Could the cult TV series help this North Wales neighbourhood escape the property slowdown?
First-time round: Patrick McGoohan and Virginia Maskell first episode of The Prisoner, which was set in Portmeirion; the village, hotel and estuary and the central square at Portmeirion. The Prisoner’s famous cri de coeur – plus his other catchphrases, “By hook or by crook” and “Be seeing you” – are set for a reprise in an ITV remake of the enigmatic show next year. Sir Ian McKellen will play the sinister Number Two, who controls the mysterious place known as The Village, while Passion of the Christ star Jim Caviezel will be Number Six, who is trapped there. Portmeirion, in North Wales, was the setting for The Village in the orginal 1960s series; estate agents hope the remake will bring fame and fortune back to the surrounding area. It is 40 years since the final baffling episode of the allegorical production. Its cult status grew as puzzled viewers concocted their own theories about the meaning of the series; many rang ITV in fury, unable to make sense of it at all. But one thing they
