Released between 1967 and 1968, The Prisoner remains, in my opinion and to this day, one of the most ambitious and fascinating TV series ever made.

Running a mere 17 episodes, the show featured Patrick McGoohan as the mysterious titular character, a man who is abducted from his flat after forcefully resigning from his job. He awakens to find himself a prisoner on a strange island where everyone has a number -he is assigned #6- and escape appears impossible.

Through those 17 episodes #6 fought to free himself both physically and mentally from the forces of the island, and the final episode of the series’ run was met with considerable controversy.

Who was #6? Was he a secret agent who simply knew too much?

This is certainly possible but, ultimately, #6 is all of us, each trying to find our own escape from the forces that imprison us. If you haven’t caught the series, what in the world are you waiting for?!

(A quick aside: Avoid the 2009 mini-series remake featuring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen. Great actors in the titular roles and a handsome production, but there’s no way to be polite about this: The remake was horrible)