We continue our in-depth look at the "new" prisoner episode and events leading up to its DVD release.

    "The Chimes of Big Ben" continued to deteriorate in the NYC vaults and would almost certainly have been destroyed except for yet another of those remarkable twists of fate. The commonly-held story is that Six Of One's Bruce Clark discovered it there and rescued it from destruction. This is essentially true but, without wishing to take anything away from Bruce, there was a little more to it than that and the discovery was much more of a team effort.
    The Prisoner series was due to be shown in the UK in 1984, and a documentary called "Six Into One: The Prisoner File" was commissioned for transmission following "Fallout". Included in the documentary, along with many clips from the show, was an oddity - some of them had, among other things, different music. At this point in time, no-one had any inkling that any different versions of any episodes existed, and here was the first indication that something, maybe only off cuts, but something different existed.
    Arabella McKintyre-Brown, then a major contributor to Six Of One, managed to lay hands on much of the material used (and unused) for the documentary and among it was quite a bit of this "alternative" material, all from "Chimes", including the complete opening and closing credit sequence. The latter featured the now well-known Penny Farthing bycycle fading into a shot of the Earth, from which emerged the single word "POP" in large red letters! The very first appearance of "alternate" material from "Chimes" was actually in a Six Of One "Colour Special" publication in 1985, photographed from the TV screen from the videotape work-copy with synchronisation marks still in place (screen grab facilities, now commonplace, were still in the future).
     The original, complete, video tape was sought but the makers of the programme said had 'returned it to ITC'. The writer of this article, also a major 601 contributor at the time, followed this up with the main ITC library in Denham, but they were unable to locate any record of it. Indeed, I examined the record cards of all the "Chimes" episode prints in their stock myself and none of them had been hired or loaned out for some time, apart from the one used in the recent UK screening. There was no other distribution point in the UK so, clearly, we needed to look elsewhere in the world. On the positive side, there were now some clues to follow up and, indeed, these were taken up by Bruce who did the rest of the work and eventually discovered the 16mm "alternate" version of the "Chimes" episode in the NYC vaults. The video tape used by the makers of the "Prisoner File" has never been tracked down.
    The print was borrowed by Bruce who brought it over with him from the USA to show at the Six Of One convention in 1986. The very first time it was projected, was on the wall of Chantry House in Portmeirion the evening before the convention by Bruce and myself, partly to check it was what we thought it was and, let's face it, partly because we couldn't wait. The schoolboy grins on our faces were probably ludicrous, but we dutifully used our still cameras to capture a few of the obviously "different" sequences, particularly the triquetrum device. All of the still shots from the episode which have appeared in various publications over the years (up to the relatively recent advent of affordable video frame-grabs) came straight off the Chantry House wall that evening, complete with a faint anaglypta wallpaper pattern in the background!


    The "alternate Arrival" had a rather diverse route to market. Although a video tape recording existed, the actual 16mm original print has never been found. The tape itself was suppressed for a number of years as Patrick McGoohan, on learning of it's existence, insisted that it was never to be released. However, Carlton International have now decided that, as they are the copyright owners of the series, all material should be made available and it's at last made it to DVD as the central core of their "35th Anniversary" DVD collection.
    So, what's different and is it worth the money? Well, Carlton have done us proud. Not only do we get both the "alternate" and the "regular" versions of "Arrival", there are a significant number of extras which didn't make it to the previous UK DVD series release.
    However, it's the alternate episode which makes it worth the purchase price. As you can see from the picture strips on this page and on the previous one, there are significant differences in both the opening title sequence and in the closing credits, with Wilfred Josephs' title theme playing over them both. We can also hear his secondary theme, the original audio tape of which has never been found, during the moments when Patrick McGoohans' character awakes from his gas-induced sleep. Additionally, the later scene with the taxi driver is quite a bit longer and with extended dialogue. Sound effects are also not quite the same, with the Rover sound being reduced to a less than panic inducing asthmatic inhale-exhale rather than the truly blood curdling roar which was added in the regular episodes.
    There are a number of other differences, some quite small, but the end sequence where Number Six attempts his helicopter escape is edited quite differently and there is significant extra footage there. Finally, the closing credits have, instead of the cut to Rover emerging from the sea, a dissolve from the Penny Farthing bicycle logo to a shot of the earth, then the universe forms to the right of it while the bicycle re-forms so that the earth becomes the small wheel and the universe the large wheel. This is similar to, but not quite the same as the ending of the alternate "Chimes", where the word "POP" emerges from the earth.
    Going back to the "Arrival" episode, perhaps the most interesting departure from the generally accepted storyline is not what has been added, but what's missing! As the new Prisoner approaches the central square, he sees Rovers' sudden appearance atop the Colonade. However, instead of the murderous attack on the panicking Villager we usually see at this point, Rover merely leaps off the Colonade, brushes past the Prisoner and goes on it's way. This actually makes a lot more sense, if only because anyone who'd just witnessed someone being pounced on and suffocated by a large, seemingly alive, balloon would, I think, have reacted somewhat differently than simply asking "What was that?" and continuing without further comment.
    The execution sequence in the standard episode is actually rather badly put together as it starts with the panicky villager dressed in a striped T-shirt, switches inexplicably to someone in a mauve blazer and then ends with McGoohan's face pressing through the Rover skin. Possibly it was felt that the original treatment lacked drama and the attack was then concocted from whatever material fitted the bill, hoping that the speed of the action and some fast cutting would paper over the cracks. Maybe it did in 1967, it looks a bit odd today.
    To conclude this article with a full list of what's on the DVD, in addition to the alternate Arrival, it includes the standard version, an interview with Prisoner Production Manager Bernie Williams, the Renault  TV commercial  (covered elsewhere on this website), a "fan" documentary, some textless intros and outros, non-English alternative filing drawer inserts, biographies, production notes and a stills gallery.
In this column are representative frame grabs of the major differences between the "alternate" and "regular" version of "Arrival" in addition to the ones on the previous page. None of these frames appear in the regular version.


The taxi-ride is preceded by a different shot of PMG, the ride itself is somewhat longer with subsequent extra footage and dialogue.


The fight with Rover on the beach contains an extra shot of PMG on the ground and there is no face pushing through Rover's membrane. The helicopter sequence at the end of the episode is edited differently, with the chess-game sequence coming before, not during the helicopter flight. PMG's approach to the helicopter is different. In the regular version he goes along the the poolside in a single shot, being passed by a "bathing beauty". The alternate version breaks the action by inserting a long shot of the helicopter and picking up PMG as he reaches the far end of the pool. As the Butler passes him, the alternate version shows another bathing beauty in the background. The regular version has the same shot but minus the bathing beauty.


As he continues towards the helicopter, there are two different closeups intercut with the electropass watch (which doesn't beep in the alternate version). Rover gets a slightly longer run-up accompanied by the asthmatic heavy breathing sound effect. As PMG climbs aboard the helicopter, his startup sequence is considerably shorter than in the regular version, although there is a different shot of him switching on the various controls.



As the helicopter lands, there is a little extra dialogue from Cobb as he leaves. No. 2 then watches the viewscreen as No. 6 is shepherded from the helicopter by Rover. There is a sequence where No. 6 trips and Rover rolls over him as the camera pulls back and a gentleman pushes a Pennyfarthing bycycle from left to right. In the regular version we see only the very end of this sequence as the Butler approaches the camera with his open brolley.



The final credits sequence lists Albert Elms as composer and musical director. He was later replaced by Ron Grainer as composer (of the main theme) and Albert Elms as musical director. The very end of the credits sequence is quite different from the regular version, as the small wheel of the bycycle spins, zooms towards the camera, and dissolves into a shot of the earth which zooms back. A backdrop of the solar system then contracts and becomes the large wheel of the bycycle as the canopy, handlebars and seat re-form.

The DVD is titled "The 35th Anniversary Prisoner Companion", released by  Carlton International  and available for purchase at most DVD retail outlets and the usual on-line ones, including  AMAZON , where you can purchase it with your credit card for delivery straight to your door anywhere in the world (check your region though).
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