The Prisoner – possibly the ultimate TV show of all time, it’s always held a deep fascination for me after having watched the Channel 4 showings back in the 1980s. Six Of One is the long standing appreciation society of the show and they released this VHS tape back in 1983 compiling various features and films that they’d accumulated up to that point. I found this tape on ebay one day while going through various searches, I was very pleased and intrigued to find out what was on it. Now it’s worked it’s way to the top of the Upload To YouTube pile and you can watch it yourself now, here’s the front cover:

Here’s the text from the back of the sleeve:

“Between 1976 and 1982 – Six Of One’s “first series” – considerable media coverage was generated. Much of it was in the form of newsprint but television has pointed it’s camera on more than one occasion. Most of his material, at least in original form, is regrettably now lost – in fact only the Harlech TV film of the ’79 convention remains.

In order that Six Of One’s many facets could be preserved in visual form I started collecting “pieces of the action” on super eight film with a view to compiling not so much a history, more a bag of liquorice allsorts with everyone’s favourite memory hopefully somewhere in the bag – and this forms the basis if this cassette.

In addition you’ll find the aforementioned Harlech TV films, Rockumentary Film’s superb promo for The Time’s record and – of course – Six Of One’s own venture into moviemaking “By Public Demand”.

Some of the items have been going around the amateur club circuit for some time and are deteriorating fast but have been included for the sake of completeness. Anyway, here’s your bag of liquorice allsorts, so dip in just where you like. Enjoy! Enjoy!”

Larry Hall

Sheffield, 1983