Free For All

In this episode, Chris Bainbridge and Cai Ross dive deep into the original press and public reactions to The Prisoner when it first aired in 1967. Lauded by some as visionary and condemned by others as baffling, Patrick McGoohan’s enigmatic series sparked one of the most divided responses in British television history. Chris and Cai explore contemporary newspaper reviews, viewer letters, and broadcast commentary to uncover how audiences really felt about the show’s surreal storytelling, political undertones, and groundbreaking style. Was The Prisoner celebrated as a work of genius, dismissed as nonsense, or something in between? Join us as we step back into the social and cultural climate of the late 1960s to understand why this strange, defiant series confused, captivated, and ultimately transformed its viewers. The only Prisoner podcast produced in north Wales, home of the Village itself, Portmeirion.

In this special episode of Free For All, Cai Ross and Chris Bainbridge are once again joined by Wandering Planet's own Gavin Hignight and Chris "Doc" Wyatt to discuss the recently released Wave Two Prisoner action figures with exclusive news on the upcoming Wave Three! Not only that but Gavin and Chris spill the beans about the new Ultimate Edition 6 inch figures (1/12 scale) coming very soon. The only Prisoner podcast produced in north Wales, home of the Village itself, Portmeirion.

In this second special live episode, Chris and Cai trade the studio for the beautiful north Wales village of Portmeirion—the iconic filming location of The Prisoner, to record straight from Six of One's PortmeiriCon! Joining Chris and Cai is editor and PortmeiriCon host Cyril Martin, who takes us through his work restoring the Prisoner episodes to the original shooting scripts with some interesting results. Recorded on Sunday 13th April 2025.

The Prisoner. 1967. A Village where everyone is watched—and no one is free. But what happens when we look at it through the lens of AI?In Free For All, we dive deep into The Prisoner, the groundbreaking cult TV series starring Patrick McGoohan, and explore how its themes of surveillance, identity, and autonomy eerily anticipate our modern world of artificial intelligence. Each episode unpacks how this psychedelic, philosophical spy thriller foreshadowed algorithmic control, predictive behavior, and machine-driven governance—decades before Silicon Valley even existed. As ever, minutiae will be scrutinised and tangents will be explored with discussion, interpretation, trivia and humour. The only Prisoner podcast produced in north Wales, home of the Village itself, Portmeirion.

The Prisoner. 1967. A Village where everyone is watched—and no one is free. But what happens when we look at it through the lens of AI?In Free For All, we dive deep into The Prisoner, the groundbreaking cult TV series starring Patrick McGoohan, and explore how its themes of surveillance, identity, and autonomy eerily anticipate our modern world of artificial intelligence. Each episode unpacks how this psychedelic, philosophical spy thriller foreshadowed algorithmic control, predictive behaviour, and machine-driven governance—decades before Silicon Valley even existed. As ever, minutiae will be scrutinised and tangents will be explored with discussion, interpretation, trivia and humour. The only Prisoner podcast produced in north Wales, home of the Village itself, Portmeirion.

Return to the kaleidoscopic world of 1967, a year when pop culture bent reality, and nothing was quite what it seemed. In this episode, Chris and Cai explore the surreal, symbolic, and subversive parallels between the cult TV show The Prisoner and the cultural phenomenon of The Beatles. From the psychedelic aesthetics to the themes of identity, control, rebellion, and the search for truth, this podcast dives deep into how both The Prisoner and The Beatles reflected — and shaped — the countercultural spirit of the 1960s. Was Number Six just a Day Tripper to Portmeirion trying to break free? Was The White Album a tribute to Rover? Join us as we connect the dots between sitars and surveillance, Strawberry Fields and secret societies. As ever, minutiae will be scrutinised and tangents will be explored with discussion, interpretation, trivia and humour. The only Prisoner podcast produced in north Wales, home of the Village itself, Portmeirion.

Step into the kaleidoscopic world of 1967, a year when pop culture bent reality, and nothing was quite what it seemed. In this episode, Chris and Cai explore the surreal, symbolic, and subversive parallels between the cult TV show The Prisoner and the cultural phenomenon of The Beatles. From the psychedelic aesthetics to the themes of identity, control, rebellion, and the search for truth, this podcast dives deep into how both The Prisoner and The Beatles reflected — and shaped — the countercultural spirit of the 1960s. Was Number Six just a Day Tripper to Portmeirion trying to break free? Was The White Album a tribute to Rover? Join us as we connect the dots between sitars and surveillance, Strawberry Fields and secret societies. As ever, minutiae will be scrutinised and tangents will be explored with discussion, interpretation, trivia and humour. The only Prisoner podcast produced in north Wales, home of the Village itself, Portmeirion.

In this special episode, Cai Ross and Chris Bainbridge celebrate the release of Imprint's Man in a Suitcase Blu-ray box set. ITC expert and author Rodney Marshall shares his thoughts about the synergy between the two shows. As ever, minutiae will be scrutinised and tangents will be explored with discussion, interpretation, trivia and humour. The only Prisoner podcast produced in north Wales, home of the Village itself, Portmeirion.