Portmeirion, 29 September 2017

Network’s 50th anniversary celebration of Patrick McGoohan’s classic TV series saw two Number 2s, guest stars, a live play in the Green Dome, a new documentary and a location-specific screening of Arrival half a century after its debut. Oh, and a very special guest.

Undoubtedly the highlight of this year’s The Prisoner celebrations, Network pulled out all the stops to launch the release of their deluxe Blu-ray boxset (review to follow) in The Village itself, the popular North Wales tourist attraction of Portmeirion. Limited by the capacity of the town hall where screenings and talks were to take place, the lucky 120 descended on the show’s mysterious Shangri-La location, dressed-up in piped blazers, deck shoes and university scarves, with multi-coloured umbrellas to hand to keep the Gwynedd rain at bay.

When Fenella (Carry on Screaming) Fielding’s jolly voice burst from the PA system speakers around the village square, warning us about rain showers, it was clear that we had been transported back to 1967. The veteran Carry On star stood in the shadow of the show’s Green Dome, making the first of multiple announcements across the day.

A screening of Dance of the Dead was followed by a Q&A session with Norma West (Number 24/Observer/Bo-Peep) and Seamus Byrne (Third assistant director), hosted by BFI’s tv consultant Dick Fiddy.

Up next was something very special – a live performance of a 20-minute play written by Big Finish’s Nick Briggs and performed by the audio company’s No 6 in their ongoing The Prisoner range (Mark Elstob) and Robin of Sherwood’s Nickolas Grace. Time is Free has the distinction of being the first Prisoner content performed inside the Portmeirion Dome – the interiors in the show were filmed at MGM Studios, Borehamwood.

One of the reasons that the real-life Dome interior wasn’t used in the show is that it’s just too small. It’s the first thing that you notice – the Dome appears large on TV through the clever use of camera angles, and only 60 people could safely be squeezed in to watch the performance.

Employing three members of the audience as the new butler and security guards helped up the audience participation, while observers enjoyed watching the clever repartee between Number 2 and Number 6. Both actors clearly relished the witty script which Briggs had written for the anniversary, featuring 50th anniversary and location-specific references.

Back in the Hercules Hall, itself used as a location in the show, Fiddy interviewed Jane Merrow (Number 240/Alison, The Schizoid Man), Derren Nesbitt (Number 2, It’s Your Funeral) and Annette Andre (Number 50/Watchmaker’s Daughter, It’s Your Funeral). Each shared their own experiences of working with McGoohan, though Jane Merrow clearly had a better time; Annette Andre famously didn’t enjoy working with the series’ lead.

A screening of episode Checkmate, which features considerable location shooting in the Village, was followed by a brief Q&A with Peter Wyngarde (Number 2), who was not in good health and had to make his appearance from a wheelchair – we wish him a speedy recovery.

Documentary producer Chris Rodley introduced his new movie In My Mind, premiering at the event. It follows Rodley’s experience in interviewing Patrick McGoohan in 1983. The inexperienced young filmmaker was working with a below-par crew, and McGoohan was having none of it. The crew found him to be prickly (to say the least) and we watch the original rushes that were replaced by a remounting of the interview. Featuring new interviews with daughter Catherine McGoohan we get a greater insight into the often troubled mind of her father, and Rodley himself admits that he wishes things had been different.

The day’s programme concluded with a showing of opening episode Arrival, played exactly fifty years to the minute that it made its debut. There was a great thrill in watching the projected film print on a big screen, and in the very location we were watching in the show. The addition of commercial breaks with contemporary adverts added to the nostalgia.

As a special surprise, Catherine McGoohan introduced and answered questions after the episode. She said how thrilled her father would have been that people were still talking about his show so many years later.

Network Distributing’s MD Tim Beddows concluded the evening by thanking everyone who had supported the project, from designer to projectionist, to special guests and Portmeirion staff who had made a hole in a fire door so that the projector could poke through.

Verdict: A great celebration, a worthy golden anniversary party for a show that prides itself on its smart, loyal fans. Norma West promised to return in 10 years for the Diamond celebrations – even if she’s on a zimmer frame. Be seeing you there in 2027. 9/10

Nick Joy