Checkmate (1967 episode)

"Checkmate" is a television episode of the British science fiction-allegorical series, The Prisoner. It was first broadcast by ITV (ATV Midlands) on 24 November 1967.

As the title suggests, the plot centres on a game of human chess, directed by a mysterious "man with a stick". The chess game has been described as a metaphor for life itself, albeit a somewhat transparent one. "Checkmate" received the highest viewership of any of the series' episodes on its first UK broadcast.

The central themes of this episode are conformity, peer pressure, and the perils of leadership.

Plot summary
Number Six is persuaded to participate, as the white queen's pawn, in an oversized game of chess using people as pieces. A rebellious rook (Number Fifty-eight) is taken to the Hospital for "evaluation". After the game is completed, Number Six talks with the Chess Master (Number Fourteen), who comments that one can tell who is a prisoner and who a guardian "[B]y their disposition. By the moves they make." Number Six is later invited to visit the Hospital to observe the fate of Number Fifty-eight, and sees him subjected to Pavlovian mind control treatment. The woman playing the queen (Number Eight), who had fraternized with Number Six during the game, is subjected to hypnosis to make her fall in love with him and report his whereabouts should he attempt to escape again. Number Six shuns her, but seeks an alliance with Number Fifty-eight (the rook) and other villagers that he now believes he can identify as prisoners, not guardians. They attempt an escape by making a 2-way radio out of various pilfered electronic parts and then hailing a passing ship with a Mayday distress call, pretending to be a crashing airliner. Number Six discovers, however, that again he has been a pawn — Number Fifty-eight had mistaken the strong-minded Number Six for a guardian. Believing that the escape attempt was a test of his loyalty, he reported it all to Number Two.

Cast

 * Patrick McGoohan as The Prisoner

Guest Stars

 * Ronald Radd as Rook
 * Patricia Jessel as 1st Psychiatrist
 * Peter Wyngarde as Number Two
 * Rosalie Cruchley as Queen
 * George Coulouris as Man with the Stick

with

 * Angelo Muscat as The Butler
 * Bee Duffell as 2nd Psychiatrist
 * Basil Dignam as Supervisor
 * Danvers Walker as Painter
 * Denis Shaw as Shopkeeper

and

 * Victor Platt as Assitant Supervisor
 * Shivaun O'Casey as Nurse
 * Geoffrey Reed as Skipper
 * Terence Donovan as Sailor
 * Joe Dunne as 1st Tower Guard
 * Romo Gorrara as 2nd Tower Guard

Uncredited

 * Fenella Fielding as Loudspeaker Announcer (voice only)
 * Aidan Harrington as Technician
 * Peter Madden as Undertaker (opening sequence)
 * George Markstein as Man Behind Desk (Title Sequence)
 * Frank Maher as stunt double (Patrick McGoohan)

Crew

 * Written by Gerald Kelsey
 * Script Editor: George Markstein
 * Produced by David Tomblin
 * Directed by Don Chaffey
 * Executive Producer: Patrick McGoohan
 * Production Manager: Bernard Williams
 * Director of Photography: Brendan J. Stafford B.S.C.
 * Art Director: Jack Shampan
 * Camera Operator: Jack Lowin
 * Editor: Lee Doig
 * Theme by Ron Grainer
 * Cameraman (2nd Unit): Robert Monks
 * Assistant Director: Gino Marotta
 * Sound Editor: Clive Smith
 * Sound Recordist: John Bramall
 * Music Editor: Bob Dearberg
 * Casting Director: Rose Tobias-Shaw
 * Continuity: Doris Martin
 * Set Dresser: Kenneth Bridgeman
 * Make-Up: Eddie Knight
 * Hairdressing: Pat McDermot
 * Wardrobe: Masada Wilmot

Uncredited

 * property master: Mickey O'Toole
 * props: Charlie Parfitt
 * fight choreographer: Frank Maher

Trivia
"Checkmate" was the third episode to be produced, with "Free for All" the second. As in the prior episode Number Six states he intends to find out "who are the prisoners and who are the warders", it could be inferred that in "Checkmate" he is belatedly putting this plan into action. As this was an early episode in production, there is a reference in "Checkmate" to Number Six being "new" in The Village.

Audio/visual unsynchronised

 * 1) When No 6 tries to knock out the spotlight, he throws one of the guards off the top of the tower. As can be seen in the title sequence and overhead shots, the tower is up on a hill, a bit inland, and quite high. However, we hear a splash shortly after the guard goes over the edge. They could have landed in a hidden moat or pond.

Revealing mistakes

 * 1) No 6 ticks people off on a chess article. However, it is clearly pasted onto another newspaper, as the paper is a different colour to the surrounding articles, which discuss Kidderminster and road deaths in the UK.
 * 2) The conspirators are supposed to meet at "moon set". However, when Rook paddles out on the raft, the reflection of the Moon can clearly be seen on the sea. (Probably actually the sun, since the night shots were filmed at day through a filter.)

Context
Apart from the obvious metaphor that life is a game of chess, the episode deals with conformity and pressures to conform, particularly peer pressure. Parallels have been drawn with the Milgram experiment, Asch conformity experiments and the Stanford prison experiment. Similar techniques are used to make Number 6 conform, hoping he will reveal the secret of his resignation. However, Number 6 discovers, as usual, that his trust is misplaced and the distinction between prisoner and warder remains blurred.

The piece played by Number 6 in the chess game is the same as that played by Alice throughout the story in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass (1871) — White Queen's pawn.

Production
The original title was to be "The Queen's Pawn", a play on the fact that Number Six had recently been in "Her Majesty's service." At the beginning of the episode, the lawn is seen uncovered by chessboard squares; a few moments later, it is shown as the chessboard. The chessboard remained in place for a week during September 1966 during filming of this episode; when it was removed, the grass had been lightened and the pattern is clearly visible in prior episodes.

The chessgame is recreated annually by enthusiasts of the programme at their annual convention, held at Portmeirion.