Fall Out: The Unofficial and Unathorised Guide to The Prisoner

Most television series are of limited impact and pass quickly from memory. This makes it even more remarkable that The Prisoner, which made its premier on British television in September 1967 and lasted only 17 episodes, retains a cult following today.Alan Stevens' guide to The Prisoner is the most comprehensive available, published first in 2007 with a new edition in 2013. In both episode analysis and subject essays, Stevens delivers a summary of the many interpretations that have been put forward for this unique television experience. If anything, the author can be too detailed, but he does succeed in providing a wide range of approaches to the show without seeming to favor any single viewpoint regarding questions posed by many of The Prisoner's more curious episodes. As he states in the book's mission statement, Stevens goal is not to make a "definitive pronouncement on The Prisoner, but to enable viewers of the series to find out about and explore the different possibilities open to them." One of the strengths of Stevens text is his consideration of both rejected scripts and sections of the scripts that did not make it to the final edit in order to inform his analyses.In addition to providing background to series' production and an episode analysis, Stevens discusses the following subjects in detail:1. What is the relationship of McGoohan's Danger Man character (John Drake) to The Prisoner?2. What is the proper episode order?3. Who is Number One?4. What is the role of gender, sexuality and ethnicity in the series?5. How has The Prisoner impacted popular culture in the near half century since it first aired?Stevens also provides an analysis of Prisoner offshoots such as the Thomas Disch novelization and the DC comics graphic novel. About the only thing missing is a discussion of the strange and largely unsuccessful American Movie Classics Prisoner update starring Ian McKellan.I watched The Prisoner during its first run on US television more than 40 years ago. It remains for me a cultural touchstone, a vivid reminder of the sixties and an outstanding viewing experience. Even the weaker entries from the show bear watching while the concluding two episodes are unlike anything else that can be found on television. The show has the virtue of possessing a clear beginning and end although interpretations of what the latter means vary widely.Fall Out is a must for Prisoner fans. It can also provide an important enhancement if used while viewing the series for the first time. Fortunately, The Prisoner has recently been released on Blue Ray at a reasonable price. Armed with Stevens' book, the viewer will more fully appreciate one of the most powerful television experiences of all time.

While there have been many excellent books about "The Prisoner" in the past decades, this particular volume shows that there's still plenty of room for more -- especially if they're as in-depth & thought-provoking as this one. As noted by previous reviewers, this book isn't so much about the making of the series as it is about the themes of the series. And to its credit, the book doesn't attempt to impose a definitive answer to any of the questions raised by this TV masterpiece -- rather, it explores the many possibilities of the themes, including paradoxical ones. This makes it a true delight to read, as it'll draw you into those themes & encourage you to contribute your own thoughts & impressions to the ongoing discussion.Let me add that the book never descends into a morass of academic jargon. The style is clear, informative, and always inviting, assuming intelligent readers who welcome different viewpoints. That the series lends itself to this approach so readily indicates why it remains gripping & contemporary after half a century. If anything, its questions about freedom, democracy, identity, personal meaning, the human psyche & the human soul, are all the more pressing & urgent today. Given the nature of the modern world, how could it be otherwise?So, even if you already have a good-sized Prisoner library, this book still deserves a place of honor on your shelf. It'll certainly send you back to the 17 episodes & make you watch them again with renewed fascination & vision -- most highly recommended!

While the show came out long before I was born, I still manage to discover it largely due to my fascination with classic British programs. Having watched the series, I definitely loved how well crafted it was and how it bucked convention and in many ways laid the groundwork for various other programs to come in its wake that dealt with the abstract, that dealt with questions of privacy, of freedom of identity, of security, etc.Having this book is amazing because it offers great insight and multiple ideas, multiple views on the material through careful analysis and examination but never completely saying this what they are saying is the definitive authority on the material in question, which I think works exceptionally well, even though they do manage to cover quite a lot of bases not just with the broadcast material, but even the history of the show's conception, covering McGoohan's time on 'Danger Man' and how even that show laid out the seeds that would end up blossoming into 'The Prisoner', and also the unmade scripts. Definitely an essential read for any fan of the show. I even bought my friend a copy for Christmas, and he is jus as much a fan of the show as I am.

The late, great Patrick McGoohan would probably have liked this book very much. I am not privy as to whether he ever actually read it or not. However, I did - and being a "Prisoner" fan from when it was first shown in this country and being probably one of the first American fans to actually visit the Welsh location of "The Village" way back in 1972 - I can say unhesitatingly that this book is a thoroughly delightful read. It is not a history of the making of the show (though it touches upon this also) so much as an exploration of each episode that brings many new insights into the many conundrums of the various shows that comprised the series. It also made me want to return to the Village via the complete series on DVD. Mr. McGoohan now knows who the real Number One is. God Bless him - and kudos for his giving us this classic television series. And kudos to the fine authors of this fine - but not final - book. The show's controversy will continue, unless we all turn into rotten cabbages! Be Seeing You!

They don’t make them like this anymore...I watched The Prisoner last year which was exactly 50 years since it was first broadcast and I thought it was wonderful. There is nothing quite like The Prisoner and I was completely bowled over by this amazing series. Still can’t believe it was made 50 years ago! This book, which I bought to read alongside watching the series, was highly informative. It added to my overall enjoyment of the show as it gives not only information about each episode but also tells you something of the background to The Prisoners. I found reading it highly rewarding; in fact some episodes, particularly the latter ones in the series, that seemed quite bizarre to me, were explained in this book very well, even though I found myself not agreeing with the authors wholeheartedly. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in The Prisoner. I hope you find my review helpful.

A very well thought out and well-written analysis of the seminal TV series, 'The Prisoner.' Unfortunately, the narrative is somewhat spoiled by the author's rather preachy and woke attitude to English history, culture, and values. Stuart Maconie succumbed to the same impulse to vent his working-class angst with the result that his books are now all but unreadable. A shame really as this is still the most intelligent forensic dissection of the series I have yet seen.

As a "Prisoner" fan I found this book to be a real gem. Just the right amount of information without any superfluous "padding".

A great resource for any The Prisoner fan. I would highly recommend it.

Excellent overview and guide to this classic series. Also includes detailed reviews of the spin offs, such as the novels and the comic Shattered Visage. If you are a fan of the series then you should definitely purchase this