Image copyright ITV/REX/Shutterstock/Sean-Hedges Quinn Image caption A drawing of the planned statue (right) shows Patrick McGoohan's character being chased by the show's Rover balloon

A campaign has been launched to raise £90,000 to erect a life-size statue of The Prisoner star Patrick McGoohan in north Wales.

The Team6 group wants to put up the 6ft 2in (1.87m) bronze statue in Portmeirion, Gwynedd, where the cult 1960s TV show was filmed.

It said a site "has been agreed" and sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn has been commissioned to make it.

Dave Miles, Team6 co-ordinator, said it would be an "apt" tribute.

The programme starred actor McGoohan as Number Six, who is held captive in a mysterious village where the residents are known only by a number.

It began shooting in 1966, with all 17 episodes shot in Portmeirion's Italianate village.

Mr Miles, 53, of Whitburn, in Scotland, said the statue will show Number Six being chased by the show's giant white Rover balloon, which patrols the village.

Image copyright ITV/REX/Shutterstock Image caption The Village in The Prisoner is patrolled by giant white balloons, called Rover, which ensure no-one can escape.

"At night the balloon will be illuminated, it will look absolutely fantastic," he said.

"It's an ideal tribute to Patrick McGoohan himself. This statue is to remember all the talents of Patrick and his career on film, stage and TV.

"For me personally, it's also to say 'thank you, Patrick, for all of the hours of entertainment you've brought over the years'."

Image copyright ITV/REX/Shutterstock Image caption McGoohan's character in The Prisoner seen running on the beach, famously declaring: "I am not a number, I am a free man."

He said the planned location for the statue is near the White Horses cottages, where McGoohan stayed during some of the filming.

Mr Miles hopes the money can be raised within a year, with the statue taking a further nine months to create.

Portmeirion's links to The Prisoner are much-celebrated, with the village's annual music event, Festival No. 6, named in its honour.

Team6 said it had worked with the Portmeirion Trust, ITV - which owns the rights to the series - and Six of One, the official Prisoner appreciation society, in putting together the plan.

The actor's daughter Catherine McGoohan will unveil the statue when it is completed.

She told the team behind it his family was "very gratified to know there will be a statue of Patrick McGoohan watching over The Village".

McGoohan died in 2009, after almost five decades on the stage and on screen, in a career which saw him win an Emmy and a Bafta TV award.

Image copyright Portmeirion Ltd Image caption The picturesque Italianate village of Portmeirion featured in The Prisoner, Doctor Who, The Masque of Mandragora and Danger Man