I would say, it never lost its relevance and that is to say never in the history of civilization would it not be relevant. At least from the common man's point of view.
Patrick McGoohan was a most singular actor. And a man of great moral fortitude. I lament his passing. My regards to Catherine, and thanks for this content. Be seeing you.
I will never forget his performance as 'Mister Jones' in Ice Station Zebra. I had the good fortune to watch the film when I was a teeny bopper. A lovely interview with a very charming English lady.😊
I first saw Patrick in Columbo, Silver Streak and Escape From Alcatraz which were three very good intros. I finally became aware of The Prisoner in the mid 90s thanks to a documentary on sci-fi TV classics. Many years later some pen pals of mine wrote online reviews of The Prisoner which furthered my appreciation for what Patrick most importantly created.
she still has classic, Madonna-like features, bet she was a beauty at her absolute peak. Good-looks run in the family. Show timeless and prescient to this day, well done Patrick: you nailed it.
I was fortunate to meet Mr. McGoohan. I was a fan of his pre-Prisoner days. He was a very kind and down to earth person. During my time knowing him, he would always say Good Morning to me by name each day. He was amazing. His voice was magical. Thank you for sharing Catherine.
What an excellent interview. Dare I say it, McGoohan was a bit of a visionary and The Prisoner was eerily prophetic: "You won't get it. By hook or by crook, we will."
@@WillieM149Right. All of the fake/inane situation " family" comedies, except I Love Lucy. All of the nonsense westerns except Have Gun Will Travel. We did get Alfred Hitchcock Presents,Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. I will include the Man From Uncle too. The Prisoner was the most unique show. Way ahead of its time. There was some terrific TV. I do agree...up to a point.
The Prisoner ! - what does one say!?! I was in my mid teens at the time and it resonated so deeply. Looking back we realise that Patrick McGoohan felt and knew a thing or two. And he was courageous enough to say what he knew. The village was a place that one is taken to. Now, The Village has been built around us... slowly and stealthily, little by little. Anyone happy to be 'pushed, filled, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed and numbered' ?! The v sad thing is that most people don't know that they have been and are being.
@@76UVB yes watching it was truly an exercise of hope over expectation. It must have given me one of my lesser forms of PTSD as I can’t recall much about it other than it being in colour with Salvador Dali style credits and set in some desert location but I could easily be wrong on the details. Yet the disappointment and horror persists. 😔 😞 😢
Great interview. Patrick was one of a kind. I was a huge admirer. I was honoured to cast Catherine in a play I produced and she is a lovely lady and fine actress.
I loved Patrick McGoohan in every role: he brought a special quality to every role. The Prisoner was pure magic, exquisite. The Cold War and intelligence services were very much in my family's mind. Portmeirion became a must visit pllace for me as an adult. He clearly was a perfectionist. He was in John le Carré territory even before John le Carré became well known. What a partnership that could have been! I loved the ambiguity - who was a warden, who was a prisoner. What was real, what fictional, what was part of the system? But this is eternally, infinitely close to the world of the spy who must exist in multiple worlds: his own and the enemy's. With completely different philosophies, doctrines, realities. So happy to have heard Catherine, his daughter speak. I hope this whole series is available for viewing on a streaming service.
What a very interesting video Catherine McGoohan really gave us a look inside her father, thank you . I have to say the great Leo McKern was equally brilliant in the Prisoner. I've subscribed ❤
@@stheno3178 I would love to know what Patrick McGoohan would have made of the current state of world affairs and the political climate both in the US and Great Britain. For me the Prisoner is so relevant to our current world , how we think , we feel , truth , trust, empathy and compassion. The whole series is a must to watch for the current generation, and it’s affirmed to me why the world is in such a sorry state…… Patrick McGoohan and Leo McKern so far ahead of the game ……
@@MarkMeade-e1y Couldn't agree more Mark. His defiant rebuttal to Number 2 in the opening episode Arrival is just a perfect insight into Number Sixes mindset, wonderful. I qoute that to my wife all the time 😅
Loved The Prisoner ❤. Patrick McGoohan was one of those actors that was so brilliant you can't imagine anyone else would be right for the part after he had played it. R. I. P. Patrick. Be Seeing You!👌
I remember being totally fascinated by _The Prisoner_ as a ten year old in 1967. Thanks to YT, I've revisited it & it's still as captivating (pun not intended) as ever. Catherine's view of her father's part in this adds another facet to the whole thing.
I was 9! I watched with my father, who loved the show. I remember reading 1984 in high school and thinking that this was what The Prisoner was all about.
Patrick should still receive a posthumous oscar for his portrayal of King Edward the Longshanks in Mel Gibsons Braveheart. Everytime I watch this movie I am spellbound at his performance in it.
We are all living in 'The Village', and are all 'Prisoners', exactly as Patrick, so effectively portrayed in the series, he was a great actor, but above all a great visionary. 'The Prisoner ' should be reshown on TV today, to a brand new audience, but I think with the high level of programming and brain washing we see in most people today the vast majority of people would not understand it, they are all living 'The dream' and are happy and content to live out their lives in 'The Village '.
Not true today. Political correctness. Woke, cancel culture, LGBT pushed on the children. Anyone complaining gets the far right fascist scum treatment. It's all come to fruition, big time. If we don't conform to this idiocy, we lose our career. Our good name. Women are afraid to go out. Teens rampant with knives. Young children knifed to death. Most of us are now fully awake.
4:18 Great series, and Patrick was a wonderful actor with a warning of how things might become if we allow it. Thanks for sharing - must be a very proud daughter.
Patrick McGoohan gave me his autograph when I was hiking in North Wales in the '60's. He was so fricking handsome, tanned with very bright blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. RIP Patrick.
Lovely memory and thank you for sharing. Have a look at our 'community' page and you'll see my autograph and speedometer dash panel from the main used Mini-Moke throughout the series.
Are you US based? Thank you for viewing, greatly appreciated. In Britain it was aired late 1967 till early Feb 1968 and had nearly 10 million viewers for most episodes with (if memory serves) around 16 million for the ending. Someone will clarify no doubt. It did have another very successful run in 1983 (again if memory serves) of which, a new generation discovered it.
@@TheOfficialMinistryOfTruthMy father and I watched it avidly in Melbourne in either the late sixties or early seventies. Somehow we missed the final episode. There was so much brouhaha about unanswered questions that the ABC replayed the final episode. We missed that as well. It was water cooler talk for some time.
I still think about that show, Patrick was one of those rare actors who could hold the screen even without dialogue, just that look, that intensity. Nobody was ever more perfect for a role, or more compelling, number 6 was real. Every episode had that air of paranoia, that quaint little village so charming and yet so full of menace I think Patrick and the whole production company really made something very special, and it was all the better for not having the technology and fancy tricks of today. Many people old enough to see it at the time,me included, still occasionally bring it up in conversation, always with fondness and even reverence. Nice to hear Catherine sharing her thoughts on the show and her father, most interesting
Classic, intelligent, innovative and long-lasting and thought-provoking series/creation that has stood the test of time, a brilliant idea-driven piece so we question our selves, our place in society and our place in the world. Who controls it and who controls us is at its incisive core. Patrick was brilliant himself and the show was way ahead of its time, the ending being an enigma just like what went before, with no clear enemy or defined or easy " answer ". Left to us to see what we can take from it was a great idea in itself. Patrick was a great actor and a powerful and memorable presence. A fascinating and important interview, thankyou. R.I.P. Mr Mcgouhan.
Thank you for this interview. I was 16 in the summer of 1968, and, for me, two intellectual altering events happened to me. One was Stanley Kubrick’s 2001:A Space Odyssey and the other was Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner. This interview was very special to me, offering an insight into Mr. McGoohan which, finally, I believe helps me solve the riddle of the reveal of Number One. Incredible.
I agree with Catherine. The Prisoner was a very personal experience for Patrick. That is why he found it so difficult sometimes to talk about it, because he did not want to give his own interpretation. Patrick wanted the masses to make their own interpretations, to use their own brains and make their own minds up about what it meant to them. As for Patrick himself, I think that Orson Welles summed him up well. He has everything, he has it all. He can do and become anything. Personally I loved everything....Danger Man, The Prisoner, and all the rest. Whenever Patrick was on the small or large screen, I was glued to his performance. He was totally magical. Just look at Danger Man. The story lines and action were superb. And then The Prisoner, superb performances. All supported by a remarkable cast and crew. Thank goodness for Lew Grade. He took the risk with The Prisoner because he had the gut feeling it would work and trusted Patrick implicitly. What's more he left Patrick alone, and never meddled. God bless Lew and Patrick for their astonishing and remarkable accomplishments in their lives. Their level of entertainment is so much missed. Be seeing you.
Brilliant post thank you, as a kid watched all of the Prisoner series, even as far as going to North Wales, visiting Port Merrion with Mum and Dad late sixties , masterpiece from a master !!!!!!
Because of his quick, clipped delivery, I always felt that there was a barely supressed explosion in him. His characters were always holding more back than they were showing us. This created tension and expectation in the viewer.
Great comment and have you seen 'The Hard Way'? Pat played an assassin who was trying to 'retire' (some theme there...) and he was roped into doing one last hit. I won't spoil the ending but let's say it's a very intense film and it's available on RUclips.
Although born in New York, he was brought straight back and raised in his homeland of Ireland. His formative years were spent in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He went to school here, got his first jobs, his first theatre work and met his wife too. Whilst filming some years later, he went back to Sheff with his wife to the spot where he'd proposed a few years earlier. I had a walk around those places the other week and I may put some footage together later this year, along with some Portmeirion footage.
Always a pleasure to hear any little insights regarding PM. Esp this//these characters and the arc he was able see in his head. Its a challenge bring patient with others who dont/won't/cant. - quadruple threat here. Be Sea Eye A-ing U.
P.s. someone noticed! Thanks. Quick anecdote then if this is being monitored. One of the last movies I worked on at B'rmwood- before uprooting to H'wood, we were working nights and I got chatting to an older Camera guy who was about to retire. 25 year man etc. as I was about to fly off to LA. Literal bookends. And he told me the 2 greatest memories he had were working directly w Stan K. on 2001 and PM. #6. 1 days shoot required stupid o' clock early start and he being the youngest tipped up first. Pitch black. Not even Catering plugged in yet etc but PM was standing resplendent in White ? dressing gown, full m/u and hair alrdy mug of Tea in one hand "conducting' with the other. This old timer told me he darent disturb the Boss but watched him and turns out he was going through the Shot list to the (eventual) music in his mind's eye to cut on the beat in order to save time once the bloody Crew finally showed up. I knew then. And I know now. I'm not alone. Wish I'd have met him. Ciao.
He had more charisma and presence on screen in his toe nails than most hollywood stars, brought a measured intensity to his every role, The Prisoner was the greatest thing tv has ever produced. He could have been a massive Hollywood star if he'd wished, but he had too much intelligence and class for that. A unique actor.
Wonderful interview. Eloquent, clear, lovely voice, indepth, amazing woman. Thank goodness all the right people had the vision and power to make it happen.
I'll never forget my first trip to Portmeirion to see The Village. It was like being transported back a few decades. I went down to the beach but had to keep looking over my shoulder for any bouncing white balloons. 😜 What I found strange was, it seemed to have its own climate. It seemed warmer and more humid than anywhere else, even locally.
The show influenced me greatly. I want to stay in Portmeirion for longer than the day I have already experienced; a week should be enough for the novelty to turn into claustrophobia. I will be driving there in Caterham 7 shortly after I retire 😊
I hope that happens for you and that you have a good retirement. I'll be going down there soon....I'll probably catch three days of the worst rain ever, but we live in hope.
I have rewatched “The Prisoner” multiple times on dvd and it never ceases to intrigue me. I’m also lucky enough to live within relatively easy travelling distance to Portmeirion (“The Village”) and have visited several times. A visit to the actual location really increases the pleasure when watching the series. I have read that the location as Portmeirion was not revealed until the final episode end credits because of the personal insistence of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, the architect. I have also read that Portmeirion was not completed until 1975, well after “The Prisoner” was filmed. McGoohan was a superb actor and, as someone else has commented, always gave the impression that the character he was portraying was on a very short fuse and was about to explode. It adds greatly to the tension of watching. It’s also interesting to note how many actors were involved in the cast (if only for one episode) who were or became legends of television and stage (not so much film). Leo McKern stands out but there are many others (including Paul Eddington, for example). I’ve always suspected that the assembly of such great actors was down to the persuasiveness and charisma of McGoohan himself.
By the way, although Catherine towards the end of the interview states that “..it was shot in England in the 60’s ..” Portmeirion is, of course, in North Wales!
Whenever I regret never having seen (or heard) Olivier live on stage, I console myself that I once sat up close to watch and listen to Patrick McGoohan!
Catherine your dad never got the credit or fame he deserved for his brilliant work creating so many classic productions still relevant to todays dystopian world. Hope he still gets royalties, Totally underrated and exploited in my opinionScripts worthy of Alders Huxley, an artist much neglected
Thank you, Catherine McGoohan, for delivering the detailed, focused points about your father, the series, and how it continues to improve our perception of not only his life, but the intent of The Prisoner.
I always enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek black comedy quality of The Prisoner long before I even knew what that meant. And the sci-fi unreality element as well.
It's so Nice to earring this woman speaking of Patrick Mc goohan.... her father. Me I'am French and love, all there creations TV of Mr Mc Goohan. My prefer serie are "the Prisoner" even if love too "Danger man" and Colombo (With Mc goohan). Love to you Carherine, your father Was a very good man.
God, I love the Prisoner so much. He was so spot on. Thought I'd get myself out of the doom & gloom of this country by watching a DVD. Opened the door of the cupboard, scanned through my collection which spans The Prisoner thru to Dr Strangelove, Rollerball & Soylent Green, then thought "Ahhh, no escapism then. Never mind" 😂
Great choice pal. I watched the remake of 1984 last night with John Hurt and Richard Burton. I don't know if I'm getting old, but the nude scenes were uncalled for....I might have changed my mind if it had been Kelly Brook haha.
Oh Bless her, Kelly Brook & lads who were teens in the 80's, I totally get that 😊 I've a bit of an embarrassing admission - I haven't seen the movie version since I was a kid. I saw the BBC play, from 1952, when I was a teen & that is the version I love. It was adapted from the book by Nigel Kneale & stars Peter Cushing as Winston Smith. Donald Pleasence & Andrew Kier are also in it too. Yep, it's scratchy & black & white but somehow that just adds to the tone. Unfortunately this version is only available on an expensive DVD, I am just biding my time 😊
Yes I do prefer the 1958 version but I haven't seen the BBC version and Peter Cushing's role. I must check that out. The colour John Hurt version is currently on freeview Ch 4 or ITVX at the moment. I can't remember which channel from last night....but free anyway....oh and Jaclyn Smith from Charlie's Angels would have also sufficed for the re-make....I definitely would have rebelled against Big Brother, Large Auntie and Fatty Grandma, for her.
@@TheOfficialMinistryOfTruth He used the Puleston Arms shield and 2 windows on his Town Hall,would imagine he bought other stuff as well. Google Emral Hall and take a look, was a magnificent building.
Thankyou Catherine for sharing your thoughts on your dad and the television masterpiece that continues to fascinate and astound. It was a shame that it had to end. What an actor your father genuinely was. He was like a caged animal in The Prisoner: always pacing, watchful, alert, defiant, questioning, and looking for ways of escape. The series had a huge impact on me as a young teenager and it will never grow old or dated.
As a child, I used to watch this programme, and I thought how great it would be to live in this idyllic village, to be fed three times a day, and not have to worry about anything. As an adult, I realise we all do this in real life. We stay in our safe zone. We put up with the mundane, for fear the alternative would be worse. We are prisoners in our own heads, and I like to think this was a big part of what Patrick was saying. Having said that, maybe he wasn’t saying anything in particular, just exploring a human condition.
Simply loved "The Prisoner" . I saw reruns in France in the mid 70s when I was a kid. Thought the quality was extraordinary was really taken by the intelligence of it. Patrick was so identified with Number 6 as a personal trait. Pure genius. The last two episodes are amazing. Loved the one with Leo McKern when he tries to regress him and reprogram him. The defiance was all there. Something about standing for individual freedom. Namaste
My favourite actor bar none. I grew up with the man from Danger Man onwards. The Prisoner and it's message of retaining your individuality really spoke to me and is still relevent today. His daughter is a lovely lady and speaks very well. Be seeing you. 👌
I think it's something to do with his Irish background, individualistic, authentic moral character. He brought a uniqueness and truth to The Ptrisoner...and of course Danger Man. Thank you for this very interesting biography of one of a kind brilliant actor, and human being. 💜
I first saw The Prisoner during its first run in the US. I was a teenager at the time, and it really got into my head. I married a lady who was also a fan, and we own the series on DVD. We rewatch it every couple of years, and it is unfortunately more relevant every time.
I worked summer relief at WFLD-TV in Chicago and had the pleasure of caring for and running the celluloid reels of The Prisoner in the early 1970's. What a show! I go back to my DVD copies of the broadcasts often. It's the best television production I've ever seen.
The most creative show of the 1960's and perhaps even up to this moment. I was 16 when I saw The Prisoner air on American television in the summer of 1968. I had never seen anything more engaging on television and that includes Rod Serling's Twilight Zone.
Incredible actor a one off.In my teens a group of us watched the Prisoner and loved it.Looking back we didn’t always understand it but we do now. Forward thinking ahead of its time.How true things are today. Everything I have see with Patrick in is brilliant. Episodes of Columbo he started in I watch over and over again.
Thanks so much for sharing this. THE PRISONER has been one of my favorite shows from way back when it first appeared on CBS back in 1968 (I think it was). In fact, for many years, decades in fact, it was my absolute favorite. So interesting and ballsy. Totally Avantgard. May Patrick McGoohan rest in Shalom and may his memory and his work always bless us. Especially THE PRISONER.
Whenever i hear or see Danger man ,i smell strawberry jam on toast lol. as a kid i would get up early with my dad and watch it on aussie tv ,then he went to work and i would watch sat morning tv ,beautiful memories
Amazing gifted actor. He had something that you can’t earn or learn, it’s just there. He spoke so loudly without saying a word. You could just see it in him.
what an incredible series, what is shocking is that such an innovative and brave TV series was first aired in the late 1960s on ITV !!! can you even being to imagine them commissioning anything similar these days with the dross that they have on these days ?!?
Well.well. I went to school with Catherine!! Aged....5/6. The nuns set about ensuring that we would go to heaven. Which was nice. Meanwhile, danger man was on, and I loved it! Seeing it recently, it really is pretty damn good. Patrick McGoohan had more than star quality. He had a moral core and clear vision. The Prisoner is remarkable. Cheers Catherine. Those days at St Anthony's weren't wasted on you! X
In an era which included Peter O'Toole, Paul Schofield and Richard Burton I still felt that Patrick McGoohan was the greatest of all time. His performance in 'Mary Queen Of Scots' is masterful. Should Catherine McGoohan ever read this I want her to know how much I wish her Father had seen my own movie 'JFK to 911: Everything Is A Rich Man's Trick'. I think Mr McGoohan had to ruefully accept that 'The Prisoner' was ahead of it's time; but had it never become a reality I don't think the seed would have been sown that led to my own Film and the effect it has had on the Public perception of fake news. Much love to you Catherine. You must be so proud of your Dad.
We have seen 'JFK to 911: Everything Is A Rich Man's Trick' and thought it a really compelling documentary. If you're ever in South Yorkshire, we'd love to chat with you to go through your film. We haven't filmed any Zoom chats yet, but that will come towards the end of this year. Many thanks.
How nice to hear someone articulate explaining, and a minimum of cliches of “you know” etc. A pity they both (father and daughter) started to have transatlantic intonation. But I started intending to listen to 2-3 minutes but stayed for the whole thing.
I so remember that series, and I watched every episode that 1968 Summer!! It was so interesting and "strange", but I totally loved it!! Someone should rerun it, during the summer, just like it was done back in '68, I know it would still be unique, fasinating and addictive!! Thank You So Much for such a Magnificent Series!
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Have always wanted to learn the name of the font used by all the graphics on The Prisoner.
@@Penekamp11 Albertus Medium. We use it on our thumbnails.
The Prisoner is a masterpiece.
Patrick McGoohan was a visionary. Unfortunately, we are now living in the nightmare world that he tried to warn us about.
THANK YOU NUMBER ONE FOR BRINGING THIS TO MY ATTENTION ! ! !
@@drunkslut2355.. what are YOU talking about? Are you drunk?
@@AndrewHillis_2024I'M NOT A NUMBER, I'M A FREE MAN. UK 🇬🇧
@DougalDouglas You are No6,who is No1?
The end was a corker. UK 🇬🇧
How right he was and how right you are.
This series is more relevant today than it was 57 years ago
I would say, it never lost its relevance and that is to say never in the history of civilization would it not be relevant. At least from the common man's point of view.
Even now in 2024, Patrick Mcgoohan is still ahead of his time..
Truth.
Nothing like him before or since. I have such admiration for him, for his sense of liberty, his political fight, his convictions and character.
Thank you, Catherine, for sharing all this with us. Your father created one of our most precious TV gems with The Prisoner.
Patrick McGoohan was a most singular actor.
And a man of great moral fortitude.
I lament his passing.
My regards to Catherine, and thanks for this content.
Be seeing you.
I will never forget his performance as 'Mister Jones' in Ice Station Zebra. I had the good fortune to watch the film when I was a teeny bopper. A lovely interview with a very charming English lady.😊
I first saw Patrick in Columbo, Silver Streak and Escape From Alcatraz which were three very good intros. I finally became aware of The Prisoner in the mid 90s thanks to a documentary on sci-fi TV classics. Many years later some pen pals of mine wrote online reviews of The Prisoner which furthered my appreciation for what Patrick most importantly created.
Nice to see his daughter showing him such understanding, and love, with genuine feeling. They must have been so close.
she still has classic, Madonna-like features, bet she was a beauty at her absolute peak. Good-looks run in the family. Show timeless and prescient to this day, well done
Patrick: you nailed it.
I was fortunate to meet Mr. McGoohan. I was a fan of his pre-Prisoner days. He was a very kind and down to earth person. During my time knowing him, he would always say Good Morning to me by name each day. He was amazing. His voice was magical. Thank you for sharing Catherine.
Thank you for sharing. Most kind.
What an excellent interview. Dare I say it, McGoohan was a bit of a visionary and The Prisoner was eerily prophetic: "You won't get it. By hook or by crook, we will."
60's tv was much better than today.
Any decade you pick is better than today’s TV. 😊
@@WillieM149Right. All of the fake/inane situation " family" comedies, except I Love Lucy.
All of the nonsense westerns except Have Gun Will Travel.
We did get Alfred Hitchcock Presents,Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. I will include the Man From Uncle too.
The Prisoner was the most unique show. Way ahead of its time.
There was some terrific TV. I do agree...up to a point.
@@track1949 Don't forget about 'My Mother The Car'!
Baloney. 95% of 60s TV was absolute garbage.
@@Edyth_Hedd Just don't include 'Gentle Ben' and 'Flipper' in that 95% - they both were quality shows! lol
I loved the Prisoner series, and Danger man.
Lucky enough to visit the village a few times.
The Prisoner ! - what does one say!?! I was in my mid teens at the time and it resonated so deeply.
Looking back we realise that Patrick McGoohan felt and knew a thing or two. And he was courageous enough to say what he knew.
The village was a place that one is taken to. Now, The Village has been built around us... slowly and stealthily, little by little.
Anyone happy to be 'pushed, filled, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed and numbered' ?!
The v sad thing is that most people don't know that they have been and are being.
What a genius he was, there will never be another series that comes close to matching The Prisoner
The modern remake wasn’t at all good. Doesn’t warrant comparison with the original.
@@iangerahty3422 I purposely avoided it fully expecting it to be a disappointment.
@@76UVB yes watching it was truly an exercise of hope over expectation. It must have given me one of my lesser forms of PTSD as I can’t recall much about it other than it being in colour with Salvador Dali style credits and set in some desert location but I could easily be wrong on the details. Yet the disappointment and horror persists. 😔 😞 😢
I see a lot of The Prisoner in Apple’s “Severance”.
Of the British actors from the 1960’s Patrick McGoohan and Patrick Macnee are my favorites. Both brilliant character actors.
WOW so much agree. I love both Patricks!!
Patrick McGoohan is either Irish or American, but certainly not British.
@ I looked him up on IMDB and he was born in the US and raised in Ireland and the Uk.
Best TV show ever. Patrick was excellent.
What a great man, and what an inspiring legacy he left for us.
He commands the screen - your eyes go to him in any scene he is in - very intense. Memorable - he made quite an impact and his legacy lives on.
Great interview. Patrick was one of a kind. I was a huge admirer. I was honoured to cast Catherine in a play I produced and she is a lovely lady and fine actress.
Excellent comment. Could you let us know more? Thank you.
I loved Patrick McGoohan in every role: he brought a special quality to every role. The Prisoner was pure magic, exquisite. The Cold War and intelligence services were very much in my family's mind. Portmeirion became a must visit pllace for me as an adult. He clearly was a perfectionist. He was in John le Carré territory even before John le Carré became well known. What a partnership that could have been! I loved the ambiguity - who was a warden, who was a prisoner. What was real, what fictional, what was part of the system? But this is eternally, infinitely close to the world of the spy who must exist in multiple worlds: his own and the enemy's. With completely different philosophies, doctrines, realities.
So happy to have heard Catherine, his daughter speak. I hope this whole series is available for viewing on a streaming service.
Great comments Rob and thank you very much.
What a very interesting video Catherine McGoohan really gave us a look inside her father, thank you . I have to say the great Leo McKern was equally brilliant in the Prisoner. I've subscribed ❤
Very much so , both brilliant actors, and thank god they both did the Prisoner together…….
@@stheno3178
I would love to know what Patrick McGoohan would have made of the current state of world affairs and the political climate both in the US and Great Britain.
For me the Prisoner is so relevant to our current world , how we think , we feel , truth , trust, empathy and compassion.
The whole series is a must to watch for the current generation, and it’s affirmed to me why the world is in such a sorry state……
Patrick McGoohan and Leo McKern so far ahead of the game ……
@@MarkMeade-e1y Couldn't agree more Mark. His defiant rebuttal to Number 2 in the opening episode Arrival is just a perfect insight into Number Sixes mindset, wonderful. I qoute that to my wife all the time 😅
@@stheno3178
I am not a number I’m a free man …..etc
You never forget that first line …….
Loved The Prisoner ❤. Patrick McGoohan was one of those actors that was so brilliant you can't imagine anyone else would be right for the part after he had played it. R. I. P. Patrick. Be Seeing You!👌
I remember being totally fascinated by _The Prisoner_ as a ten year old in 1967.
Thanks to YT, I've revisited it & it's still as captivating (pun not intended) as ever.
Catherine's view of her father's part in this adds another facet to the whole thing.
I was 9! I watched with my father, who loved the show. I remember reading 1984 in high school and thinking that this was what The Prisoner was all about.
Fantastic, a wonderful insight into a special man and his great creation.
Patrick should still receive a posthumous oscar for his portrayal of King Edward the Longshanks in Mel Gibsons Braveheart. Everytime I watch this movie I am spellbound at his performance in it.
The trouble with Scotland ......
@@jounama1 " is that it's full of dirty royalist Tory scum."
He would not be filed indexed or date stamped a truly honourable human with intellectual integrity in abundance .
What a great interview, I love the prisoner, every time I watch it, I can see something different, Patrick mcgoohan what a guy, brilliant actor 👏
What a great interview!
We are all living in 'The Village', and are all 'Prisoners', exactly as Patrick, so effectively portrayed in the series, he was a great actor, but above all a great visionary. 'The Prisoner ' should be reshown on TV today, to a brand new audience, but I think with the high level of programming and brain washing we see in most people today the vast majority of people would not understand it, they are all living 'The dream' and are happy and content to live out their lives in 'The Village '.
Not true today.
Political correctness.
Woke, cancel culture, LGBT pushed on the children.
Anyone complaining gets the far right fascist scum treatment.
It's all come to fruition, big time.
If we don't conform to this idiocy, we lose our career.
Our good name.
Women are afraid to go out. Teens rampant with
knives.
Young children knifed to death.
Most of us are now fully awake.
It wouldn't fly sadly. Far too cerebral! Modern TV is way too simplistic.
4:18 Great series, and Patrick was a wonderful actor with a warning of how things might become if we allow it. Thanks for sharing - must be a very proud daughter.
“I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own....” love it
Patrick McGoohan gave me his autograph when I was hiking in North Wales in the '60's. He was so fricking handsome, tanned with very bright blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. RIP Patrick.
Lovely memory and thank you for sharing. Have a look at our 'community' page and you'll see my autograph and speedometer dash panel from the main used Mini-Moke throughout the series.
I still watch The Prisoner about once a year on DVD, and still enjoy it.
Most people forget this was a summer, off season show. It came out of nowhere and grabbed me from the first minutes. Fantastic journey.
Are you US based? Thank you for viewing, greatly appreciated. In Britain it was aired late 1967 till early Feb 1968 and had nearly 10 million viewers for most episodes with (if memory serves) around 16 million for the ending. Someone will clarify no doubt. It did have another very successful run in 1983 (again if memory serves) of which, a new generation discovered it.
@@TheOfficialMinistryOfTruthMy father and I watched it avidly in Melbourne in either the late sixties or early seventies. Somehow we missed the final episode. There was so much brouhaha about unanswered questions that the ABC replayed the final episode. We missed that as well.
It was water cooler talk for some time.
I still think about that show, Patrick was one of those rare actors who could hold the screen even without dialogue, just that look, that intensity.
Nobody was ever more perfect for a role, or more compelling, number 6 was real. Every episode had that air of paranoia, that quaint little village so charming and yet so full of menace
I think Patrick and the whole production company really made something very special, and it was all the better for not having the technology and fancy tricks of today.
Many people old enough to see it at the time,me included, still occasionally bring it up in conversation, always with fondness and even reverence.
Nice to hear Catherine sharing her thoughts on the show and her father, most interesting
Great comments and thoughts. Thank you.
What a great interview a fabulous actor and series
Classic, intelligent, innovative and long-lasting and thought-provoking series/creation that has stood the test of time, a brilliant idea-driven piece so we question our selves, our place in society and our place in the world. Who controls it and who controls us is at its incisive core. Patrick was brilliant himself and the show was way ahead of its time, the ending being an enigma just like what went before, with no clear enemy or defined or easy " answer ". Left to us to see what we can take from it was a great idea in itself. Patrick was a great actor and a powerful and memorable presence. A fascinating and important interview, thankyou. R.I.P. Mr Mcgouhan.
Thank you for your great comment.
Thank you for this interview. I was 16 in the summer of 1968, and, for me, two intellectual altering events happened to me. One was Stanley Kubrick’s 2001:A Space Odyssey and the other was Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner. This interview was very special to me, offering an insight into Mr. McGoohan which, finally, I believe helps me solve the riddle of the reveal of Number One. Incredible.
Both amazing productions. Where has all the true art gone?
@@TheOfficialMinistryOfTruth Sadly, into the corporate boardrooms, never to emerge again.
I agree with Catherine. The Prisoner was a very personal experience for Patrick. That is why he found it so difficult sometimes to talk about it, because he did not want to give his own interpretation. Patrick wanted the masses to make their own interpretations, to use their own brains and make their own minds up about what it meant to them. As for Patrick himself, I think that Orson Welles summed him up well. He has everything, he has it all. He can do and become anything. Personally I loved everything....Danger Man, The Prisoner, and all the rest. Whenever Patrick was on the small or large screen, I was glued to his performance. He was totally magical. Just look at Danger Man. The story lines and action were superb. And then The Prisoner, superb performances. All supported by a remarkable cast and crew. Thank goodness for Lew Grade. He took the risk with The Prisoner because he had the gut feeling it would work and trusted Patrick implicitly. What's more he left Patrick alone, and never meddled. God bless Lew and Patrick for their astonishing and remarkable accomplishments in their lives. Their level of entertainment is so much missed. Be seeing you.
Great comment and thoughts. Thank you.
Brilliant post thank you, as a kid watched all of the Prisoner series, even as far as going to North Wales, visiting Port Merrion with Mum and Dad late sixties , masterpiece from a master !!!!!!
Because of his quick, clipped delivery, I always felt that there was a barely supressed explosion in him. His characters were always holding more back than they were showing us. This created tension and expectation in the viewer.
Great comment and have you seen 'The Hard Way'? Pat played an assassin who was trying to 'retire' (some theme there...) and he was roped into doing one last hit. I won't spoil the ending but let's say it's a very intense film and it's available on RUclips.
@@TheOfficialMinistryOfTruth I haven't, seen it. I must go on a DVD hunt.
He had the typical stiff upper lip of an English man, even though he was in fact an Irish American!
Although born in New York, he was brought straight back and raised in his homeland of Ireland. His formative years were spent in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He went to school here, got his first jobs, his first theatre work and met his wife too. Whilst filming some years later, he went back to Sheff with his wife to the spot where he'd proposed a few years earlier. I had a walk around those places the other week and I may put some footage together later this year, along with some Portmeirion footage.
McGoohan was a genius and the prisoner a masterpiece, rest in peace sir!
It’s 2024 and there’s still fresh takes on the Prisoner.
So true pal. Everytime I watch it I pick up something I missed.
Always a pleasure to hear any little insights regarding PM. Esp this//these characters and the arc he was able see in his head. Its a challenge bring patient with others who dont/won't/cant. - quadruple threat here. Be Sea Eye A-ing U.
P.s. someone noticed! Thanks. Quick anecdote then if this is being monitored. One of the last movies I worked on at B'rmwood- before uprooting to H'wood, we were working nights and I got chatting to an older Camera guy who was about to retire. 25 year man etc. as I was about to fly off to LA. Literal bookends. And he told me the 2 greatest memories he had were working directly w Stan K. on 2001 and PM. #6. 1 days shoot required stupid o' clock early start and he being the youngest tipped up first. Pitch black. Not even Catering plugged in yet etc but PM was standing resplendent in White ? dressing gown, full m/u and hair alrdy mug of Tea in one hand "conducting' with the other. This old timer told me he darent disturb the Boss but watched him and turns out he was going through the Shot list to the (eventual) music in his mind's eye to cut on the beat in order to save time once the bloody Crew finally showed up. I knew then. And I know now. I'm not alone. Wish I'd have met him. Ciao.
He had more charisma and presence on screen in his toe nails than most hollywood stars, brought a measured intensity to his every role, The Prisoner was the greatest thing tv has ever produced. He could have been a massive Hollywood star if he'd wished, but he had too much intelligence and class for that. A unique actor.
Wonderful interview. Eloquent, clear, lovely voice, indepth, amazing woman. Thank goodness all the right people had the vision and power to make it happen.
I'll never forget my first trip to Portmeirion to see The Village. It was like being transported back a few decades. I went down to the beach but had to keep looking over my shoulder for any bouncing white balloons. 😜
What I found strange was, it seemed to have its own climate. It seemed warmer and more humid than anywhere else, even locally.
The show influenced me greatly. I want to stay in Portmeirion for longer than the day I have already experienced; a week should be enough for the novelty to turn into claustrophobia. I will be driving there in Caterham 7 shortly after I retire 😊
I hope that happens for you and that you have a good retirement. I'll be going down there soon....I'll probably catch three days of the worst rain ever, but we live in hope.
I have rewatched “The Prisoner” multiple times on dvd and it never ceases to intrigue me. I’m also lucky enough to live within relatively easy travelling distance to Portmeirion (“The Village”) and have visited several times. A visit to the actual location really increases the pleasure when watching the series.
I have read that the location as Portmeirion was not revealed until the final episode end credits because of the personal insistence of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, the architect. I have also read that Portmeirion was not completed until 1975, well after “The Prisoner” was filmed.
McGoohan was a superb actor and, as someone else has commented, always gave the impression that the character he was portraying was on a very short fuse and was about to explode. It adds greatly to the tension of watching.
It’s also interesting to note how many actors were involved in the cast (if only for one episode) who were or became legends of television and stage (not so much film). Leo McKern stands out but there are many others (including Paul Eddington, for example). I’ve always suspected that the assembly of such great actors was down to the persuasiveness and charisma of McGoohan himself.
By the way, although Catherine towards the end of the interview states that “..it was shot in England in the 60’s ..” Portmeirion is, of course, in North Wales!
This is Wonderful. Imagining a different, more intelligent Bond !
I was in 7th grade when the Prisoner started. I knew then that it was very special and was important to me. Still is. Be seeing you…
A fantastic interview with Catherine thank you.
My dad was a huge fan of Danger Man. Here in Argentina it was called "cita con la muerte" (an appointment with death)
Ah, interesting. I wonder why they felt the need for the name change? Best wishes to you in Argentina.
Whenever I regret never having seen (or heard) Olivier live on stage, I console myself that I once sat up close to watch and listen to Patrick McGoohan!
The most immaginative TV seiries ever. A moment of pure genius.
Id recommend Hell Drivers - you'll get it on RUclips. You may recognise the cast......
Great film. UK 🇬🇧
"The Prisoner" is absolutely wonderful.
They had a class in college about the Prisoner!
I liked both Danger Man/Secret Agent Man and the Prisoner!
Catherine your dad never got the credit or fame he deserved for his brilliant work creating so many classic productions still relevant to todays dystopian world. Hope he still gets royalties, Totally underrated and exploited in my opinionScripts worthy of Alders Huxley, an artist much neglected
Thank you, Catherine McGoohan, for delivering the detailed, focused points about your father, the series, and how it continues to improve our perception of not only his life, but the intent of The Prisoner.
I always enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek black comedy quality of The Prisoner long before I even knew what that meant. And the sci-fi unreality element as well.
I don't think a single season of a TV show has ever had more of an impact than The Prisoner.
McGoohan could easily have been the best James Bond ever.
The very best series ever aired, and the backdrop cautionary tale that has been referenced by me constantly throughout my life.
It's so Nice to earring this woman speaking of Patrick Mc goohan.... her father. Me I'am French and love, all there creations TV of Mr Mc Goohan. My prefer serie are "the Prisoner" even if love too "Danger man" and Colombo (With Mc goohan). Love to you Carherine, your father Was a very good man.
Danger Man, Secret Agent Man, The Prisoner. Thought provoking entertainment. Great actor. Thank you.
God, I love the Prisoner so much. He was so spot on. Thought I'd get myself out of the doom & gloom of this country by watching a DVD. Opened the door of the cupboard, scanned through my collection which spans The Prisoner thru to Dr Strangelove, Rollerball & Soylent Green, then thought "Ahhh, no escapism then. Never mind" 😂
Great choice pal. I watched the remake of 1984 last night with John Hurt and Richard Burton. I don't know if I'm getting old, but the nude scenes were uncalled for....I might have changed my mind if it had been Kelly Brook haha.
Oh Bless her, Kelly Brook & lads who were teens in the 80's, I totally get that 😊 I've a bit of an embarrassing admission - I haven't seen the movie version since I was a kid. I saw the BBC play, from 1952, when I was a teen & that is the version I love. It was adapted from the book by Nigel Kneale & stars Peter Cushing as Winston Smith. Donald Pleasence & Andrew Kier are also in it too. Yep, it's scratchy & black & white but somehow that just adds to the tone. Unfortunately this version is only available on an expensive DVD, I am just biding my time 😊
Yes I do prefer the 1958 version but I haven't seen the BBC version and Peter Cushing's role. I must check that out. The colour John Hurt version is currently on freeview Ch 4 or ITVX at the moment. I can't remember which channel from last night....but free anyway....oh and Jaclyn Smith from Charlie's Angels would have also sufficed for the re-make....I definitely would have rebelled against Big Brother, Large Auntie and Fatty Grandma, for her.
I live near the site of an old stately home, that was demolished in 1930, the Columns at portmerion are from that Hall.
Interesting, we didn't know that. Any idea of which place's stones were used?
@TheOfficialMinistryOfTruth Possibly Emral Hall,Flintshire,not sure,but some items from there where recycled by Clough. UK 🇬🇧
@@TheOfficialMinistryOfTruth He used the Puleston Arms shield and 2 windows on his Town Hall,would imagine he bought other stuff as well.
Google Emral Hall and take a look, was a magnificent building.
This is my favorite episode from "Dangerman". Very well written, and challenging for the viewer, yet, very clear to follow. Loved it.
Thankyou Catherine for sharing your thoughts on your dad and the television masterpiece that continues to fascinate and astound. It was a shame that it had to end. What an actor your father genuinely was. He was like a caged animal in The Prisoner: always pacing, watchful, alert, defiant, questioning, and looking for ways of escape. The series had a huge impact on me as a young teenager and it will never grow old or dated.
As a child, I used to watch this programme, and I thought how great it would be to live in this idyllic village, to be fed three times a day, and not have to worry about anything. As an adult, I realise we all do this in real life. We stay in our safe zone. We put up with the mundane, for fear the alternative would be worse. We are prisoners in our own heads, and I like to think this was a big part of what Patrick was saying. Having said that, maybe he wasn’t saying anything in particular, just exploring a human condition.
How right you were Mr McGoohan.
Absolutely beautiful interview.....Patrick as Dr Paul Ruth in Scanners, i loved him in that - still my favourite horror movie.
Simply loved "The Prisoner" . I saw reruns in France in the mid 70s when I was a kid. Thought the quality was extraordinary was really taken by the intelligence of it. Patrick was so identified with Number 6 as a personal trait. Pure genius. The last two episodes are amazing. Loved the one with Leo McKern when he tries to regress him and reprogram him. The defiance was all there. Something about standing for individual freedom. Namaste
The best 👌 be seeing you.
I have often wondered why I loved all PM's work, He was such a versatile actor with a touch of Class,
My favourite actor bar none.
I grew up with the man from Danger Man onwards.
The Prisoner and it's message of retaining your individuality really spoke to me and is still relevent today.
His daughter is a lovely lady and speaks very well.
Be seeing you. 👌
individualism's a dirty word these days. Pity. Be seeing you
I think it's something to do with his Irish background, individualistic, authentic moral character.
He brought a uniqueness and truth to The Ptrisoner...and of course Danger Man.
Thank you for this very interesting biography of one of a kind brilliant actor, and human being. 💜
I didnt understand it as a teenager but it facinated me!!!! A Great Man!
Loved all of his performances and his enunciation was splendid.😁
I first saw The Prisoner during its first run in the US. I was a teenager at the time, and it really got into my head. I married a lady who was also a fan, and we own the series on DVD. We rewatch it every couple of years, and it is unfortunately more relevant every time.
I worked summer relief at WFLD-TV in Chicago and had the pleasure of caring for and running the celluloid reels of The Prisoner in the early 1970's. What a show! I go back to my DVD copies of the broadcasts often. It's the best television production I've ever seen.
Very interesting work keeping tabs on those reels.
You must have been working the film chain.
The most creative show of the 1960's and perhaps even up to this moment. I was 16 when I saw The Prisoner air on American television in the summer of 1968. I had never seen anything more engaging on television and that includes Rod Serling's Twilight Zone.
The Prisoner was one of my favourite series of all time.
It has only dawned on me just now that Koroshi (which means death by overwork) was literally the prelude to The Prisoner.
Ah, I never looked that up. Thank you for the translation.
Still the greatest, most unique, most true TV show ever created. It still resonates today! Simply the best.
A superb actor. A magnetic screen presence who radiated intelligence. He was equally convincing as either a hero or a villain.
Incredible actor a one off.In my teens a group of us watched the Prisoner and loved it.Looking back we didn’t always understand it but we do now. Forward thinking ahead of its time.How true things are today.
Everything I have see with Patrick in is brilliant. Episodes of Columbo he started in I watch over and over again.
Thanks so much for sharing this. THE PRISONER has been one of my favorite shows from way back when it first appeared on CBS back in 1968 (I think it was). In fact, for many years, decades in fact, it was my absolute favorite. So interesting and ballsy. Totally Avantgard. May Patrick McGoohan rest in Shalom and may his memory and his work always bless us. Especially THE PRISONER.
Whenever i hear or see Danger man ,i smell strawberry jam on toast lol. as a kid i would get up early with my dad and watch it on aussie tv ,then he went to work and i would watch sat morning tv ,beautiful memories
Sweet memories and thank you for sharing and viewing from Australia! Greatly appreciated.
Patrick Mcghoon was extraordinary - a wonderful actor.
One of my very favorites.
Amazing gifted actor. He had something that you can’t earn or learn, it’s just there. He spoke so loudly without saying a word. You could just see it in him.
what an incredible series, what is shocking is that such an innovative and brave TV series was first aired in the late 1960s on ITV !!! can you even being to imagine them commissioning anything similar these days with the dross that they have on these days ?!?
This was incredible!
Well.well. I went to school with Catherine!! Aged....5/6. The nuns set about ensuring that we would go to heaven. Which was nice. Meanwhile, danger man was on, and I loved it! Seeing it recently, it really is pretty damn good. Patrick McGoohan had more than star quality. He had a moral core and clear vision. The Prisoner is remarkable.
Cheers Catherine. Those days at St Anthony's weren't wasted on you! X
When I first saw " the Prisoner" , I thought it was the best show I had ever seen. Nothing has come close to it since then.
In an era which included Peter O'Toole, Paul Schofield and Richard Burton I still felt that Patrick McGoohan was the greatest of all time. His performance in 'Mary Queen Of Scots' is masterful. Should Catherine McGoohan ever read this I want her to know how much I wish her Father had seen my own movie 'JFK to 911: Everything Is A Rich Man's Trick'. I think Mr McGoohan had to ruefully accept that 'The Prisoner' was ahead of it's time; but had it never become a reality I don't think the seed would have been sown that led to my own Film and the effect it has had on the Public perception of fake news. Much love to you Catherine. You must be so proud of your Dad.
We have seen 'JFK to 911: Everything Is A Rich Man's Trick' and thought it a really compelling documentary. If you're ever in South Yorkshire, we'd love to chat with you to go through your film. We haven't filmed any Zoom chats yet, but that will come towards the end of this year. Many thanks.
How nice to hear someone articulate explaining, and a minimum of cliches of “you know” etc. A pity they both (father and daughter) started to have transatlantic intonation. But I started intending to listen to 2-3 minutes but stayed for the whole thing.
Forever with us… forever missed ❤❤❤
So true.
I so remember that series, and I watched every episode that 1968 Summer!! It was so interesting and "strange", but I totally loved it!! Someone should rerun it, during the summer, just like it was done back in '68, I know it would still be unique, fasinating and addictive!! Thank You So Much for such a Magnificent Series!