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FAQ - THE NON-EXISTENT COMMA

One of the most commonly posted queries and beliefs, particularly since the birth of internet forums and social media, is the belief that there is a hidden message in the opening sequence to each episode, in the following passage of dialogue.

#6: Where am I?
#2: In the Village.
#6: What do you want?
#2: We want information. Information. Information.
#6: You won't get it.
#2: By hook or by crook. We will.
#6: Who are you?
#2: The new Number Two.
#6: Who is Number One?
#6: You... are Number Six.
#6: I am not a Number... I am a Free Man!
#2: Laughs.

There is an incorrect theory that the inclusion of a non-existent comma is what was intended all along, as a clue to the series finale, as follows:

#6: Who is Number One?
#2: You are, Number Six.

However, no such comma exists.

The sequence is present in 14 of the 17 episodes (there is no sequence in the episodes 'Arrival', 'Living in Harmony' and 'Fall Out'). In none of those 14 episodes is there a pause (which would denote a comma) between Number Two's delivery of the word 'are' and the word 'number'.
Indeed, the emphasis is clearly placed on the word 'you', with a following pause before the word 'are'.

In no less than 8 of the 14 episodes, the sequence's Number Two character was voiced by voiceover artist Robert Rietti (who appeared throughout the series dubbing various actors, or portraying various 'announcer' roles). He specifically stated that he left a pause after the word 'you', and emphasised that word, to avoid any ambiguity in how the words would be heard by the listener, thus disproving any modern fan-theories that such a pause/comma was present.

And, perhaps most importantly, the following scan from an original (not photocopied or reprinted) script for the opening sequence clearly shows the word 'you' underlined for emphasis (and interestingly, was originally to be 'You are our Number Six').



In terms of timings, it would also have been impossible for Patrick McGoohan to have subconsciously put such a comma in place. The dialogue for the above sequence was recorded in the Autum of 1966, many months before McGoohan had thought up his finale, as evidenced by the following exchange during an interview with Warner Troyer, available on the 50th anniversary 'The Prisoner' DVD and BluRay set from Network:

Troyer: Did you know when you first outlined the series in your own mind, the concept that No. 1 was going to turn out to be you, to be No. 6?
McGoohan: No, I didn't.
Troyer: When did you find out?
McGoohan: When it got very close to the last episode and I hadn't written it yet.

So whilst it's lovely to have theories about aspects of the series, this particular theory is purely in the imagination of the theorist and bears no resemblance to facts or the production of the series. In short.....


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