Series 22

Series 22 of Thomas & Friends started airing on 3rd September 2018 in the UK and on 17th September 2018 in the US.

Production
Series 22 marks the first major "reboot" of the franchise since the show switched to full CGI in the thirteenth series. The episodes keep their eleven minute-long runtime, but are now broken into seven minute-long stories, with an additional four minutes reserved for a variety of segments like sing-along karaoke songs, music videos or Thomas talking directly with the audience about lessons learned during a particular episode. Among many other changes, Edward and Henry were removed from the Steam Team to make room for Nia and Rebecca, while Toby has also been quietly dropped, and the narrator has been replaced with Thomas in a first person perspective, while introducing the episode plots at the beginning. Despite this, Mark Moraghan has said that he will still work on the series. In School of Duck, he voiced an old coach named Dexter who was converted into a school classroom.

Series 22 is set after Big World! Big Adventures! The series is split into two halves; one half sees Thomas travelling around the world and visiting China, India and Australia, while the second half takes place back on the Island of Sodor.

Songs

 * Engine Roll Call (newly updated)
 * Set Friendship in Motion (different lyrics)
 * The Journey Never Ends

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Duck
 * Bill and Ben
 * Flying Scotsman
 * Harvey
 * Emily
 * Spencer
 * Rosie
 * Whiff
 * Stanley
 * Belle
 * Porter
 * Marion
 * Samson
 * Ashima
 * Rajiv
 * Shane
 * Yong Bao
 * Merlin
 * Nia
 * Diesel
 * Daisy
 * Salty
 * Dart
 * Sidney
 * Paxton
 * Philip
 * The Chinese Diesel
 * Shankar
 * Skarloey
 * Victor
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Henrietta
 * Rocky
 * Judy and Jerome
 * Bradford
 * Hannah
 * The Male Chinese Breakdown Crane
 * Trevor
 * Kevin
 * Cranky
 * Reg
 * Carly
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Lady Hatt
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Dowager Hatt
 * Cyril the Fogman
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford
 * The Mayor of Sodor
 * Headkeeper Jack
 * The Fat Clergyman
 * Charubala
 * The Teacher
 * The Lady with the Big Hat
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * Samson's Driver
 * Stephen
 * The Grey Tender Engine
 * Luke
 * Slip Coaches
 * Sir Robert Norramby
 * Oliver
 * Connor
 * Caitlin
 * Timothy
 * Hugo
 * Millie
 * Toad
 * Max and Monty
 * The Deputy Minister
 * Barrow Football Team
 * Charlie
 * Scruff
 * The Tan Tender Engine
 * The Dark Red Tank Engine
 * A Diesel Shunter
 * Winston
 * Skiff
 * Peter Sam
 * Duncan
 * Jack
 * Big Mickey
 * Merrick
 * Owen
 * Jem Cole
 * Farmer McColl
 * Captain Joe
 * The Thin Clergyman
 * The Grumpy Passenger
 * The Tree Specialists
 * The Bird Watcher
 * Two Schoolchildren
 * The Ginger-haired Boy
 * Sodor United Football Team
 * One of Dowager Hatt's Friends
 * Albert's Wife
 * Boulder
 * Ferdinand
 * Donald and Douglas
 * Ryan
 * 'Arry and Bert
 * Den
 * Rheneas
 * Sir Handel
 * Rusty
 * Bert
 * Rex
 * Mike
 * Bertie
 * Harold
 * Alfie
 * Oliver
 * The Ffarquhar Policeman
 * Hiro
 * Gator
 * Frieda
 * Gina
 * The Brazilian Tank Engine
 * Beau
 * The Arizona Diesel
 * Flynn
 * Stafford
 * Etienne
 * Ace
 * The American Crane
 * Diesel 10
 * Terence
 * Butch
 * Thomas the Baby
 * Theo
 * Lexi
 * Kwaku
 * The Female Chinese Breakdown Crane
 * Father Christmas
 * Lord Callan
 * Daisy's Fitter

Characters Introduced

 * Hong-Mei
 * Rebecca
 * Noor Jehan
 * Tamika
 * An An and Yin-Long
 * Aubrey and Aiden
 * Dexter
 * Lei
 * Isla
 * The Indian Actor
 * The Indian Director
 * The Tiger Hunters
 * Madeleine
 * Madeleine's Parents
 * Ranger Jill
 * Doctor Claire
 * The Indian Breakdown Cranes
 * The Purple Tank Engine
 * The Purple Tender Engine
 * The Chinese Diesel Shunter

UK, AUS and NZ

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, Harvey, Whiff, Salty, Skarloey, Sir Topham Hatt and Dowager Hatt
 * Rob Rackstraw as James, Toby, Bradford and the Fat Tiger Hunter
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy, Trevor and Merlin in Percy's fantasy
 * Steven Kynman as Duck, Porter, Dart and Paxton
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Bill, Philip and the Angry Man
 * Matt Wilkinson as Ben, Spencer, Stanley, Rocky, Cranky, Kevin and the Duke of Boxford
 * Rufus Jones as Flying Scotsman
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Belle, Annie, Clarabel, Judy, Lady Hatt, Stephen Hatt, Bridget Hatt, the Duchess of Boxford, Madeleine and Madeleine's Mother
 * Nicola Stapleton as Rosie
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Robert Wilfort as Samson
 * Tina Desai as Ashima
 * Nikhil Parmar as Rajiv and the Indian Director
 * Shane Jacobson as Shane
 * Dan Li as Yong Bao
 * Hugh Bonneville as Merlin
 * Yvonne Grundy as Nia
 * Kerry Shale as Diesel, Cyril the Fogman and Headkeeper Jack
 * Tracy-Ann Oberman as Daisy
 * Bob Golding as Sidney
 * David Bedella as Victor and the Mayor of Sodor
 * Maggie Ollerenshaw as Henrietta
 * Tim Whitnall as Jerome and Reg
 * Lucy Montgomery as Hannah and Carly
 * Tom Stourton as the Fat Clergyman (uncredited)
 * Rachael Miller as Rebecca, Isla, the Teacher and some Australian Passengers
 * Chipo Chung as Hong-Mei
 * Siu-see Hung as An An and Chinese Women
 * Windson Liong as Yin-Long, Lei, the Male Chinese Breakdown Crane, the Chinese Guard and Chinese Men
 * Su-Lin Looi as the Chinese Diesel
 * Sheena Bhattessa as Noor Jehan and Charubala
 * Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar and the Indian Actor
 * Rose Robinson as Tamika
 * Mark Moraghan as Dexter
 * Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
 * Tim Bain as Aiden and Madeleine's Father
 * Ian McCue as the Thin Tiger Hunter
 * Tariro Mavondo as Ranger Jill
 * Jass Patel as a Concessions Worker
 * Jessica Hann as a Child
 * Charlie Barnard as a Child
 * Mia Hope Gaywood as a Child
 * Holly Hazelton as a Child
 * Innis Robertson-Pinnell as a Child
 * Damon Denton-Snape as a Child

US and CAN

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * William Hope as Edward, Toby, Whiff, Rocky and the Duke of Boxford
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, Diesel, Kevin, Cyril the Fogman and Headkeeper Jack
 * Rob Rackstraw as James, Bradford and the Fat Tiger Hunter
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy and Trevor
 * Steven Kynman as Duck, Dart and Paxton
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Bill, Philip and the Angry Man
 * Matt Wilkinson as Ben
 * Rufus Jones as Flying Scotsman
 * Keith Wickham as Harvey, Salty, Skarloey, Sir Topham Hatt and Dowager Hatt
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily, Lady Hatt and the Duchess of Boxford
 * Glenn Wrage as Spencer and Cranky
 * Nicola Stapleton as Rosie
 * Teresa Gallagher as Belle, Annie, Clarabel, Judy, Stephen Hatt, Bridget Hatt, Madeleine and Madeleine's Mother
 * David Menkin as Porter
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Robert Wilfort as Samson
 * Tina Desai as Ashima
 * Nikhil Parmar as Rajiv and the Indian Director
 * Shane Jacobson as Shane
 * Dan Li as Yong Bao
 * Hugh Bonneville as Merlin
 * Yvonne Grundy as Nia
 * Tracy-Ann Oberman as Daisy
 * Bob Golding as Sidney
 * David Bedella as Victor and the Mayor of Sodor
 * Maggie Ollerenshaw as Henrietta
 * Tim Whitnall as Jerome and Reg
 * Lucy Montgomery as Hannah and Carly
 * Tom Stourton as the Fat Clergyman (uncredited)
 * Nigel Pilkington as Merlin in Percy's fantasy (uncredited)
 * Rachael Miller as Rebecca, Isla, The Teacher and some Australian Passengers
 * Chipo Chung as Hong-Mei
 * Siu-see Hung as An An and Chinese Women
 * Windson Liong as Yin-Long, Lei, the Male Chinese Breakdown Crane, the Chinese Guard and Chinese Men
 * Su-Lin Looi as the Chinese Diesel
 * Sheena Bhattessa as Noor Jehan and Charubala
 * Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar and the Indian Actor
 * Rose Robinson as Tamika
 * Mark Moraghan as Dexter
 * Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
 * Tim Bain as Aiden and Madeleine's Father
 * Ian McCue as the Thin Tiger Hunter
 * Tariro Mavondo as Ranger Jill
 * Jass Patel as a Concessions Worker
 * Jessica Hann as a Child
 * Charlie Barnard as a Child
 * Mia Hope Gaywood as a Child
 * Holly Hazelton as a Child
 * Innis Robertson-Pinnell as a Child
 * Damon Denton-Snape as a Child

Trivia

 * This series marks the first of several things:
 * The first series to use the new intro, credits and Set Friendship in Motion as an intro song.
 * The first series to feature the newly updated Engine Roll Call.
 * The first series to feature Thomas as the narrator. Because of this:
 * This is the first series since the sixteenth to have a different narrator in both the UK and US dubs.
 * This is the first production since Thomas and the Magic Railroad to have a first-person narrative.
 * The first series to feature the new Steam Team - Thomas, Gordon, James, Percy, Emily, Nia and Rebecca.
 * The first series not to have Edward, Henry and Toby as part of the main cast. However despite this, Edward speaks in every episode he appears in this series (not counting a stock footage cameo in Kangaroo Christmas) and Toby was also part of the Steam Team in the newly updated Engine Roll Call.
 * The first series since the eleventh to have Rosie speak in more than one episode.
 * The first series in which Dart appears, but without Den.
 * The first series in which Rasmus Hardiker and Matt Wilkinson voice Bill and Ben since Jonathan Broadbent's departure from the series.
 * The first series since the twelfth to have seven minute long episode story segments.
 * Flying Scotsman's first appearance in an episode since the third series and his first speaking role in an episode.
 * Ashima, Rajiv, Shane, Yong Bao, Merlin, Nia, The Chinese Diesel, Shankar and Charubala's first appearances in an episode.
 * Rajiv, Shane, Shankar and Charubala's first speaking roles in the franchise.
 * Cyril the Fogman and Boulder's first appearances in full CGI.
 * The first time the Aquarium Trucks appear in the CGI Series.
 * The first series to feature Learn with Thomas segments at the end of every episode.
 * The first series to have episodes written by Michael White and Tim Bain. It is also the first series to have episodes written by Becky Overton since the nineteenth series.
 * The first series not to receive any DVD releases in the United States.
 * This is the only series for five things:
 * The only series to date in which Stephen, Ryan, Duncan, Millie, Bert, Rex and Sir Robert Norramby appear, but do not speak since their introductions.
 * The only series to date in which Glynn, Mavis, Norman, Stafford and Fergus Duncan do not appear since their debuts. However, Stafford still appears in the newly updated Engine Roll Call.
 * The only series to date in which Terence, Bulgy and Farmer Finney do not appear since their returns in the twenty-first series respectively. However, Terence's caterpillar treads do appear in Dexter's fantasy scene in School of Duck.
 * The only series to date since they joined the voice cast in King of the Railway not to have Mike Grady and Miranda Raison as part of the cast. It is also the only series to date since he joined the voice cast in the eighteenth series not to have Joe Mills as part of the cast.
 * This is the final series of a couple of things:
 * The last series to have Lee Pressman on the writing team.
 * The last series to have Micaela Winter as producer.
 * Although they did not appear in the main episodes and only appeared in the end segments, Donald, Douglas, Oliver, Connor, Caitlin, Timothy, Ryan, Iron 'Arry, Iron Bert, Den, Hugo, Flynn, Rheneas, Sir Handel, Millie, Rusty, Bert, Rex, Mike, Toad, Bertie, Harold, Alfie, Oliver the Excavator, Max and Monty all appear in stock footage of several episodes:
 * Hugo makes a stock footage appearance in Forever and Ever.
 * Oliver, Toad, Alfie, Oliver the Excavator and the Ffarquhar Policeman make stock footage appearances in Trusty Trunky.
 * Ryan makes two stock footage cameos in Trusty Trunky and Kangaroo Christmas.
 * Rheneas, Sir Handel and Rusty make stock footage cameos in Tiger Trouble.
 * Bertie makes a stock footage cameo in Seeing is Believing.
 * Millie makes three stock footage appearances in The Water Wheel, Thomas and the Dragon, and Rosie is Red.
 * Caitlin makes a stock footage appearance in Cyclone Thomas.
 * Connor, Bert, Rex, Mike and Harold make stock footage appearances in Kangaroo Christmas.
 * Timothy makes a stock footage appearance in The Case of the Puzzling Parts.
 * Den makes two stock footage cameos in Hunt the Truck and Counting on Nia.
 * Max and Monty make stock footage appearances in Hunt the Truck.
 * Iron 'Arry and Iron Bert make stock footage cameos in Banjo and the Bushfire.
 * Donald and Douglas make stock footage cameos in Counting on Nia.
 * Tina Desai and Hugh Bonneville return to the voice cast.
 * Nikhil Parmar, Siu-see Hung, Windson Liong, Sheena Bhattessa, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Rose Robinson, Genevieve McCarthy, Tim Bain, Tariro Mavondo, Shane Jacobson, Jass Patel, Jessica Hann, Charlie Barnard, Mia Hope Gaywood, Holly Hazelton, Innis Robertson-Pinnell and Damon Denton-Snape join the voice cast.
 * This series introduced a new sequence used at least once in almost every episode, featuring an engine backing up to the selected rolling stock and a close-up of their couplings being hooked, followed by a close-up of their whistle being blown (horns for diesels and a bell if they have one) before the start of the main plot.
 * The mist surrounding the frame in the fantasy sequences is very similar to classic cartoon thought bubbles. Depending on who is having the fantasy, it is white for steam engines (and rolling stock) and black for diesels.
 * Emily is the only current Steam Team member to not get a starring role this series.
 * Apart from Thomas reading the titles aloud and talking directly to the audience before and after the stories, Forever and Ever, What Rebecca Does and Apology Impossible are the only episodes this series to not feature narration.
 * China is the most featured foreign country this series, appearing in five episodes, while Australia and India were each featured in four episodes.
 * Yong Bao and Rajiv are the only returning characters from The Great Race to appear in every episode of the series set in their respective country. Ashima and Shane were only featured in three out of the four episodes for their respective countries.