Jan 27 2009 Watch 'The Prisoner' Using Internet Computer Technology

I'm not sure how long this has existed, but my friend Greg just sent me an email pointing out that the entire 17-episode run of classic '60s sci-fi spy series The Prisoner is available to stream on AMC's site. If star Patrick McGoohan's death two weeks ago sparked some interest in watching the oft-referenced BBC show, this should save you some money on DVDs. Just keep in mind you'll still be paying for it in wear & tear on your download megachip.

Jan 14 2009 Number Six Dies in LA

No, not the babe from Battlestar Galactica. Patrick McGoohan, the Emmy-winning creator and star of the British cult favorite The Prisoner has died at 80. From the Associated Press (thanks, Paul):

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Patrick McGoohan, an Emmy-winning actor who created and starred in the cult classic television show "The Prisoner," has died. He was 80.

McGoohan died Tuesday in Los Angeles after a short illness, his son-in-law, film producer Cleve Landsberg, said Wednesday.

McGoohan won two Emmys for his work on the Peter Falk detective drama "Columbo," and more recently appeared as King Edward Longshanks in the 1995 Mel Gibson film "Braveheart."

But he was best known as the title character Number Six in "The Prisoner," a surreal 1960s British series in which a former spy is held captive in a small village and constantly tries to escape.

If you never got into The Prisoner, this is a good excuse to start watching the sci-fi spy series. You'll realize you've missed a lot of references on old episodes of The Simpsons.