JOHN DRAKE IS NUMBER SIX IS PATRICK MCGOOHAN IS THE PRISONER

by Glen Davies

Of course Number Six was John Drake.  The reasons stated are reason enough but there are more...The phrase "Be seeing you" made so famous in The Prisoner is heard again and again in episodes of Danger Man.  The argument about Number 6 having a wife to be also applies to Danger Man.   Drake never got involved with women because of his job, but as McGoohan stated in interviews during the sixties, Drake would like one day to settle with a good woman but until that time, he would continue.  So here is another reason why he resigned, along with the fact that in several stories Drake is sickened by his bosses who sell out to his ideals.  Two strong reasons for his walk out.

As to why a secret agent would be moved to a secret place, well Drake's connections with spies would see to that.

On another level, McGoohan himself told stuntman Frank Maher that Number Six and Drake were one and the same.  Remember the first 7 or so episodes of the Prisoner are reasonably straight stories, only later when McGoohan took tighter control did the show change direction, removing itself from its intended origins.

I could continue, but this is what dear Paddy wants - debate, six of one and half a dozen of the other.  The point is no-one is right and no-one is wrong.

You can even suggest that Number Six  was Patrick McGoohan sent to the Village because he quit Danger Man... that makes Lew Grade Number One... but then wasn’t he anyway!

Fact: if Markstein had have maintained a bit more control the Drake/Number Six argument for would be a lot stronger.   Fact: They did not want to pay a certain Mr. Smart money for using the character's name so they didn’t.    Fact: if Drake had have been named as Number Six would I be writing this now?   Would there be a huge cult, an up coming film, vast web sites, books etc?  McGoohan is a very clever man, he gave us a series that will never die: "It is what it is"!

Be seeing you. 

To see the original article Glen is referring to click here - Webmaster