Edward the Great

"An honest Steamie can beat a pouty puffer ANY day!"

- Percy

Edward the Great is the fourteenth (eighth in Australia) episode of the eighth season.

Plot
Edward enjoys being useful and helpful, but he feels left out when he is not as strong as the other engines. The Duke and Duchess of Boxford are visiting along with their engine, Spencer to see their new summerhouse. When Spencer arrived at Knapford, his driver told him that he beat Gordon's record. Spencer boasts that he is faster than all the engines on Sodor which made Sir Topham Hatt's engines very cross. Sir Topham Hatt arrived and told them that whilst Spencer is taking the Duke and Duchess to their new summerhouse, another engine will take their furniture. Thomas, Percy, James and Gordon wanted the chance to pull it to show Spencer that they were faster than him, but Sir Topham Hatt lets Edward take the furniture as the others have work to do. James and Gordon said rude remarks about Edward that he will lose the race, but Thomas and Percy stood up for Edward that he can beat Spencer. Edward took off, but Spencer sped passed Edward until he was out of sight.

Edward struggled up the hill with the heavy furniture, but made it to the top and raced down the hill to catch up to Spencer. Later Spencer stopped at Wellsworth for the Duke and Duchess to have tea and cakes. Edward caught up and was very tired that he wished he could have a rest, but continued on when the stationmaster and the porters cheered for him when they heard about the race. The Duke and Duchess finished their tea and cakes and Spencer went off in a flash speeding pass Edward once again leaving him to struggle with the heavy furniture.

Later, Spencer stopped once again for the Duke and Duchess to take some photographs of the countryside and Spencer went to sleep to pass the time, not worrying that he will not lose. When Gordon was puffing his way back to the docks, he thought Edward was losing the race when he saw Spencer and said that Edward is a waste of steam. But he saw Edward trying so hard to catch, he felt bad about what he said and congratulate Edward that he is a credit to the railway. Edward was so happy that he picked up speed and found puff he never knew he had.

When the Duke and Duchess finish taking the photographs and got back on board, Spencer's driver rang the bell for him to go, but Spencer did not hear the bell as he was still asleep dreaming of victory. He also did not hear that Edward puffed passed him. When Spencer's driver rang the bell again, Spencer woke up shocked to see that Edward was heading towards the summerhouse and tried to catch up with him, but his driver told him to slow down because of the old tracks. Spencer slowed down and knew he was going to lose the race. Edward made to the summerhouse and was happy that he had won the race against Spencer and he felt like the pride of the Sodor Railway.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Spencer
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford (do not speak)
 * Henry (cameo)
 * Salty (cameo)
 * City of Truro (picture cameo)
 * Refreshment Lady (mentioned)
 * Donald and Douglas (deleted scene)

Locations

 * Knapford
 * Wellsworth
 * Brendam
 * The Coaling Plant
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford's Summer House
 * The Flour Mill

Trivia

 * This is the last episode of a few things:
 * The last episode to use stock footage from the Classic Series directed by David Mitton.
 * The last time Spencer is seen with his blue-grey paintwork as starting from his next appearance onward, his paint changes to metallic silver.
 * While the Duke and Duchess have refreshments, posters advertising the White Star Line and the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway are visible in the top left corner. A picture of the City of Truro can also be seen inside of Spencer's coach.
 * Stock footage from Gordon and Spencer is used.
 * The concept of Spencer falling asleep and unintentionally allowing Edward to overtake him by having him win the race is extremely similar to Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.
 * Going by production order, this is the eighth episode of the eighth season.
 * Donald and Douglas were going to appear in the episode, but they were cut for unknown reasons. This would have been their only full appearances in the eighth season.
 * A poster at Knapford reads "Allicia Botti Flower Show Grand Opening!" in the closeup of Spencer's driver.
 * From this episode throughout the rest of the season, Salty's horn sound is Derek's in two half steps higher in pitch.
 * In The Complete Series 8 DVD and other television broadcasts, the last bit of music was omitted at the end.

Goofs

 * When Edward stops to rest on a siding, Henry has Gordon's whistle sound.
 * In the first overhead shot of Edward and Spencer racing, Spencer's steam platform is visible.
 * The narrator says that Spencer's driver rang the bell, but there is no bell in Spencer's cab.
 * In the last shot, Spencer appears to be smiling, when he should be sad.
 * When Edward is climbing Gordon's Hill, it has one more track than it normally does.
 * A rare deleted scene still shows one of the furniture truck's wheels derailed.
 * A camera shadow can be seen on Edward when he leaves Knapford station.
 * Edward's whistle is bent in the opening shot.
 * When Spencer stops, the Duke and Duchess are already out of the coach taking pictures.
 * When Spencer stopped for the Duke and Duchess to take photos, his puffing is out of sync with his speed.
 * Spencer has the sound of an airplane landing down, but Spencer is a steam engine.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway (discontinued)
 * Tomica (discontinued)
 * Books - Edward is the Best
 * My Thomas Story Library - Spencer (discontinued)
 * Engine Adventures - Spencer
 * Magazine Stories - Edward the Great

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * It's Great to be an Engine!
 * The Complete Series 8

DVD Boxsets

 * 5 Adventurous DVDs
 * Classic Collection
 * Triple Pack
 * The Ultimate Collection

US

 * It's Great to be an Engine!
 * The Greatest Stories

DVD Boxsets

 * Let's Explore with Thomas
 * Fun Pack

AUS

 * The Complete Series 8

DVD Packs

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * The Essential Collection (5 DVD Boxset)
 * Series Seven and Series Eight Double Pack

NL

 * Spic and Span (Dutch DVD)

GER

 * The Best Engines of Sodor

POL

 * At Tip Top

MYS

 * Magical Collection
 * Percy's New Whistle and Other Adventures
 * School Break with Thomas

IN

 * Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough (Indian DVD)

HUN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 2 - First Prize

DVD Boxsets

 * Thomas the Tank Engine & Gift Keys extension box

DK

 * It's Great to be a Train

NOR/SWE

 * It's Cool to be a Train

FIN

 * It's Great to be a Locomotive!

CZ

 * Thomas' Best Contraption

ROM

 * It's Great to be a Locomotive!
 * Thomas and Friends - Vol. 2 (Romanian DVD)

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 3
 * Six DVD Set

SA

 * The World's Strongest Engine (South African DVD)

SPN

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 2 (Spanish DVD)

DVD Boxsets

 * First Season (Spanish DVD)

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 35 (Thai DVD)

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 8 Vol.3

TWN
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 19 (Taiwanese DVD)

Episode
Edek Wielki