ANOTHER SUCCESS

On July 13th 2008, PM2008, The Official one-day Celebration of Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner, Danger Man, and Portmeirion took place in the Hercules Hall, and for the fourth year running the event was a popular success and a full photo report of the event is now online HERE.

Special guests Robert Rietti, Bettine Le Beau, Rob Fairclough, and Bob Fischer kept the audience captivated, no less than 4 special screenings were shown on the big screen, and an auction, raffle, guided tour, displays, and competitions kept the large crowd entertained.

The event, organised by Rick Davy of TUW and Dave Jones, was in aid of Ty Gobaith Children's Hospice and over £500 profit was made on the day.

Image (c) Sam Denham.

PM2006 DVD ON SALE

After a long wait, TUW is delighted to announce that a 2-disc set of the PM2006 event is now on sale!

Featuring the interviews with Jane Merrow, Robert Monks (including a look at his collection of behind-the-scenes photos) and Robert Fairclough, the 2-disc set is priced at only £9.99 with any profits entered into our Ty Gobaith charity event funds.

Click HERE for more details and to order your copy, or click HERE to visit the Village Shop for more "Prisoner" items.

PM2008 APPROACHES

This Sunday, July 13th 2008, the Hercules Hall in Portmeirion will once again come alive to the sound of celebrity interviews, archive screenings, charity fundraising, and fan activitiy when "PM2008" takes place, and full details of the event including the full timetable are now online.

Special guests this year from "The Prisoner" and "Danger Man" are actress Bettine Le Beau, and Actor and Voice Artist Robert Rietti (left). Also joining us are authors Robert Fairclough and Bob Fischer, who will both be launching items and books at the event, and journalist Spencer Peet from "TV & Film Memorabilia" magazine.

The magazine are officially covering the event (and have kindly offered a year's subscription to the growing list of 20+ items in the charity auction), as have been a number of newspapers. This week, Welsh station championfm also broadcast a segment and bilingual interview about the event!

This year sees no less than 4 screenings aswell as other events taking place in and out of the hall. Tickets are still available, priced at only £17. For more details click HERE. Be Seeing You there?

NETWORK AWARDED

Congratulations to Network and all involved in the recent 40th Anniversary DVD set, as it has just won an HEW industry award in the "Best Television" DVD category, beating "Doctor Who Series 3", "Hogfather", and "Life on Mars".

The set received high praise for the judges for its completeness, packaging, and Andrew Pixley's accompanying book. The set is still available from Network, and a Blu-Ray edition is planned for the near future.

With thanks to Andrew Pixley for this news item.

PRISONER NOVELLIST DIES

Sad news has been reported over the weekend that Thomas M Disch, who wrote the first ever Prisoner tie-in novel ("The Prisoner" in 1969) has sadly committed suicide after suffering from depression for some time. He was 68.

Winning a Hugo award for one of his other works, which included the books "Camp Concentration" and "336", he was also nominated for a Nebula award and published poetry works and non-fiction in addition to his novels.

TUW would like to extend it's sympathies to all who knew him. Obituaries: Telegraph, Guardian.

With thanks to Brian Watson for this news item.

REMAKE ON AGAIN

After months of speculation, news first reported by the Daily Mail and TUW back in April that the "Prisoner" series remake will star Jim Caviezel with Ian McKellen (left) as Number Two was yesterday confirmed by co-producers ITV and AMC.

The location shooting for the proposed 6-part mini-series is yet to be announced, however, but it seems as though after much false rumour-mongering on the internet that the series re-make is finally happening. Click HERE and HERE to read the official press releases.

The Unmutual Website will of course be first to update fans on any developments.

Update: 3/7/2008 - Sir Ian McKellen interviewed about the Prisoner remake, discussing the scripts and shooting - click HERE to download podcast!

Update: 12/7/2008: Hayley Atwell confirmed as the "love interest".

MISS FREEDOM FOR ALL

TUW is delighted to announce that aswell as special guests, screenings, a book launch, tour, auction, raffle, and other attractions, PM2008 on July 13th will also include yet another special feature.

Robert Fairclough will have with him a special limited edition version of the recently published "Prisoner" novel "Miss Freedom" by Andrew Cartmel.

The edition has been specially produced for the event, and each copy will be numbered and signed by Cartmel himself. The edition will also be discounted for attendees at only £10. Robert will also have with him a first public look at the 2009 official calendar (cover below). Tickets and details for PM2008 are available here.

WHO'S BACK IN THE VILLAGE

In 1976, a BBC film crew descended upon Portmeirion for filming of the "Doctor Who" story "The Masque of Mandragora", and following a plea from Who DVD producers 2|Entertain in the Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald for people present at filming to come forward, it looks as though a long-awaited DVD release of the story is due soon!

We could, however, wait as long as 2009 or later for the release, but it seems as though the DVD will include newly shot extras featuring Portmeirion (click on the image for the full article).

With thanks to SR for this news item.

BETTINE CONFIRMED

TUW is delighted to announce the latest special guest to confirm their attendance of PM2008 on Sunday 13th July in Portmeirion.

Bettine Le Beau is a former actress, model, painter, sculptor, cabaret artiste, and broadcaster who will be well known to readers of this website through her roles in "The Prisoner" as Lucette in "A, B, and C" and the "Danger Man" episode "The Girl Who Liked GIs" and has fond and vivid memories of working with Patrick McGoohan.

She also has the rare distinction of being a Bond Girl (in the film "Dr No"), as well as one of Benny Hill's Angels in the 1970s. Other acting credits for TV include "No Hiding Place", "The Likely Lads", and "The Edwardians".

Bettine has also lead something of an incredible life. A holocaust survivor having escaped the Nazi concentration camps in 1942, Bettine has written the book "Help Yourself to Happiness" and today works as a motivational speaker. She will be interviewed by event MC Dave Jones regarding her incredible life and career, at this her first ever Portmeirion event. For more information on the event and to book tickets, click HERE.

Other PM2008 News: TUW would like to extend its gratitiude to the magazines "SFX" and "Film & TV Memorabilia" for their free/donated coverage of PM2008. Click HERE and HERE for scans of the articles.

ROGER PARKES R.I.P.

TUW is sad to announce that Roger Parkes, who wrote the "Prisoner" episode "A Change of Mind", died in May 2008 after a short illness.

Roger also wrote for the TV series' "Strange Report" and "The Onedin Line" among others, and recently wrote the foreward to Robert Fairclough's second volume of "Prisoner" script books and provided a commentary to his much-respected episode on the recent Network DVD set.

In more recent years he and his wife Tess had been running a B&B in Cookham.

TUW would like to extend its sincerest sympathies to Roger's family and friends.

With thanks to Sam Denham for this news item.

AUCTION AND RAFFLE NEWS

Each year at TUW's charity fundraising events in Portmeirion, the attractions along with special guests and screenings, are an auction and raffle of memorabilia, in aid of Ty Gobaith Hospice. PM2008 is no exception and several rare items have already been donated to the event. As with previous years, both attendees and non-attendees can place bids on the auction items and buy raffle tickets!

Items already secured in the auction include two photographs donated by Patrick McGoohan himself, which he has personally signed (more details further down this news page), a selection of rare 1950s theatre programmes in which he starred, a very rare BBC script, signed books, posters, and more. To view the auction items and place a bid, click HERE.

Raffle tickets are on sale for £1 each and items include DVDs, theatre programmes, books, and more. To view the items and place bids, click HERE. Tickets to attend the event are still available by clicking HERE.

CHAIR RAISING EXPERIENCE

TUW is indebted to readers Nigel Kitcher and Anneli Sarapuu for spotting that Gate 7 of Tallinn airport in Estonia now boasts a set of Aarnio Eero chairs, following a 35m Euro refit of the airport.

The chairs, of course, are seen throughout "The Prisoner" in the Green Dome.

Image (c) Nigel Kitcher, click the image for larger version.

ROBERT RIETTI AT PM2008

The Unmutual Website is delighted to announce that the first of its' special guests at PM2008 in Portmeirion on Sunday 13th July is none other than actor and voiceover artist Robert Rietti.

Robert appears in almost every episode of "The Prisoner", yet we never see his face. As well as the infamous opening sequence dialogue between him and Number Six, Robert also provides the voice of the male Village Announcer in the series, and in several episodes dubbing some of the characters (including D in "A, B, & C", the Interrogator in "Chimes", Mexican Sam in "Harmony" and many others).

Robert also co-starred in 2 episodes of "Danger Man" and re-dubbed McGoohan in the 1975 film "Nobody's the Greatest". He also worked on 5 James Bond Films, classic films such as "The Italian Job", and countless Cult TV series.

This is the first "Prisoner" event Robert has attended at Portmeirion, and PM2008 will also mark his first visit to the Village. TUW is honoured to have such a distinguished guest at PM2008, and Robert will be interviewed on stage by event host Dave Jones about his incredible career.

Tickets for PM2008 are available by clicking HERE. More details and attractions at the event can also be found on that page.

BERNARD ARCHARD RIP

Bernard Archard, who appeared in the "Danger Man" episode "The Leak", and was a friend and contemporary of Patrick McGoohan during their time at Sheffield Rep in the 1950s, sadly died on May 1st 2008. He was 91.

A familiar face on stage and screen, often playing authority figures, Archard was a much loved and respected actor.

TUW extends it's sympathies to his family and friends. Click HERE for a more detailed obituary.

With thanks to Giles Kendrick for this news item.

PATRICK SIGNS UP

TUW is delighted to announce that the charity memorabilia auction at PM2008 in Portmeirion on July 13th 2008 will contain two very special items.

Patrick McGoohan has specially hand-signed two photographs (left) exclusively for the event, due to the Ty Gobaith cause it is raising funds for. Attendees and non-attendees will be able to bid on these very special items.

TUW would like to thank Patrick McGoohan, and Larry Green who organised the signing, for their kindness and support of the event and charity.

Tickets are still available for PM2008 HERE and more details about the event will be announced soon.

REMAKE RUMOURS RESURFACE

Throughout April and May 2008 the ongoing saga of the will-they-won't-they "Prisoner" series remake continued with a new influx of newspaper articles making various claims.

Various newspapers, including the Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Post (Wales) and London Metro (left) have covered the story, with again Christopher Eccleston named as the new Number Six (a casting denied by his agent back in 2006).

It has been reported that filming has begun in Libya, with McGoohan in a cameo role, but this has been denied by ITV who are reported as saying that no casting or details for the "remake" are in place.

TUW will of course be first to report anything substantial.

Update: It has been reported by Jon Older on the Roobarb forum that; "The Prisoner has not started shooting, but is still in pre-production. The unit is based in Upington, a small wine-growing town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River."

McGOOHAN TREATS

Exciting news this week for fans of the films of Patrick McGoohan.

The first is that the 1980s movie, produced by "Prisoner" and "Danger Man" Director Peter Graham Scott and co-starring McGoohan and Jane Seymour, "Jamaica Inn" is geting a DVD release in May 2008 by Network DVD.

Also available from a company called Intrada are limited edition soundrack CDs for some of McGoohan's films. They are Jerry Goldsmith's score for "Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend" (HERE), John Barry's for "Mary Queen of Scots" (HERE), and Henry Mancini's for "Silver Streak" (HERE).

Thanks to Leslie Glen and Simon Coward for this news item.

PRISONER ON I-TUNES

It has been announced today (April 22nd) that "The Prisoner", as well as other popular series such as "The Saint" and "Cold Feet", are to be made available via iTunes, at a cost of £1.89 per episode. Dawn Airey, managing director of ITV Global Content, said: "We want to give viewers the opportunity to watch their favourite shows wherever they are. "

Thanks to Howard Foy for this news item.