The cult classic “The Prisoner” has returned, this time as a full cast audio drama from Big Finish and is available to buy today.
Big Finish will partner with ITV Studios Global Entertainment to return the show to glory. Nicholas Briggs, who serves as Big Finish’s co-executive producer, will write the audio show. This version will feature a new score, cutting-edge sound design, and a full cast, listed below.
“The Prisoner” originally aired in 1967 (incidentally, count my mother as one of the original obsessed fans) and has been puzzling and delighting viewers ever since. The story begins with an agent in M16 who mysteriously resigns his position and finds himself in a strange coastal world called The Village. The Village is much like the world of Lois Lowry’s classic novel The Giver: it seems idyllic until you look a little deeper, and the fear and rot are revealed. Why did the agent, now called Number Six, leave his world and become trapped in The Village? Why does the evil Number Two want to hurt him? Why has Number Six been trapped, and will he ever escape? And who is the shadowy mastermind behind the entire Village?
The themes of totalitarianism and a healthy fear of repression are themes as relevant today as during the Cold War when the show first aired. “The Prisoner” ran for just 17 episodes but made an enormous impact on pop culture. The show combined some radical 160s themes with elements of sci-fi and thrillers – always a winning combination.
Nicholas Briggs, Executive Producer of Big Finish is a lifelong fan of the show, which began its run on his sixth birthday. He was able to watch it a decade later and remained enamored of the show throughout his life. The adaptation is not a mere replica of the original show. “It won’t simply be a slavish retelling of all the original episodes. But aficionados of the original series will certainly recognise much of what they loved about it. A lot of the familiar iconography will be there, but my aim is to push the boundaries, all the while pursuing (original creator and star Patrick) McGoohan’s stated agenda of the fight against rampant progress and dehumanisation.”
A limited, collector’s edition of 3000 numbered sets is available now at Big Finish.
Cast
Mark Elstob (Number Six)
John Standing (Number Two)
Celia Imrie (Number Two)
Ramon Tikaram (Number Two)
Michael Cochrane (Number Two)
Sara Powell (Number Nine)
Helen Goldwyn (Village Voice)
Sarah Mowat (ZERO-SIX-TWO)
Jim Barclay (Control/Old Captain/Cobb)
Barnaby Edwards (Number 34/Danvers/Butler)
Jez Fielder (Number 17)
Kristina Buikaite (Number Eight)
with Nicholas Briggs (Conductor).
Writer/director Nicholas Briggs
Script Editor Jamie Anderson
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs
