Not Now, Charlie!

"There's an elephant on the line!"

- Charlie

Not Now, Charlie! is the tenth (eighteenth in Australia) episode of the seventeenth season.

Plot
Charlie is always telling jokes. He tells Thomas, Henry and Percy a joke about an elephant which they all find hilarious. One day, Charlie is on his way to pick up some trucks when he meets an elephant on the track. Charlie is puzzled; he did not think there were any elephants on Sodor. Realising the elephant may be in danger, Charlie blows his whistle to try and get the elephant to move off the line. The elephant takes no notice of Charlie who decides to go and get help.

Charlie meets up with Thomas and tries to explain about the elephant. Thomas thinks it is just another one of Charlie's jokes and puffs away to deliver his passengers. Charlie is surprised by Thomas' reaction. Later on, Charlie meets Percy who is pulling a goods train. Charlie gets the same reaction from Percy who also thinks Charlie is joking. At the shunting yards, Charlie tries to explain about the elephant to Henry who says that he does not have time for jokes and leaves.

As he makes his way back to the docks, Charlie even starts to doubt himself. As he approaches the Animal Park, everything becomes clear. Charlie can see that a tree has knocked a hole in the wall of the elephant enclosure and that the elephant must belong to the park. At the docks, Charlie tries to make everyone listen to him, but still no one will believe him. Charlie knows that there is only one option left and heads to the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre.

At the rescue centre, Charlie reports the elephant to Harold who agrees that it most certainly is an emergency and takes off. Together, Charlie and Harold head to the animal park where they can see that the damaged wall is already being repaired. There is no sign of the elephant so Harold flies up high to get a better look while Charlie and the zoo keeper keep an eye out on the ground. Suddenly, Harold announces that he can see the elephant near Brendam.

Sure enough, the elephant is found near a bridge where he has drawn quite a crowd of children who are excited to see an elephant out and about. Harold and Charlie arrive with a couple of zoo keepers and a special truck for the elephant. Carefully, the elephant is ushered into the truck and Charlie sets off back towards the park.

On his way to the Animal Park, Charlie passes through the docks where the engines are surprised to see the elephant and even more surprised to learn that Charlie's story had been true. At the Animal Park, the elephant is led back to its enclosure and the Fat Controller praises Charlie for raising the alarm.

Charlie has learned that telling jokes all the time is not always a good thing as no one ever takes him seriously. Charlie vows never to tell another joke again. Unfortunately for Cranky, Charlie's vow does not last for long.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Charlie
 * Salty
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Harold
 * Cranky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Zoo Keeper
 * The Schoolchildren
 * The Blond-haired Boy (cameo)
 * One of Dowager Hatt's Friends (cameo)
 * The Lady with the Big Hat (cameo)
 * The Female Puppet Show Entertainer (cameo)

Locations

 * Animal Park
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Knapford
 * Sodor Search and Rescue Centre
 * Knapford Yards
 * Coastal Cliffs
 * Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox

UK

 * Ben Small as Thomas
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie, Clarabel and the Children
 * Kerry Shale as the Zoo Keeper (uncredited)
 * Keith Wickham as Henry, Gordon, Percy, Salty, Harold and the Fat Controller
 * Matt Wilkinson as Charlie and Cranky

US

 * Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel and the Children
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, Harold, Sir Topham Hatt and the Zoo Keeper
 * Ben Small as Charlie
 * Keith Wickham as Salty
 * Glenn Wrage as Cranky

Trivia

 * The plot of the episode is the same as a classic or common fairytale, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".
 * One of the zoo keepers is actually a workman from the Blue Mountain Quarry.
 * An image from a magazine activity shows Henry wearing a lamp during his scene at Knapford which he did not have in the actual episode.
 * This episode marks Harold's first speaking role since the fifteenth season episode, Stuck on You.
 * Going by production order, this is the eighteenth episode of the seventeenth season.
 * Charlie's upsetting is similar to Henry's from the fourth season episode, Henry and the Elephant.

Goofs

 * Kerry Shale is not credited in the UK credits despite voicing the zoo keeper.
 * In the UK version, Charlie's laugh does not always match his mouth.
 * The second time Charlie is at the docks, there are no trucks on Percy's track, but seconds later, a truck appears in front of Percy and then it disappears when Charlie is leaving the docks.
 * When Charlie first arrives at the docks, Gordon has express coaches, but in the overhead shot of them from Cranky, the coaches have disappeared.
 * The second time Charlie arrives at the damaged wall, the wall is extended.
 * When Charlie arrives at the Shunting Yards, Henry does not have a brake van, but when Charlie is talking to Henry it reappears.

Merchandise

 * Books - Not Now, Charlie!
 * Magazine stories - Not Now, Charlie!

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Railway Mischief
 * The Complete Series 17

DVD Packs

 * 10 DVD Boxset (2015)

AUS

 * Railway Mischief

US

 * Engines to the Rescue
 * Season 17 (Digital Download)

DVD Boxsets

 * Engines to the Rescue and Tale of the Brave Double Pack

THA

 * Luke's New Friend

CHN

 * The Switch (Chinese DVD)

HRV
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 * Phantom Express