I love the Ron Grainer version, it is my favourite tv theme of all time and I think it goes perfectly with the opening titles.Thank God they didn't use this theme as it is totally forgetable.

Thank God both of the first two themes were rejected! The final theme was perfect.

I don’t think The Prisoner would be the cult classic it is today had these opening credits been used! Ron Grainer was evidently brilliant at his job. I think he has made some good tv series be remembered as brilliant due to the theme tune!

Snatches of Josephs' music, remixed, is used in the episodes "Arrival", "The Chimes Of Big Ben" and "Checkmate". While his theme was rejected as the main title music, Wilfred did leave his tonal signature upon parts of the series.

There are few things in this world that are perfect, and the Prisoner theme that was chosen is one of them.

You are 100% correct. The Prisoner was shown in the late 60's as a summer special series on CBS and it was the accepted theme that had caught my attention and had me clued to the show.

I heard this theme in Boston when the series was re-shown on local TV. In fact , I taped it, but no one at the station understood when I confusingly thought the series theme had been altered. Only later did I find out the rest of the story. This 'alternate' has all the inspiration of a drunken orgy.

with respect to mr joseph thank god they blew this out .The "real"version " is maybe the best theme music ever IMHO.

It's interesting to think how much impact the music had in making the series such a hit. All this theme made me think of was calling it "Irwin Allen's The Prisoner" Long live the Grainer theme!

I like the Grainer theme better, though I wonder how much of that opening montage was either available to him or edited to his version, while Joseph may have been writing to a different opening (or an unknown one). His version would be suited to a more general adventure series, whereas Grainer's captures the surreal, doomed feeling The Prisoner provoked.

Something similar to this is used in incidental music in the series.

I had a Lotus 7 because of the Prisoner, helped in no small measure by Ron Grainers theme. If the other themes had been used, I think my chance of ownership would have been greatly diminished.

This theme sounds like it might have been written in the late 50s or early 60s, kind of reminiscent of tv themes like Route 66. So glad they didn’t use it.

Actually, the song 'Little Boxes' ended up making an outstanding opening for the Showtime series, 'Weeds'

You can't fault the final choice (Ron Grainer's revised theme), but I do quite like this one. The sound effects overpower the music in this clip, however.

The genius Wilfred Josephs composed that bizarre tiny cue in Arrival when the camera pans to the 'Welcome to your home from home' welcome note.

Better suited to incidental music. I agree with the decision completely.

Thank heavens they used the 2nd. Very spyish, British and even Spy Hunter worthy.

A complex, jazzy mish-mash. This would work as incidental music, but not as a theme.

History 👋 is always right ✅️ 👌 ❤️

they could have easily gone with this one, it does fit much better than the first score they must have had a really strong vision of what they wanted to have rejected it.

The sections where the strings sweep up an octave and then down seems to have crept into the incidental music. I know I've heard that before.

@shivercanada Indeed. Although one should bear in mind that Joseph did write the title music for I, Claudius and The Great War, which are I think more memorable pieces than even The Prisoner's. The one that The Prisoner eventually used had the trashy 60s spy feel though, which helped set up its Avengers-through-a-mirror-darkly angle. Obv they should've used "Dem Bones" though. ;)

Didn't this end up as A6 M2? Number 2's theme? Only with a much cooler arrangement, and a superb bassline.

Woof! This mish-mash of unimaginative riffs and stale cues makes "Big Country" sound good, even if inappropraite for our great series. Ron Grainer's work, pure genius.

The music bears little relation to the action on screen. Thank goodness they eventually chose the right theme.

Let's pretend Number 2 talking to Number 6 played by Yogi... Number 2:We want information...information....INFORMATION! As Yogi Bear would say...Hey,hey,hey...you won't get it!!!

I agree - it reminds me of Hanna-Barbera output from the mid- to late-70s and early 80s. Imagine Yogi Bear as the Prisoner...

Simply too complex for an opening sequence. It would be perfectly suited for an internal sequence, or for the opening sequence of a movie. For a multi-part tv series it's just too busy.

This has more of a spy movie feel, which the Prisoner was about spies and international intrigue. However, it would be the same without the series' signature electric guitar plinking.

Boy ... am I sure glad Patrick didn’t go with this theme. It’s like a circus cartoon theme 😂

Not bad at all; works well with the tension of the opening - Number 6 knowing he needs to move quickly even before the knock out gas appears at the keyhole.

I can totally see why this theme wasn't good enough to stay as a theme for the show episodes. I feel like it didn't go at all with The Prisoner. I like the new theme they stuck with and put into the show that they kept for The Prisoner episodes. :D I felt like the theme they rejected should go into a James Bond Movie or show. To me that's what this theme reminded me of. :D

I can see why of course it wouldn't be commercially viable even though it is quite a superior piece of music. Brilliant. Conveys much more what the series was all about -something that the Grainer piece in my view does not being even merry.The first time I actually watched The Prisoner I expected something totally different after hearing the music, I quite remember this.

@SomethingSea1 we see a jokester devious character having one hell of a blast slyly rebelling, and with a taste of danger, too, because at any moment he could be snagged up and destroyed, and yet he isn't. So he sly's on. This best tells the story of the rebel, which is essentially what this story is about. Mocks the entire thing, and yet knows that he is bound to their actions, just as must as they are on his.

This has percussive stabs with less an identifiable motif that would brand the show. It’s busy and void of a theme.

@siempra78 I'm with you - definitely better than Farnon's theme. I think it starts to get a little Hanna-Barbera-ish after #6 leaves Westminster, recovering as he starts packing his bags and the show title appears.

jumping on a horse and galloping in 6 directyions

BBC dodged a bullet there.

I think they paired this theme to an unreleased version of Chimes of Big Ben. This is a good theme but not as good as the Grainer version.. IMHO. I would like to see the POP shown at the end of Chimes That would explain the Penny Farthing symbol.

I can see where this falls down, never mind "commercially viable", theme music should have a theme, something that sticks in your head after you've heard it.

I quite like this one.

They reused just a little bit of it in incidental music, must have been...sounded surprisingly familiar.

I noticed the no. 1 on the door. Maybe 6 is no. 1.

It's....different. Interesting score but doesn't really connect to the images on screen.

Ron Grainer to the rescue 👍

Yuch, I hate it. It's way to light for my tastes. I'm going to be a real Prisoner expert when I'm done watching all these great posts, thank you! It's much more in depth then what is available on the complete DVD Prisoner set extra's I have!

sounds like something Gerry Anderson would have rejected.

starts at 2:08

pretty chaotic.

I can tell they didn't like it... you can't even hear it!

This theme has a LOT to commend it, but having said that I will also say that it seems more than a bit too distracting.

The chosen theme was ideal; not this one.

This fits much better than the Farnon job; just a little too over percussive. It has the right kind of claustrophobia. Also sounds abit like Shostakovich in places.

The problem with overlaying this track over the actual title credits is that the visuals might have been cut different to match the music, and therefore might have fit better. Still don't think it would have been as "cool" to a 7-year old like me watching it when it was originally on.

Might have worked as "incidental" music during more episodes, but certainly not as the theme music. The theme music eventually chosen was by far the right choice!

this is a prisoner song. i swear.

Way to dependant on the timpani IMO as said before much too busy, I wonder what would have happened if say Led Zepplin had taken a stab at it?

Led Zeppelin? Seeing as the show was broadcast in 1967, it would have had to have been The Yardbirds.

Like something from an old-time TV news program. Terrible for this.

A parts it's sounds like "drybones"

While I don't think it was right for the intro music, it definitely could have been used somewhere in the series. Probably during a failed, epic escape attempt. Still, it's far, far superior to 12 tone jazz.

Better than the "first" rejected theme, but still not as good as what eventually was used.

i can see why this rejected a bad theme

Too much "Danger Man" and insufficient "Prisoner"

Gawd bless America! Thank Gawd that obscenity wasn't chosen! Otherwise "Prisoner" might never have seen the light of day!

Even properly mixed and edited in it still wouldn't work, it sounds way too much like something from lost in space or Man from UNCLE. Horrid.

far too toony vrs jerry anderson

godawful. horrible. Sounds way too much a product of its times- the 60's. Virtually interchangeable with any other show of the time.

no

Nice, however that theme is more fitting for a musical.

this is better than the 1st rejected theme, but may be better suited to a 20 - 30 second snippet or piece of action...its sounds a bit repetitive over 2minutes. I have to say Ron Grainer did a great job: 60's sound, optimistic, over bearing drums and a mischievous guitar a little bit like the over bearing Village and the runaway agent!

This theme is far too much like the Dangerman theme!

It's not jarringly innapropriate like the first theme, but it's not catchy and completely unmemorable, kinda random if that makes sense...

Far better than the 1st version, but still not "The Prisoner" !

Way Too Jazzy.

A disconcerted audience, who is watching the execution of a man, with twisted stomach feel each punch of his resignation. Their hero is lost, now to fight against them. That's what this music sounds like. We go from the first one, of a pompous ass, over-occupying the hero black and white role, to the second one, a dumbfounded and idiotic audience who do not comprehend the meaning of what is going on. The third one, the one actually used, watch?v=PhnTMxHOWlY

You can apply all the egghead notions you want to why this is "great" but in the end it is still Leonard Bernstein scores Hawaii 5-0...The winner and still champion is the theme we all know and love! Go take solace in your Edgard Varese LPs.

Terrible

sounds too american :-/

I'm sorry. The second theme is plain BAD, BAD, BAD.

Yuck