Don't Bother Victor!

"Why didn't you find me earlier?" "Because the Thin Controller said not to bother you until your visit." "Bother me? It's my job to fix really useful engines in trouble! And it makes me very happy!"

- Victor and Peter Sam

Don't Bother Victor! is the eighteenth episode of the sixteenth season.

Plot
Peter Sam arrives at the depot after shunting coal trucks all night. Thomas is there waiting to take the Thin Controller to Knapford to meet with Sir Topham Hatt. The Thin Controller soon arrives and puts Peter Sam in charge until he returns. The Thin Controller tells Peter Sam that Victor will be coming in the afternoon for his weekly repairs visit and that Victor is very busy and should not be bothered with trivial matters before his visit. Peter Sam is happy to be in charge and promises not to bother Victor. Thomas wishes Peter Sam good luck with making all the decisions and sets off to Knapford. Peter Sam is very excited and also a little scared at the prospect of making important decisions. Then Rheneas urgently puffs up and tells Peter Sam that Sir Handel is creaking at a halt and that he must fetch Victor. Peter Sam remembers the Thin Controller's order and decides that he must not bother Victor. Peter Sam sets off to find Sir Handel to assess the situation.

Peter Sam finds Sir Handel chuffing slowly at the halt. Sir Handel asks Peter Sam to fetch Victor for him, but Peter Sam is determined not to bother Victor and offers to repair Sir Handel himself. Peter Sam is sure that oil is what Sir Handel needs and his driver is soon pouring oil into Sir Handel. Peter Sam then asks Sir Handel to roll forwards, but Sir Handel cannot move at all. Peter Sam is worried as it appears that he has not fixed Sir Handel at all. Then Rheneas clatters in and tells Peter Sam that Skarloey has something wrong with his funnel and is waiting at the water tower. Rheneas thinks that Skarloey will require Victor's expertise, but Peter Sam does not want to bother him. Peter Sam sets off to find Skarloey.

At the water tower, Skarloey informs Peter Sam that his funnel is blocked and that he needs Victor's help. Peter Sam still does not want to bother Victor and decides to make an attempt at clearing Skarloey's funnel himself. Peter Sam thinks hard and soon has an idea. He gets his driver to put the water tower's hosepipe down Skarloey's funnel in hopes that the water will clear the blockage in the funnel. Peter Sam's method does not succeed and now Skarloey cannot puff at all as the water has extinguished his fire. Peter Sam is concerned and admits that maybe he made a mistake. Rheneas pulls up alongside and tells Peter Sam that Duncan is suffering from rattling rods and needs Victor. Peter Sam is still adamant about not bothering Victor and sets off to locate Duncan. By this point, Rheneas is starting to read Peter Sam on what he will say when there is a problem.

On his way to Duncan, Peter Sam suddenly comes to a halt himself. He was so busy not bothering Victor that he had forgotten to take on more coal after his busy night of shunting trucks. Peter Sam has failed to help his friends and now cannot fetch Victor anyway. Just then, Rheneas clatters up and Peter Sam asks him to fetch Victor. Rheneas is puzzled and remembers that Peter Sam had previously told him that Victor must not be bothered. So Rheneas refuses to fetch Victor, leaving Peter Sam feeling silly. Suddenly, Peter Sam remembers what Thomas had said about making important decisions. Peter Sam comes to the conclusion that he can decide whether or not a matter is serious enough to bother Victor. He calls to Rheneas who hears him and chuffs back. Peter Sam admits that he was wrong and tells Rheneas that he should have bothered Victor earlier. Rheneas is pleased to follow orders and goes to fetch Victor.

Soon Victor had brought some coal for Peter Sam. Victor is confused as to why Peter Sam did not ask for his help sooner. Peter Sam explains that the Thin Controller had told him not to bother him. Victor smiles and tells Peter Sam that it is his job to fix engines so he would not have been bothered at all. The pair then go to Skarloey and Victor fixes his blocked funnel. Next Victor fixes Sir Handel's creaking. Later on, Peter Sam and Victor arrive back at the depot as Thomas returns with the Thin Controller. Mr. Percival is keen to find out how Peter Sam's day had been. Peter Sam and Victor tell him that they had no bother at all.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Sir Handel
 * Peter Sam
 * Victor
 * Mr. Percival
 * Rusty (cameo)
 * Duncan (mentioned)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (mentioned)

Peter Sam's driver groans. It is unknown who voiced him.

Locations

 * The Depot
 * Mr. Percival's House
 * Stepney's Branch Line
 * Daisy Halt
 * Knapford (mentioned)

Trivia

 * Duncan is mentioned for the first time since the twelfth season.
 * Going by production order, this is the nineteenth episode of the sixteenth season.
 * After Mr. Percival greets Thomas and Peter Sam, in the UK, French, and Japanese versions, Thomas says "Good morning sir." In the US and Latin American versions, both engines speak the line.
 * When Peter Sam whistles for Rheneas, he blew his whistle four times, giving out the correct whistle-code for emergency.
 * This is the final episode to feature Matt Wilkinson as Victor in the UK dub. David Bedella later took over the role starting with Blue Mountain Mystery.
 * Steven Kynman joins the voice cast.
 * As of this episode, the Skarloey Railway coaches are painted in Talyllyn Railway livery.
 * This is the first episode where we see Victor work away from Steamworks, and this is the first episode where Victor appears but without Kevin and the Steamworks. It is also the first episode where Victor doesn't say, "my friend," while interacting with the engines and working with the engines.
 * This is the first episode where we see Victor on the narrow gauge line, although it has been mentioned previously in Steamy Sodor, that he went there.

Goofs

 * Steven Kynman is not credited in the UK credits despite voicing Peter Sam.
 * When Peter Sam breaks down, he said that he ran out of coal, but steam engines need coal to blow their whistles, therefore Peter Sam could not have blown his whistle.
 * When Thomas puffs away, Peter Sam is derailed.

Merchandise

 * Books - Don't Bother Victor!
 * Magazine Stories - Don't Bother Victor

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Muddy Matters (DVD)
 * The Complete Series 16

DVD Packs

 * 10 DVD Boxset (2014)
 * Friends Together

US

 * Muddy Matters
 * Season 16 (Digital Download)

GER

 * Thomas and the Rubbish Train

CHN

 * Whiff's Wish (Chinese DVD)

MYS

 * Happy Birthday Sir! (Malaysian DVD)

THA
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 * Happy Birthday, Sir! (Thai DVD)