The “Danger Man” series are also known as “Secret Angent” and apparently also as “Destination Danger” and “John Drake”. I wanted to see the series, because main actor Patrick McGoohan quit “Danger Man” to start ‘his own’ series “The Prisoner” and “Danger Man” is often regarded as the forerunner of “The Prisoner”. There are several DVD box versions available and only after I got myself this one, did I learn that “Danger Man” has been broadcasted two time, 3 series from 1960 to 1962 and 4 series from 1964 to 1966. The first series are half our episodes, the second 50 minutes. The box that I got are the 1964/6 series… Even though there is a gap of three years between the two parts of the series, it opens as if the viewer knows exactly who is John Drake and what he does, a flying start for sure. The series end as suddenly as they start by the way, but that could be due to McGoohan’s plan to replace “Danger Man” with a better series. “Danger Man” is one of those secret agent things of that time with the early Bonds, “The Avengers” and the like. The episodes are not related and in each episode John Drake is sent on a mission which he usually completes elegantly. McGoohan is an amusing watch with his enigmatic face and chilled humour. Mixed in is (known from similar productions) ‘high-technology’ (tape recorders in shaving-machines, transmission divises built with parts from suitcases, that sort of things). Most episodes contain a simple plot, Drake’s dealing with it and a sudden end. There are a handfull of episodes with some experiments with the story or the atmosphere that remind a bit “The Prisoner”. Taken as a whole, “Danger Man” is amusing, but I have no immediate need to watch the older series. A funny thing is that the very last episode is the only one in colour and the box has an extra disc with a colour feature of the last two glued together.
