Interview: Rick Davy of The Unmutual visited the Spy Vibe lair recently to chat about his new publication The Prisoner: The Essential Guide, the 50th anniversary events, and about our love for Portmeirion (The Village in Wales where the series was filmed). Designer Alan Hayes of Hidden Tiger Books also joined our discussion. Welcome, Rick and Alan!
Congrats on the new Prisoner Essential
Guide! What does the book cover in terms of scope and content?
Thanks! The
book is sort of a ‘beginner’s guide’ to the series, so it tells the story of
the conception of the series (with background on Patrick McGoohan and
Portmeirion), through pre-production (with a look at the vehicles seen in the
series, and Rover), location filming (with a look at the preparation of The
Village and the role of the local extras), studio production (with a look at
studio filming and other locations), and the legacy that the series have left
behind, with a look at the various books and DVDs that the series has spawned.
Also included is an episode guide (including synopsis, cast, crew and some
interesting facts for each of the 17) and some previously unpublished, and
officially licensed, photographs.
Fantastic! It sounds like everything old and new fans will need to jump into the series and understand, as your title suggests, the essentials (and more!). The lovely design work was by our
friend, author Alan Hayes of Hidden Tiger Books? What can readers expect to see
visually in the Guide?
Alan has done a fantastic job with the book, and I can’t sing his praises high enough. It is full colour throughout and I think the photos are really what sets this book apart from other small guide-sized books which have been printed about the series over the years. I am lucky enough to now own the original recce still photographs which producer Leslie Gilliat took in July 1966, a selection of ITC stills from studio filming, and also second unit cameraman Robert Monks’ private collection, and these can be seen throughout, along with some photographs kindly lent by extras who appeared in the series. I am also excited to have recently uncovered a previously unseen 8mm film of behind the scenes on ‘Arrival’ which was shot by a holidaymaker, so there are some stills from that film in the book too.
That's so great you were able to include rare and unseen materials. You've had a long history with The
Prisoner and Portmeirion. Tell us a bit about how you discovered the series and
your early impressions.
I was 10
when I first saw the series, in 1983/84 on Channel 4, and it immediately
grabbed me as something different. At that point I was used to sci-fi and
fantasy (with two older brothers into the genre it was always going to be so),
stuff like Blake’s 7, Doctor Who, and Sapphire and Steel, but The Prisoner was
unlike anything I’d previously seen, and unlike anything I have seen since. It
had a profound effect on me as a youngster, and my fascination and love for the
series has not waned in the 33 years since. I first visited Portmeirion in 1987
and I’ve been visiting many times a year, every year, since. Rather like The
Prisoner, that place has a certain magic that is difficult to explain. I’ve
found, when chatting to other people about both the series and Portmeirion,
that one either ‘gets it’ or one doesn’t.
I have a similar history of the show, love at first sight in 1977, but I've only just started my regular visits to The Village a couple of years ago. It is such a magical place. Did you become a collector of
Prisoner-related memorabilia and artifacts? What are some of your favorite
treasures? Above: Spy Vibe photograph from Portmeirion.
I’ve never been a collector or completist, trying to get
each and every badge or fan item that has ever been produced and so forth, but
I do like to snap up rarer items when the chance
comes up, for the sake of preserving them rather than see them lost in
someone’s house for nobody else to enjoy. Especially one-offs, and I am very
gratified to own the original master tapes of the first two blocks of
soundtrack recordings, and one of only two original prints of the alternative
version of the ‘Arrival’ episode, and a few rare stills (which I have included
in ‘The Essential Guide’ and also provided to the company NETWORK to include in
future editions of the series on DVD and Blu-ray). Unlike other series, which
had many episodes produced by a TV company which continued for many years
after, at studio buildings which still exist today, we only have 17 episodes
filmed at a studio which was demolished shortly after. Rarities such as
costumes and original documents are very hard to find because of that.
Were you also a fan or collector
of other spy shows and films?
No, only
The Prisoner has really grabbed me in that way that I feel I want to preserve
items. And thank goodness, I remember my annoyance at Prisoner original
costumes being sold off by people who had no right to claim ownership of them
in the first place, for the purposes of them being cut up for costume cards. If
I invested money and time collecting for other series or films, I think I’d
spend most of my time pulling my hair out at such sacrilege. There are other
shows I will always love, such as Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), The
Persuaders, and Return of the Saint, and I have a few curios for each, along
with curios for a few films, but they tend to be just books and so forth, nothing
too exciting.
Part of your role in preserving The
Prisoner is The Unmutual. Please tell us about the organization and its
various activities and projects.
I’d like to
think of it as a central hub for all Prisoner information, news, events,
opinion, and research to be placed, so that everyone can enjoy it for free at
any time. Since I took ownership of the site, I’ve also been keen to link up
with Ty Gobaith Hospice for terminally ill children, so it’s great to be able
to raise awareness and funds for such an important cause. As for any activities
or organisation, it’s just a website, there is no group or society or anything
like that, despite what some people might have you believe. It’s just a website
run by one person, for ALL Prisoner fans to enjoy and contribute to; there’s no
committee, group, or rules, and all are welcome. As long as it doesn’t impinge
upon the rights of the series’ copyright holders ITV then I am happy to
display, link to, or advertise any activity or event. So if any readers have
not yet visited or contributed, please do so!
The Guide is perfectly planned for the
50th anniversary celebrations. What is happening in the UK to mark the
occasion?
On 29th
September 2017 the company NETWORK, who own the distribution rights to the
series and are responsible for the fantastic DVD and Bluray (and soundtrack)
releases of recent years, are holding a special anniversary event in the
village. Details of exactly what will be occurring are still to be announced,
but there will be screenings, special guests, activities, and it all coincides
with a very exciting new 50th anniversary box set which will include
a wealth of new content, including a new film. As always, keep an eye on The
Unmutual Website for developments - as and when they are announced by NETWORK I
will share the details and links that they provide. More books seem to be in the offing too, so do look out for those, 2017/2018
are going to be busy times for Prisoner fans.
Such exciting news! I'm sure we're all eagerly awaiting details about the Portmeirion event and the upcoming releases! I wish I could be there with everyone, but it will be right as my students and I are starting a new school year. There was a US celebration planned in
Seattle, but that has been canceled?
Yes, that’s
sadly correct. A great shame, as the organisers were very enthusiastic and had
put together a great programme of attractions for attendees. Sadly, it seems as
though the North American fans did not appreciate all the hard work, time, and
money that had gone into it, and registrations were very low, well below the
minimum number needed to host the event. Very sad.
That is too bad. I wonder if fans were holding out to register late? Hopefully there can be another way for fans in the States to celebrate together sometime. What are some of your favorite stories
about The Prisoner filming in Portmeirion?
The
Prisoner is undoubtedly a work of genius, and the crew must take a big part of
the praise, as what they achieved at Portmeirion is astonishing, but I do love
the little eccentricities which only come from having a knowledge of the
filming, and having read interviews with the crew. Mickey O’Toole was a
chargehand propsman for the shoot, and it’s fascinating to hear his tales of
Rover being pulled along with a fishing wire, people hiding behind doors and
pulling them open to make them appear automatic, and sellotaping safety pins on
to the back of the villager badges. On screen, it all looks seemless and futuristic,
but in reality it was, despite the care and expertise, a little haphazard at
times – and this fascinates me, as it does not come across on screen like that
at all.
The crew
were often asked to get involved with things which were clearly not their ‘brief’,
and I think my favourite three are 3rd assistant director Seamus
Byrne ending up playing the part of Rover’s first victim, crew member Roy
Cannon asked to keep still as the dead body in freezing cold water in ‘Dance of
the Dead’, and 2nd assistant director John O’Connor popping up in
every episode in some sort of role- the amount of scenes in which he pops up in
those early location-heavy episodes is astonishing!
Every time I visit Portmeirion I feel
strangely at home and I always discover new things. So many hidden treasures
for the active observer and a playground for the imagination. It's no
wonder Brian Epstein, George Martin, George Harrison, and Jools Holland
enjoyed staying there. What do you find fascinating about the place?
As I said
earlier, I think, like the series, it just has a certain magic. My favourite
time of day is twilight, one can sit at almost any village vista and forget,
for a moment, where one is. Not many places have the ability to do that. It has
a certain ambience that I have never felt anywhere else. Rather like The
Prisoner, I am also fascinated by the history of the place, and if I ever had a
time machine I’d love to visit the village in times gone past. Nowadays, people
on the internet are quick to criticise any changes that happen at the place,
but people are too quick to forget that the village was constantly evolving. Take
the piazza for example, such an important part of the village, and of The
Prisoner, yet at the start of 1966, the year the series’ filming began, the piazza
was a tennis court. Oh how social media would have been outraged when they
placed a pond on top of the court!
That's a good point! I think that very evolution adds a bit of mystery or puzzle-work when one visits, which is fun! When I first went there, I enjoyed trying to figure out how the area around the hotel, pool, and the helipad in the series might have been altered over time. As much as I love The Avengers, Gerry
Anderson, and Bond, I would say The Prisoner is the one series that seems
forever relevant in conversations about society, liberty, consumerism, and
individuality. What are the elements in the show that make it timeless for
you?
I think
you’re spot on with your question. The series is unlike any other, as it can be
watched on more than one level. On one hand, if one chooses to (or doesn’t have
the capacity to think beyond) it can be watched as a fairly ordinary ‘how will
he escape?’ spy thriller. But what makes it special, is that there is an
allegorical conundrum waiting should
we choose to delve a little deeper. The village is all around us, and if one
watches The Prisoner in 1967, 1977, or 2017 one can learn so much about
society, and about ourselves. No other television series before or since has
managed to achieve that.
Hear! Hear! Now seems like a perfect time to remind all those James Bond fans among Spy Vibers to make sure to check out The Prisoner. I've found that many in that particular fan group have yet to have seen an episode. Now let’s bring Alan Hayes (designer of The Prisoner: An Essential Guide) into the conversation. Alan, please tell us a bit about your design background, as well
as Hidden Tiger Books. Below: Spy Vibe photograph from Portmeirion.
I’ve been working in
design, to some degree, since the 1980s, starting from humble beginnings
designing my own Doctor Who fanzines. By the mid-80s I was working in education
in a school’s design and print department, and have been print designer (and
sometimes author) for Hidden Tiger since 2011 and print
designer for theatre group Dyad Productions since 2016 working on their Edinburgh Fringe and touring productions including The
Time Machine, which debuts this August. My work with Quoit Media has
commenced this year, starting with print design for the Everyman audiobook and
continuing with The Prisoner: The Essential Guide.
How was your process
designing the new Prisoner Guide?
First and foremost, it
was a labour of love for me. I adore The Prisoner and have worked with its
author Rick Davy on prior projects (and as yet undisclosed ones!), so I knew
that this was something that would be a pleasure to do. Rick knows his stuff
when it comes to The Prisoner, and just as importantly, he had a strong idea of
what he wanted with the book and how he wanted it to look. It’s always easier
working to a strong design brief, which is what I got from Rick. Of course, I
brought my own ideas to the party and between us we settled on an overall look
for the book, while coming up with some ideas to keep the book visually
interesting throughout – and there are some nice surprises in there, some very
rare photos, which I’d never seen before.
What was the right
Prisoner vibe for the look of the book? Did you narrow
down iterations to arrive at the right balance of elements?
Obviously, both Rick and
I wanted the look of the book to be recognisably related to the series, and we
hope that readers agree that we have achieved it. However, I like to keep
layouts clean and uncluttered, so that the important elements are not overpowered
by over design. As with any design project, this one went through a
transformation from its start to its end, with several versions whizzing back
and forth between my office and Quoit Media HQ. I am delighted with the final
product, which makes full use the glossy colour printing throughout. And of
course Rick’s text was every bit as excellent as I expected it to be, and that
shouldn’t be played down.
I can't wait to see the new Guide! Spy Vibers can order it here. I want the rare images to be a surprise for readers and so have included my photographs of Portmeirion here to help spark those imaginations. Rick and Alan, thank you both for talking to us more about this cool project. As always, I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future and to seeing you both during our periodical film-location adventures.
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