worth bothering with.

But the new production is a mini-series of 6 episodes, costing Â£1 million each. The sixties’ stories had a budget of Â£75,000. The satellite TV channel Sky One has unveiled plans for a new six-part â€œthrilling reinventionâ€ of The Prisoner, as director of programmes Richard Woolfe describes the project, with Christopher Eccleston proposed for the lead role of Number Six. Woolfe adds that the mini-series will be a â€œsophisticated, high-concept drama to rival anything on the terrestrials and the best of the U.S. It’s our biggest drama commission ever and every penny will be evident on screen. We want to capture the imagination of a new generation of viewers.â€ Commissioning drama editor Elaine Pyke has revealed that the project â€œhas been subject to an unprecedented level of attention, attracting an array of A-list actors and writers. We intend to raise the bar for British drama with this, aiming for it to be 2007′s most hotly anticipated series.” Six Of One

Christopher Eccleston would be good, maybe this could become a good mini-series. Well, don’t hold your breath –

Sky One has confirmed that it’s commissioned a big-budget remake of cult series The Prisoner – but rumours that Christopher Eccleston is to take the role made famous by Patrick McGoohan have been strongly denied. “It’s a complete fabrication,” says his agent.

I hope it ends up as Ecclestone, he’s a good actor and it will take someone with talent to pull off this role. The Prisoner was one of the most intriguing shows ever made, and the opening sequence is still fantastic. Watch it here:

I’ve been to Portmeirion before and it’s a nice place to explore, if increasingly tatty. If you want to visit all the locations then how about going to the real prison that the series was partially based on – Inverlair Lodge. This was where spies and those who simply knew too much were held by the British Government.

Hugh Davies, in the Telegraph added “It is hoped that McGoohan, 78, now living in California, will make an appearance in one of the first six hour-long episodes.”

Make him No. 2, oh the irony.

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