The Prisoner/Recap

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


As is apropos for a series that elevates the Mind Screw to a work of art, there are multiple orders that are accepted by various groups] as the order that episodes of The Prisoner should be watched in. Four of those lists are given here.

The only things that are certain about the story order is that 'Arrival' is the first episode and 'Once Upon a Time' and 'Fall Out' are the final two episodes, in that order. Most lists agree that 'The Girl Who Was Death' comes immediately before 'Once Upon a Time'.[1]

Initial UK broadcast

The order used for this list of The Prisoner episodes is the order of initial UK broadcast, also used on most DVD issues and (for simplicity) on All The Tropes. This order causes some characterisation and thematic inconsistencies.

  1. Arrival
  2. The Chimes of Big Ben
  3. A, B and C
  4. Free For All
  5. The Schizoid Man
  6. The General
  7. Many Happy Returns
  8. Dance of the Dead
  9. Checkmate
  10. Hammer Into Anvil
  11. It's Your Funeral
  12. A Change of Mind
  13. Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
  14. Living in Harmony
  15. The Girl Who Was Death
  16. Once Upon a Time
  17. Fall Out

Patrick McGoohan's 'Word of God'

The seven original episodes that Patrick McGoohan said 'really count'. This list does not include the filler episodes.

  1. Arrival
  2. Free For All
  3. Dance of the Dead
  4. Checkmate
  5. The Chimes of Big Ben
  6. Once Upon a Time
  7. Fall Out

The KTEH broadcast

The order that the episodes were aired by PBS affiliate KTEH, which apparently was approved by Patrick McGoohan. The first five episodes are the same as the first five episodes on the 'Word of God' list, but are not in the same order.

  1. Arrival
  2. Dance of the Dead
  3. Checkmate
  4. The Chimes of Big Ben
  5. Free For All
  6. Many Happy Returns
  7. The Schizoid Man
  8. The General
  9. A, B and C
  10. Living in Harmony
  11. It's Your Funeral
  12. Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
  13. A Change of Mind
  14. Hammer Into Anvil
  15. The Girl Who Was Death
  16. Once Upon a Time
  17. Fall Out

The 'Six of One' order

The order that the fan club 'Six of One' recommends viewing the episodes. The first five episodes are the same as the first five episodes on the 'Word of God' list, and in the same order.

  1. Arrival
  2. Dance of the Dead
  3. Checkmate
  4. The Chimes of Big Ben
  5. Free For All
  6. A, B and C
  7. The General
  8. The Schizoid Man
  9. Many Happy Returns
  10. It's Your Funeral
  11. A Change of Mind
  12. Hammer Into Anvil
  13. Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
  14. Living in Harmony
  15. The Girl Who Was Death
  16. Once Upon a Time
  17. Fall Out
Back to The Prisoner
  1. ↑ But not Patrick McGoohan's list, which leaves 'The Girl Who Was Death' off the list altogether.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/The_Prisoner/Recap?oldid=2013505"