The Prisoner/Number Six

Number Six
The Prisoner
Actor	Patrick McGoohan
First Appearance	1x01 - Pilot
Last Appearance	1x17 - Fall Out
Series Billing	Series: Billed
Episode Count	17

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Number Six is the adopted name of the main character in The Prisoner, played by series creator Patrick McGoohan. Originally a spy for British intelligence, Number Six suddenly resigned one day and was captured before he could escape to a tropical vacation. He awoke in The Village where he is trapped until he gives up the information the rulers of the village seek.

Basic Information

Not much is known about Number Six's life prior to his abduction. The opening sequence makes it clear that he was a secret agent and spy for the British government, although which particular branch of the British Intelligence Service is never quite made clear. He has contacts across Europe and is something of a James Bond type of agent. He seems to have had some experience in the RAF Bomber Command as a bombardier or navigator, considering how comfortable he was in the prologue of Once Upon a Time, if that story is indeed about himself and true.

For some unknown reason, Number Six decided that he had enough with the position and tenured his resignation after deciding that he would go on vacation to a tropical island, briefly seen in photographs. Of course, he never made it to his destination and was instead sent to the Village.

Trivia

• McGoohan reprised the character of Number Six many years after the series had been completed when The Simpsons parodied The Prisoner. In the episode The Computer Wore Menace Shoes, Homer is taken to "The Island" after he makes up a conspiracy theory on his website that turns out to be true. Number Six attempts to help him escape using a makeshift raft, but Homer steals it, leaving Six stranded once again.
• Several novels were written based using the series' location and characters as a template, including two novels which took place after the events of Fall Out. These novels stated explicitly that the identity of the prisoner was John Drake from McGoohan's popular spy series Danger Man. This bit of information is considered to be non-canon and McGoohan has often said that it was not the intention for The Prisoner to be a continuation of Danger Man.