Buzz, Buzz

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

- Duck

Buzz, Buzz, retitled James Goes Buzz Buzz in American releases, is the seventeenth episode of the third season. In the US, it aired on the Shining Time Station episode, Stacy Cleans Up.

Plot
James feels insulted after BoCo gives him advice regarding some bees the Vicar is keeping. And when he overhears Duck telling BoCo he has nicknamed Bill and Ben "The Bees", he butts in and is insulted again after Duck says "Buzz, buzz, buzz".

Later, James is preparing for the Express when a beehive is knocked over and shattered, and a swarm of disgruntled bees buzz onto his boiler. One burns its foot, and in retaliation stings James on the nose, turning it red.

James runs off and tries to get the bees off by methods such as spinning on a turntable, washing them off and smoking them out in a tunnel, none of them worked. The driver suggested on going back to the orchard, which allowed the bees to fly off when they see a beehive at the Wellsworth vicarage.

The Vicar is grateful and thanks James, also noting that if it were Christmas, they could nickname him "James the Red-Nosed Engine". Instead, they prefer to call him "the bee's knees", as a sign of how useful he is.

Characters

 * James
 * Duck
 * BoCo
 * Trevor
 * The Vicar of Wellsworth
 * Bill and Ben (do not speak)
 * Thomas (cameo)
 * Bridget Hatt (cameo)
 * Jem Cole (cameo)
 * Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
 * Edward (mentioned)

Locations

 * Tidmouth
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Brendam
 * Wellsworth Vicarage Orchard
 * The Castle Tunnel
 * Shunting Yards

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book, Main Line Engines.
 * A man trips while running out of the station; he then picks himself up, gives the beehive one last look and runs away.
 * The bee that burns himself is animated. It was animated by Peter Chiang of the Magic Camera Company. They were only credited when the episode was first released in 1992.
 * This was the only time that cartoon animation was used in the series until Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
 * A limited edition Wooden Railway "James goes Buzz Buzz" set was released to commemorate this episode. It featured a James with a red nose that, when rubbed, would temporarily go away, as well as BoCo, a turntable, a station with a beehive and the VHS James Goes Buzz Buzz and Other Thomas Stories.
 * The Vicar tells James "It's a pity it's not Christmas, then we could call you James the Red-Nosed Engine." This is a reference to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
 * In the restored version, the scene of James spinning on the turntable is slowed down and the shot of a male and female passenger staring at the broken hive is omitted.
 * S.S. Vienna's model from TUGS can be seen as Bill and Ben leave.
 * In Norway, this episode is named "James and the Bees". In Germany, it is called "Hum, Hum, Hum". The Italian title is "Bees Attack". In Japan, this episode is called "James' Bees" or "James of the Red Nose".

Goofs

 * When Bill and Ben puff away, one is not puffing smoke.
 * Studio equipment is visible when BoCo talks to Duck.
 * When the people are racing out of the station, the platform bounces up in some frames, and one of the stone pillars by the entrance moves slightly.
 * When the bees fly around the driver and fireman, James' cab roof is white.
 * The station was supposed to be clear after the beehive fell. But when James leaves, a person is visible in the station.
 * It seems unlikely the bees would have put up with spinning, smoking and soaking simply for the sake of sitting on James' boiler.
 * When James is at Tidmouth Sheds, a vine or something of sorts is wrapped around his funnel.
 * The bee that stung James' nose was described as a male, but male bees do not sting.
 * In the Buzz Book, one picture shows BoCo with a yellow bufferbeam.
 * When James arrives at Tidmouth, he stops at the front of the station, but in his point-of-views of the bee, he is in the middle of the station.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway - James Goes Buzz Buzz set and James Goes Buzz Buzz Collection Piece (both discontinued)
 * Take-Along (discontinued)
 * TrackMaster - James Goes Buzz Buzz (discontinued)
 * Capsule Plarail - Red-nosed James