The Prisoner is planning to escape on Blu-ray this October

Number Two may be concealing plans for a UK release, but it seems that cult Sixties TV show The Prisoner will escape onto Blu-ray this year after all. A&E Home Video has announced a US release date of October 27 for the classic British TV secret agent fantasy.

No announcements have been made as to whether this five-disc set will feature extras, but even a bare-bones appearance will delight fans - fingers crossed the set has no region coding.

The Prisoner has been fascinating and befuddling fans since its original TV showings in 1967. The surreal 17-episode story of a secret agent known only as Number Six, held in a fantasy village by unidentified interrogators, it has a long history of DVD releases including the original Carlton edition, a remastered partwork, and a recent 40th Anniversary set from Network. Each has included its own selection of extras, which makes life frustrating for fans who have to decide whether to upgrade each time. It would be unmutual, though, to ignore the Blu-ray, as this will be the first chance to see the series in HD, and since the original was shot on film, it should look great.

The appearance of the Blu-ray edition will coincide with the US TV debut of the remake of the series, starring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen in the roles of Number Six and Number Two. Unfortunately the mastermind behind the original, actor Patrick McGoohan, won't be around to comment - he died in January 2009.

In these times when the subjects of political control, surveillance and freedom of information are not just the stuff of paranoid fantasies, The Prisoner is more relevant than ever. Be seeing you...