Don't Knock Yourself Out

Don't Knock Yourself Out takes a close look at the cult TV classic The Prisoner from 1967, but instead of re creating a script, it maps the show's afterlife. The film surveys why the series became a touchstone for anti authority thinking, blending interviews, archival clips, and thoughtful analysis. It situates the enigmatic Number 6 against a backdrop of Cold War paranoia, cinematic experiment, and BBC style paranoia. Viewers meet fans, critics, and scholars who interpret the show's odd imagery, unsettling questions, and daring formal choices. The narration by Neil Pearson provides context without revealing plot twists, guiding newcomers and longtime devotees through how the program was made and why it still matters today. It invites audiences to interpret freely.

Released in 2007, the documentary is directed by Tim Beddows and Thomas Cock. It uses The Prisoner as its focal source, with Simon Wells credited as creator, and Neil Pearson narrating. It also notes the filmmakers prior work and influences.

The Prisoner left a mark on television that still informs modern storytelling, and this documentary foregrounds that legacy. It highlights how the series' imagery and motifs echo in later thrillers and indie dramas, keeping debates about autonomy and surveillance alive among fans. Its tone respects fans while inviting fresh viewers.

Critical response to the film emphasizes its thoughtful framing of identity, control, and the slippery nature of memory. It presents The Prisoner not just as a period curiosity but as a lens on power and personal freedom, inviting both fresh viewing and reappraisal. It invites debate and further exploration online.

Box office figures for Don't Knock Yourself Out are not publicly disclosed, reflecting its niche documentary status. Its reach is best measured by festival screenings, broadcast attention, and home media releases rather than grosses. Festival screenings and home video followed.