Christopher Eccleston is the new Number Six

Christopher Eccleston, who played the nignth Doctor in Doctor Who last year will be Number Six in the revival of The Prisoner.

HE REVIVED Doctor Who, but now Christopher Eccleston is set to take on another television hero with the starring role in a remake of The Prisoner.

The 1967 series, starring Patrick McGoohan as a former secret agent who was kidnapped and imprisoned in a mystery village, baffled millions of viewers around the world.

The new version, made by Granada for Sky One, will incorporate the paranoia, conspiracy theories and hi-tech action sequences of modern-day spy dramas 24 and Spooks.

Eccleston, who quit Doctor Who after last year’s hit revival, told the producers that it had long been his ambition to play Number Six, whose escape attempts are constantly thwarted by sinister forces.

Hollywood stars have also pitched for the role but discussions with Eccleston are at an advanced stage, according to production sources.

However, the Welsh tourist “village” of Portmeirion, where the original ATV show was filmed, will be replaced by a more exotic foreign location, probably outraging fans of the original.

Well, I'll give the remake a shot but I'm not overly hopeful that it'll retain the goofy, enigmatic feel of the original. The Rovers had better be cool, yet cheesy!