THE PRISONER 1.2 – "The Chimes Of Big Ben"

Writer: Vincent Tilsley
Director: Don Chaffey

Cast: Patrick McGoohan (Number Six), Angelo Muscat (The Butler), Peter Swanwick (Supervisor), Leo McKern (Number Two), Nadia Gray (Nadia), Finlay Currie (General), Richard Wattis (Fotheringay), Kevin Stoney (Colonel J), Christopher Benjamin (Number Two's Assistant), Hilda Barry (Number 38), Jack Le White (First Judge), John Maxim (Second Judge), Lucy Griffiths (Third Judge) & David Arlen (Karel)

Number Six has a new neighbour, Nadia, whom he conspires with to escape from the Village...

Number Six: The whole Earth as the Village?
Number Two: That is my hope. What's yours?
Number Six: I'd like to be the first man on the moon.

There's some debate about the correct running order of The Prisoner, but these ITV4 repeats appear to be following the original transmission dates. This second episode, The Chimes Of Big Ben, is particularly misplaced, as it involves one of Number Six's (Patrick McGoohan) bigger escape plans, and would be more exciting if scheduled later– as nobody expects a successful escape in episode 2, do they?

It also strikes me as odd that Number Six (a man so vehemently against the Village regime) has taken to doing the "be seeing you" salute. Surely accepting and using Village social graces is a sign of compliance? Anyway, the story focuses on the arrival of a fellow captive called Nadia (Nadia Gray), an Estonian woman who Number Six forms an alliance with. After Nadia (or Number 8) reveals to Number Six that the Village is located in the Balkans, Six hatches an escape plan – entering an arts and crafts exhibition with an abstract wooden exhibit that can be transformed into a boat. Nobody seems to notice the boat-like shape of Six's work, and even its title ("Escape") doesn't flag up any suspicion...

These niggling problems prevent me from totally embracing The Chimes Of Big Ben, while the character of Nadia is another relatively blank construct. I'm not sure if the bland personalities of the women in The Prisoner (so far) are intentional, or just a cultural difference with 60s television. Mind you, this was the era that gave us Emma Peel in The Avengers, so it's disappointing Nadia isn't more developed or exciting. If everyone brought to the Village has important information in their heads (from holding positions of utmost importance and secrecy), then it stands to reason Nadia should be the intellectual equal of Six, but she just comes across as irritating and submissive.

Far more interesting are the witty clashes between Number Six and Number Two (Leo McKern), with the two men squaring off against each other in a number of interesting ways. I particularly love how Six won't tell Two how many sugars he takes in his tea, meaning Two has to consult his file for the answer (none), only for Six to make a point of adding three sugar cubes himself. There's also a wonderful exchange of dialogue later on, with Two stating he hopes the whole world will one day resemble the Village, only for Six to retort that he hopes to be the first man on the moon. Superb.

As the (debatable) second episode, the sense of quirky surrealism is already ingrained in the show's camera moves, with the use of wide-shots that quickly zoom in particularly low-tech but effective. The presence of a diminutive butler seems like a precursor to David Lynch (I wonder if he talks backwards?), while I was reminded of the similarities between this episode's sea-based "Rover" and Lost's smoke monster – both bizarre constructs intended as security measures (although Lost's smokey may have gone haywire.)

Once Six and Nadia's escape is underway, this episode widens its scope beyond the Village to Poland, as they're both saved by a rifle-toting friend who seals them in a crate and ships them to London. Six finds himself back at work, where he meets his superiors Colonel J (Kevin Stoney) and Fotheringay (Richard Wattis), who scoffs at Six's tall tale of a mysterious Village. He's instead more interested to know why Six resigned from his position. It's " a matter of conscience" is all we're allowed to know, as Big Ben chimes eight o'clock outside....

Six is suddenly confused, as his wristwatch (which Nadia's friend gave him in Poland), is set to London time – even though Poland are an hour behind. As the penny drops, Six opens a cupboard to reveal the sounds of London outside are merely tape recordings. He marches down a corridor to a door, pushing it open to find himself back in the Village. His London workplace was a façade, while Nadia and Fotheringay were under Number Two's command.

In broad terms, it's the second episode in a row where a beautiful woman and a colleague of Six's have been revealed as accomplices of Number Two's, which undermines the episode slightly, and definitely cements your distrust of any character in The Prisoner. The overall idea and elaborate twist in the tale was brilliantly handled, although I'm not entirely convinced about why Six and Nadia decided it would be a good idea to pack themselves into crates.

The tremendous performance from Leo McKern and the delightful twist ensure The Chimes Of Big Ben sticks in the memory. It also helps that it's packed with fine dialogue from writer Vincent Tilsley, although I was disappointed in limp Nadia's characterization and the too-obvious escape tactic by Six. Mind you, I suppose there's an argument in thinking Number Two realized what Six was up to, and was allowing the escape to happen so he could orchestrate his "fake London office" sting. Incidentally, in the arts and crafts exhibition, did the old chess player's hand-carved King piece resemble Number Six with a beard? Or Number Two? Think about that when the last episode airs.

Trivia

-- The Chimes Of Big Ben was actually the fifth episode of the series filmed. Fotheringay even says there's been a "gap of months" between Six's resignation and his return to London, which doesn't gel with the fact this was "episode 2".

-- Leo McKern is one of only two actors (the other being Colin Gordon) to play Number Two more than once. He also appears in Once Upon A Time and Fallout.

-- This is the only episode where Number Six wears his blue-piped anorak.

-- Along with Colin Gordon, Mary Morris and Peter Wyngarde, Leo McKern is one of only four Number Two's to have their voices added to the interrogation scene in the opening credits. The standard voice of Number Two was provided by Robert Rietty.

-- This is the only episode in which someone (in this case Nadia), asks Number Six his name and he tells them it's Number Six.


First Aired: 8 October 1967