Fall Out: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Prisoner

by Alan Stevens, Fiona Moore

'The whole Earth ... as the Village.'
'That is my hope. What's yours?'
'I'd like to be the first man on the moon.'

The impact of The Prisoner upon society was explosive, transforming art, storytelling and popular culture like no other television programme before or since. Patrick McGoohan spearheaded the project in his role as an unnamed man, held against his will in a strange isolated Italianate village, tormented by a succession of individuals, each calling themselves Number 2, whose true motivations and intentions towards him remained a constant mystery.

The man, known only as Number 6, attempted escape, was befriended and betrayed, underwent hallucinogenic journeys, and experienced many strange revelations, before the series achieved its cathartic climax.

The Prisoner was ahead of its time, and in this book, Alan Stevens and Fiona Moore take on the task of debriefing the programme and attempting to make sense of the many interpretations and readings which have been placed on it. This is not the book with all the answers but it may help you ask the right questions.

Introduction by film editor and writer Ian Rakoff.

Genres: Tv, Nonfiction

229 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Alan Stevens is a British writer and producer who is based in the Southeast of England, where he runs his own audio production company, Magic Bullet Productions.

Stevens has produced a number of documentaries, serials and dramas for radio and independent audio release, including the Blake's 7/Doctor Who' spinoff series Kaldor City and the second Faction Paradox audio series, and has co-written two guidebooks for Telos Publishing, Liberation: the Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Blake's 7 and Fall Out: the Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to The Prisoner, with Fiona Moore. He writes articles for Celestial Toyroom, the magazine of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, and has written in the past for Doctor Who Magazine and DWB.

Reviews

[Matt Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

If any TV show can support a thorough and lengthy analysis, it’s Patrick McGoohan’s surreal masterpiece The Prisoner, and Fall Out does a pretty good job of it. Rather than push a particular theory or interpretation, Fall Out collects the varied critical ideas concerning the show and examines how well they do (or don’t) work in a series of essays interspersed with more tightly focused episode-by-episode summaries, as well as examining the programme’s impact on other TV shows, films, and music. It’s a shame there aren’t more first-person anecdotes and interviews, but that’s why it’s an “unofficial” guide, I guess. The summary and analysis of various Prisoner tie-in fiction (novels, comics etc) was a lot less interesting to me and I largely skimmed it, but I give them credit for being comprehensive with their coverage.

I was (very) late in coming to The Prisoner (only finished watching it a few weeks ago), but if you are a fan, this is worth a look.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my search for books about The Prisoner I picked this one up through the Unmutual web sight and it turned out to be a worthy purchase. While providing a little detail about the production side of things this is an in-depth analysis of the episodes and a little about the fiction written post-series. Dissecting each episode, the authors use scenes that were cut from the original broadcast, original scripts, interviews and the final televised versions in an attempt to uncover the message that Patrick McGoohan and company were trying to send in this engaging and ofttimes surreal program.

Back in the day, the first time I saw the series, I had written a letter to, I believe, The Prisoner Appreciation Society, asking, "What the hell did the last episode mean?" They were kind enough to write back with an explanation and some spiffy swag. Well, if like me, you were a little confused, this is the book to take a stab at understanding just what was meant to be conveyed. In fact, thorough is a word I would use to describe this volume. No stone is left unturned in an effort to get to the heart of each episode's and the overall series' meaning. The cultural influences in the mid to late 60s are taken into account as well as McGoohan's own preferences in production and writing to convey the show's message. There is a lot of psychology here and so much drawn from minute detail that I did find myself wondering on occasion if a cigar was just a cigar. Having said that, there is no lack here of wringing every nuance that may have presented itself in a search to understand the show's premise, evolution and eventual climax.

What I have learned is that Patrick McGoohan really wanted each viewer to have their own interpretation of the program. But with the passage of years, although the series is timeless, an understanding of the era it was made and the star's mindset are crucial to an informed understanding. This book provides both and a lot more to aid in your search to obtain information about this treasured show. It does plunge down the rabbit hole, but is a worthwhile trip.

[Stephen Heiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently did an entire podcast series sharing some thoughts about every episode of The Prisoner series from the 1960s and as part of my preparation for these discussions I read this book, which I had long had on my shelf from falling for the series almost a decade ago when it was casually mentioned by someone I respected (or suggested when I still had Netflix in my life? I can't recall).

It's a very serious, very deep dive into the show which will likely be lost on someone who hasn't seen the series through at least twice. The essays are thoughtful and are truly academic, in that they invite discussion rather than stake out positions. Strongly recommended for those who wish to appreciate this series even more.

I particularly appreciated how serious Patrick McGoohan, the actor who played the Prisoner, took his Catholicism, refusing to kiss women on camera and turned down the role of Bond not once but twice, citing Bond's promiscuity as a deal breaker for him.

"[C]onsumers in Western society are encouraged to use the latest technology, regardless of whether it actually is a step forward or, like the penny-farthing, a useless, even counterproductive, piece of equipment that is nonetheless promoted as being an advance or improvement." (p. 43)

(the sound of Rover) "The eerie noise that provides the finishing touch was created by Wilf Thompson, and is a synthesis of the noises made by an inner tube filled with shotgun pellets, a man screaming, and Gregorian chanting..." (p. 49)

[Nicholas Whyte]

"http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1224250.html[return][return]I knew the names of Alan Stevens and Fiona Moore from their excellent essays on Doctor Who, so I hoped very much that this book, subtitled 'the Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to The Prisoner', would be up to the same standards. I'm glad to say it's the best of the four books I've read about the show, with decent analytical essays about each story (which run out of steam slightly around episode 10, but get their second wind by episode 13). They also have good pieces on the origin and sources, including a measured take on the different stories of how it was made garnered from participants, and a decent explanation of Danger Man. The Carraz

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very deep type of analysis of the series The Prisoner. Summaries and thorough analysis is done of each filmed episode, and even for stories that were considered but never filmed. There are also a number of separate essays on various topics involving The Prisoner, and reviews of various fiction books that have been published about the series.

It's extremely complete, although in parts it becomes a little slow, especially when the analysis tries for excessively deep meanings in things that might, and again might not, have any meaning at all.

It is definitely a book anyone who really likes the show would want to add to their collection.

[Frazer Caird · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is certainly a very worthy guide to all things prisoner related. But I would definitely only recommend it to fanatics of the show who want to bury themselves in the theories and themes of the show. This one certainly can't be accused of not covering all bases, as it has detailed analysis of shows, essays on various related show elements and extensive features on other Prisoner related phenomena, such as the later novelisations. While i do commend the book for its scope, it was somewhat dry quite a bit of the time. As a more casual fan of the show, I have to concede finding Rob Fairclough's companion book a more enjoyable affair.

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of the deeper philosophical ideas behind The Prisoner, though the authors gravitate too much towards dream and psychological explanations for my taste, giving considerably less attention to the allegorical socio-political interpretations that I prefer.