Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia
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“Dear Christopher,
Here is your friend Thomas the Tank Engine. He wanted to come out of his station yard and see the world. These stories tell you how he did it.
I hope you will like them because you helped me to make them.”
Your Loving Daddy

Christopher Vere Awdry (born 2 July 1940) is an English writer who is the son of Wilbert Awdry, his father who originally created The Railway Series. He is best known for co-creating Thomas the Tank Engine with his father, as well as continuing The Railway Series from 1983 to 2011.

Biography

Christopher Vere Awdry was born on 2 July 1940 to Wilbert and Margaret Awdry. When he was two, his bout of measles, which left him bed-ridden, inspired his father to tell him bedtime stories that eventually made up The Three Railway Engines, and a wooden toy, also made for him by his father, eventually became Thomas. When he grew up, he became a tax inspector for the English Government, but he resigned from his job when he decided to continue his father's work writing The Railway Series, writing books for it from 1983 to 2011. He used to be a vice president of the Talyllyn Railway.[1]

Books Written

The Railway Series

Companion Volumes

Annuals

Pop-Up Books

Mini/Board/Sticker books

Thomas Changing Picture Books

Episodes Written

Series 2

Series 4

Series 6

Appearances

The Railway Series

Companion Volumes

Documentaries

Other Books Written

Christopher Awdry has written various other books, which feature anthropomorphic vehicles.

Voice Actors

Trivia

  • Christopher and his wife, Diana Awdry, founded Sodor Enterprises in 2001 to publish and sell his books.[2]
  • Christopher Awdry wrote a book promoting restoration work on the Corris Railway, based on real events called "Hugh Goes Sliding". It was illustrated by railway transport artist Johnathan Clay.
  • In 2015, a year after The Guardian posted an article regarding accusations that Thomas is a "racist", "sexist", "communist" tank engine, an article from The Telegraph stated that he stood in defence of his father's creation against some left-wing parents and academics by responding that "the engines are punished for displaying 'arrogance' and 'naughtiness', not initiative".[3]
  • Christopher has stated that his favourite character is Toby.
  • Despite Christopher's opposition to the new format versions of the Railway Series in 1998, Egmont Publishing published the books.[4] However, the new format was eventually discontinued and scrapped due to negative feedback.
  • In Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, he stated that Thomas Goes Fishing, Dirty Objects, Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady and Thomas Comes to Breakfast were some of his favourite stories. He also added that Thomas Goes Fishing and Thomas Comes to Breakfast were also some of his father's favourite stories as well.
  • Within the Railway Series canon, he has met Percy in person when he was a small boy.
  • Sodor Island Fansite (SiF) planned to interview Christopher in August 2011, but he pulled out of the interview, and it was subsequently cancelled.[5]
  • On a 2020 livestream, Luke Ryan, Head of Media at Talyllyn Railway, revealed that Christopher is rather "shut-in" as of now.[6]
    • In 2021, Twitter user @LostEngines bought a book signed by Christopher and was able to ask him two questions. The questions being; "Has Richard Topham taken over the railway yet?" and "How did the engines cope with COVID?" Christopher's response for the first question was "No," and his answer for the second question he responded was: "They've been well isolated."[7]

References


External Links


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