Thomas and the Rumours

"Harold wants to get rid of us." "He doesn't need tunnels!" "Don't worry; he's just counting sheep!" "Counting sheep? Pah! He's counting how many engines he can get rid of!"

- Gordon, Henry and Percy

Thomas and the Rumours, renamed Thomas and the Rumors in American releases, is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season.

Plot
Some children are upset that their playground has been closed, but before Thomas can tell the others, Percy butts in with news that Harold has been hired to show a special visitor around Sodor. A few days later, Gordon is going to collect his train when he sees Harold and goes down the wrong line into a tunnel. Thomas is worried that Gordon will be scrapped, but the Fat Controller laughs and says Harold was hired so the man could find a new site for the playground from the air. The man declares that the sand cleared from the tunnel will be perfect for the playground.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Special Visitor
 * Bridget Hatt (not named)
 * Harold (does not speak)
 * Duck (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Stephen Hatt (cameo)
 * Jem Cole (cameo)
 * Farmer Trotter (cameo)

Locations

 * Callan
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * Glennock
 * The School
 * The Windmill

Trivia

 * Stock footage from Trucks! is used.
 * This episode was adapted from the magazine stories, An Important Visitor and Rumours and Speculation, by Andrew Brenner. However, BoCo and Daisy were omitted from the episode for unknown reasons.

Goofs

 * When Thomas puffs into the yard, the decals on one of the milk wagons beside him are incorrectly placed.
 * When Percy is on the turntable, part of its fencing is snapped.
 * Studio equipment can be seen in the top-left corner in the close-up of Henry before he enters the tunnel.
 * Percy doesn't have his own branch line, as opposed to this episode's script.
 * Why would Gordon's driver take the rumour so seriously?
 * When Thomas puffs out of Callan, a signal tilts slightly to one side.
 * When the children tell Thomas about the playground, one child looks happy.
 * The title card of the US version uses the UK spelling of "rumours".
 * When Thomas passes the playground saying, "The Children were right" there is a sign saying "Playground closed until further notice" at the back of the playground. However, when Gordon passes the playground, the sign is gone. Also, as the school and playground were portrayed as being on Thomas' Branch Line, Gordon should not have been running on that line.
 * Percy's eyes are wonky when Gordon replies about counting sheep.
 * The special visitor's small scale model is wearing a grey suit while the large scale model is wearing a yellow suit.
 * Henry's eyes are wonky after Harold leaves the sheds.

Quotes

 * Henry: "Harold might think he's more important than me, but he's not! Harold can't fly through tunnels!"
 * Percy: "I know what he's doing! He's counting sheep!"