Series 1

The first season of the television series aired in 1984. Ringo Starr narrated all twenty-six episodes in the UK and twenty-five in the US, with George Carlin later re-narrating the entire season for the US on Shining Time Station.

Production
All of the stories in were originally written by the Rev. W. Awdry, including a one-off story commissioned by the staff, Thomas' Christmas Party. The stories were then scripted for television by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton. The seven engines introduced in this series became the core of the cast in later episodes. The Pilot for the series was an adaptation of Down the Mine, which was remade entirely when the rest of the episodes were shot.

Characters Introduced

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Henrietta
 * Terence
 * Bertie
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Mrs. Kyndley
 * The Little Boys
 * The Policeman
 * The Butler
 * Jeremiah Jobling (not named)
 * Lady Hatt (not named; does not speak)
 * Workshop Engines (wheels and buffers only; do not speak)
 * The Stone-dropping Boys (do not speak)
 * The Märklin Engine (cameo)
 * Farmer Finney (cameo)
 * The Storyteller (cameo)

Trivia

 * When first broadcast in 1984 on ITV, two episodes were compiled into one ten minute block with the nameboard sequence featured in between. For repeat broadcasts, the stories were shown individually. They were also shown this way on Cartoon Network, Nick Jr., ABC (Australia) and several VHS compilations.
 * The season took about 9 months to film.
 * The Norwegian, Finnish and early Swedish narrations credit Ringo Starr as the narrator, even though they was re-dubbed in their respective languages.
 * Most of the season's scripts were partially edited for the US versions.
 * In the Ukrainian version, Ringo Starr's voice can be heard in the background.
 * This was the only season of several things:
 * The only season where all the episodes are adapted from the Reverend W. Awdry's stories.
 * The only season to have videos released on Betamax.
 * The only season to have its UK recordings released in the U.S.
 * The only season where lead was used to create the human characters. From the second season onwards, all human characters were made from resin, so they could move around more easily.
 * The only season where the trucks have their faces embedded into their bodies. From the second season onward, the trucks have moulded faces, although some first season style trucks appeared in some episodes of that season.
 * The only model season not filmed at Shepperton Studios. Instead, it was filmed at Clapham Junction in Battersea.
 * The only season to feature Thomas with a realistic brakepipe.
 * The events of Thomas and Gordon, Edward and Gordon, The Sad Story of Henry, Edward, Gordon and Henry, Thomas' Train, Thomas and the Trucks and Thomas and The Breakdown Train which were based on the first two books of The Railway Series (The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine) were all later retold in the 2015 45-minute special The Adventure Begins.