Messin' with the holy grail

Some things get remade, and I don't much care. If "the business" wants to waste millions remaking THE DUKES OF HAZARD or BEWITCHED or THE STEPFORD WIVES, it's no skin off of my nose. It's not as if I'll bother with them. But some cultural relics are not to be tampered with. So it is with BBC's old series THE PRISONER.

For the benefit of the uniformed, THE PRISONER is a TV show that was broadcast on British TV in the sixties and American TV during the 70s. The leading character, Number Six, is a former secret agent of the British government during the Cold War. He is never identified by name. After resigning his position, he is captured and held prisoner in a small, isolated, eccentric seaside resort town known only as the Village. The authorities there attempt to determine — "by hook or by crook" — why Number 6 resigned. Throughout the series Number 6 tries to escape while defying all attempts to break his will. He also sets out to discover the identity of the mysterious "Number 1", who presumably runs the Village.

THE PRISONER was a wonderful, self-contained series that really can't be improved by a remake. And yet, that's exactly what's gonna happen.

Remake for cult show The Prisoner

Patrick McGoohan played Prisoner Number 6 in the original

Cult TV series The Prisoner is to be remade into a six-part series for Sky One, the broadcaster has confirmed.

Director of programmes Richard Woolfe promised a "thrilling reinvention" of the drama about an ex-secret agent trapped in an isolated village.

"If Doctor Who set the standard, The Prisoner raises the bar," he said.

The original series ran for 17 episodes on ITV in 1967, and starred Patrick McGoohan. Christoper Eccleston has been linked with the new show's lead role.

Conspiracy thriller

"This project has been subject to an unprecedented level of attention, attracting an array of A-list actors and writers," said commissioning editor Elaine Pyke.

The new series will be made by Granada from a script by Bill Gallagher, writer of the award-winning series Clocking Off.

"The Prisoner is like Pandora's box - it's the ultimate conspiracy thriller," said Damien Timmer, executive producer of the show.

"Like 24, the new series will entrap you from the opening scene. We hope it will tap into this iconic show's existing cult following, whilst creating a whole new generation of fans."

Attribution: BBC News

I remain dubious. I'm not totally adverse to remakes.. the Galactica remake on SCI-FI is one of my favorites. But this will be a far more cereberal show for it to have a chance, and that means good writing and fantastic acting. I like Eccleston a lot as the new Doctor Who (and he was fantastic as the Major in 28 Days Later), and he may have the chops, so I will try to have an open mind.