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Episodes

Notes

• Feature-length movie compiled from the unconnected episodes Arrival and The Schizoid Man.

• Other format releases: Betamax (BITC 2108) and Philips V2000 (CRITC 2108).

• Precision Video was the video label of the Associated Communications Comporation, which also owned ITC. It was launched in 1979 to take advantage of the nascent home video rental and retail market. At that time, three video formats - JVC's VHS (Video Home System), Sony's Betamax and Philips' Video 2000 - were fighting to become the pre-eminent home video system, a battle ultimately won by VHS. Precision Video, however, hedged their bets and released many titles in each of the formats and also occasionally experimented with the Laservision disc format.

• Precision Video releases were uniquely packaged in hard plastic cases, essentially audio cassette 'MusiCassette' cases but far larger. Variations were made to hold each of the cassette formats. In common with audio cassettes, these releases features double-sided inlay cards, the reverse sides of which contained cast and production credits and advertisements for other Precision Video titles.

• This June 1982 release carried a 1981 copyright date.

Episodes

Notes

• Feature-length movie compiled from the unconnected episodes Many Happy Returns and A. B. & C.

• Other format releases: Betamax (BITC 2109) and Philips V2000 (CRITC 2109).

• This June 1982 release carried a 1981 copyright date.

Episodes

Notes

• Feature-length movie compiled from the unconnected episodes Checkmate and Free For All.

• Other format releases: Betamax (BITC 2136) and Philips V2000 (CRITC 2136).

Episodes

Notes

• Feature-length movie compiled from the unconnected episodes The Chimes of Big Ben and The General.

• Other format releases: Betamax (BITC 2137) and Philips V2000 (CRITC 2137).

Episodes

Arrival • The Chimes of Big Ben

Notes

• Channel 5 Video was named so as to suggest an alternative viewing programme over and above the four terrestrial broadcasters then operating in the United Kingdom - BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4. Channel 5 Video was a sub-label of Heron/PolyGram. A fifth British TV channel, coincidentally also monikered Channel 5, was finally launched on 30th March 1997 and had no connection with the by then long defunct video label.

• The Prisoner jacket shown on the front cover of each Channel 5 VHS volume was claimed to be the actual one worn by Patrick McGoohan during the making of the series. It was specially photographed for the video artwork.

Episodes

A. B & C • Free for All

Notes

• For reasons unknown, the Channel 5 catalogue and barcode numbers for this and the subsequent volume appear to have been swapped around.

Episodes

The Schizoid Man • The General

Episodes

Many Happy Returns • Dance of the Dead

Episodes

Checkmate • Hammer into Anvil

Episodes

It's Your Funeral • A Change of Mind

Episodes

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling • Living in Harmony

Episodes

The Girl Who Was Death • Once Upon a Time

Episodes

Fall Out

Content

The Prisoner Video Companion (1990)

Notes

• The Prisoner Video Companion was a somewhat unsatisfying documentary programme produced in the USA by Maljack Productions in 1990. It was initially released exclusively on North American home video.

Episodes

Arrival • The Chimes of Big Ben
A. B. & C. • Free for All

Notes

• The sleeve for this cassette carried a red band on the front proclaiming that the video cassette featured the unscreened version of The Chimes of Big Ben.

• The inclusion of the alternate version of The Chimes of Big Ben is interesting if somewhat misguided as its incorporation into the first volume is at the expense of the transmitted version of the episode which does not feature. Ordinarily the alternative Chimes has been presented as a bonus feature and it is somewhat strange that this course was taken by PolyGram.

• The alternate version of Chimes had first been released in 1984 by USA video label MPI Home Video. MPI released the whole series in North America with each episode having a video tape to itself - a practice that was carried over for 'The Lost Episode' as they confusingly billed the alternate Chimes.

• Some copies of this video cassette were issued with an alternative cover:

Episodes

The Schizoid Man • The General
Many Happy Returns • Dance of the Dead

Episodes

Checkmate • Hammer into Anvil
It's Your Funeral

Episodes

A Change of Mind • Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling
Living in Harmony

Episodes

The Girl Who Was Death • Once Upon A Time
Fall Out

Special Features

• The Best of The Prisoner (1990)

Notes

• The Best of The Prisoner was a clips compilation produced by Maljack Productions, the same team that made The Prisoner Companion documentary in the USA.

Episodes

Arrival • The Chimes of Big Ben • A. B. & C. • Free for All • The Schizoid Man • The General • Many Happy Returns
Dance of the Dead • Checkmate • Hammer into Anvil • It's Your Funeral • A Change of Mind
Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling • Living in Harmony • The Girl Who Was Death • Once Upon A Time • Fall Out

Special Features

• The Best of The Prisoner (1990)

Notes

• The Best of The Prisoner - a 29-minute compilation of clips from the show - was produced in the USA by Maljack Productions in 1990 as a sister piece to their The Prisoner Video Companion. It had previously been released on North American home video. As with the Video Companion, it is not particularly effective and there appears to have been little thought employed in the actual 'highlights' chosen. After a brief commentary at the start of the programme, no attempt is made to analyse what is playing out on screen.

• As with the standalone version above, the sleeve for Volume One carried a red band on the front proclaiming that the video cassette featured the unscreened version of The Chimes of Big Ben. However, here the wording was different and a typo was introduced in which the word 'episode' was erroneously shown as 'epsiode'.

• A greater error appears on the spine where the dot of the 'i' of 'Prisoner' obliterates the 'h' of 'the' above it. This demonstrates a further negligence as the Prisoner logotype should not include a dot in the 'i' (and this practice is repeated on occasion elsewhere in the packaging).

• The inclusion of the alternate version of The Chimes of Big Ben is interesting if somewhat misguided as its incorporation into the boxed set is at the expense of the transmitted version of the episode which does not feature. Ordinarily the alternative Chimes has been presented as a bonus feature and it is somewhat strange that this course was taken by PolyGram.

• The alternate version of Chimes had first been released in 1984 by USA video label MPI Home Video. MPI released the whole series in North America with each episode having a video tape to itself - a practice that was carried over for 'The Lost Episode' as they confusingly billed the alternate Chimes.

• PolyGram's lack of attention to detail strikes again on the Volume Three inlay: the photograph of Patrick Cargill is flipped horizontally causing his Number 2 badge to appear in mirror image.

• Another example of this phenomenon sees director Robert Asher's surname disappear beneath the strapline advertising the Prisoner fan club on Volume Four's cover.

• The sleeve of the final volume in this set shows arguably a poorly chosen photograph of Patrick McGoohan as it is a shot of him directing Fall Out, complete with script and cigarette in his hand. All other images featured on the set's packaging show actors in character.

• A second run of this set appears to have been produced as some came in thinner cardboard outer boxes compared to the corrugated cardboard packaging of the first issue.

Episodes

Arrival • The Chimes of Big Ben • A. B. & C. • Free for All • The Schizoid Man • The General • Many Happy Returns
Dance of the Dead • Checkmate • Hammer into Anvil • It's Your Funeral • A Change of Mind
Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling • Living in Harmony • The Girl Who Was Death • Once Upon A Time • Fall Out

Special Features

• The Prisoner Video Companion (1990)

Notes

• Vision Video Ltd (VVL) were a subsidiary of PolyGram.

• To celebrate 30 years of The Prisoner (coming a few months late to hit the actual anniversary in September 1997), the series was 'digitally restored' for this VVL release. Being VHS, the results were hardly astonishing, but at least the prints were taken from 35mm - previously 16mm prints had been used for home video.

• This VHS box set was originally sold in two parts. The first part included the outer box, the first two video cassettes (containing Arrival and seven other episodes), postcards and a key ring. The second part was available separately and comprised the remaining episodes and The Prisoner Companion across three tapes.

• The marketing people at Vision Video Ltd struck upon replacing the 'e' in 'Prisoner' with a '6', hence The Prison6r.

• Of all Prisoner releases, this box set is probably the one least influenced by the series' typography, logotype, imagery and Portmeirion setting. Additionally, the photograph of Patrick McGoohan on the box art hails from Danger Man.

• The first video cassette in the VVL set is numbered '?' in homage to the mystery at the centre of the series. This was not carried across to the video cassette which was labelled 'The Prisoner Volume 1'.

• Although the box set's catalogue number was 0569403, the video sleeves carried no catalogue numbers. Furthermore, the video cassette labels made no mention of the box number, and instead contained individual numbers: VFA 20917 (Volume 1), VFA 20905 (Volume 2), VFA 20889 (Volume 3), VFA 20891 (Volume 4), VFA 20894 (Volume 5).

Episodes

Arrival • The Chimes of Big Ben

Episodes

A. B. & C. • Free for All

Episodes

The Schizoid Man • The General

Episodes

Many Happy Returns • Dance of the Dead

Episodes

Checkmate • Hammer into Anvil

Episodes

It's Your Funeral • A Change of Mind

Episodes

Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling • Living in Harmony

Episodes

The Girl Who Was Death • Once Upon A Time

Episode

Fall Out

Special Features

• The Prisoner Video Companion (1990)

Episodes

Arrival • The Chimes of Big Ben • A. B. & C. • Free for All • The Schizoid Man • The General • Many Happy Returns
Dance of the Dead • Checkmate • Hammer into Anvil • It's Your Funeral • A Change of Mind
Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling • Living in Harmony • The Girl Who Was Death • Once Upon A Time • Fall Out

Special Features

• The Prisoner Video Companion (1990)

Notes

• This box set very much bucked the trend of VHS collections becoming more compact with content spread across fewer, lengthier video cassettes. This Carlton set comprised 9 tapes with only two episodes per tape (and Fall Out sharing a cassette with The Prisoner Video Companion). The set was a massive 276mm x 205mm x 125mm, nearly double the size of the previous VVL set, and weighed in at more than 2.5kg!