village near Porthmadog, North Wales. This location partially inspired the show. At the request of Portmeirion's architect Clough Williams-Ellis, the main location for the series was not disclosed until the opening credits of the final episode, where it was described as "The Hotel Portmeirion, Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales". Many local residents were recruited as extras. The Village setting was further augmented by the use of the backlot facilities at MGM-British Studios in Borehamwood. Additionally, filming of a key sequence of the opening credits—and of exterior location filming for three episodes—took place at 1 Buckingham Place in London, which at the time was a private residence; it doubled as Number Six's home. The building is now a highlight of Prisoner location tours, and currently houses the headquarters of the Royal Warrant Holders Association. The episodes "Many Happy Returns", "The Girl Who Was Death" (the cricket match for which was filmed at four locations, with the main sequences filmed at Eltisley in Cambridgeshire) and "Fall Out" also made use of extensive location shooting in London and other locations. At the time, most British television was broadcast in black and white, but to reach the critical American audience, the show was filmed in colour. Crew George Markstein – Script editor Don Chaffey – Director David Tomblin – Director Peter Graham Scott – Director Brendan J. Stafford – Cinematographer Bernard Williams – Production manager Eric Mival – Music editor Albert Elms – Musical director and composer Frank Maher – Fight/stunt coordinator Rose Tobias Shaw – Casting director Alternative ending In his book about George Markstein, script editor of The Prisoner before he quit part way through the making of the series, author James Follett presented an explanation for the existence of The Village that he and Markstein had cooked up many years after the series had ended. In Markstein's mind, a young John Drake, the lead character in the television series Danger Man, might once have submitted a proposal for how to deal with retired secret agents who pose a security risk. Drake's idea was to create a comfortable retirement home where former agents could live out their final years, enduring firm but unobtrusive surveillance. Years later, Drake discovers that his idea has been put into practice, not as a benign means of retirement, but as an interrogation centre and prison camp. Outraged, Drake stages his own resignation, knowing he will be brought to The