Background Information[]
Sir Topham Hatt, nicknamed "The Fat Controller", is a fictional manager created by the Rev. W. Awdry. He looks after the North Western Railway and is also a father figure to his engines.
In Thomas & Friends, he first appeared in the first series in 1984. While there were three Fat Controllers in the The Railway Series, the Thomas & Friends Sir Topham Hatt can be described as a combination of the three controllers from The Railway Series.
His first official debut was in the first series episode, The Sad Story of Henry, which aired in 1984. His last appearance was in the twenty-fourth series episode, Thomas' Animal Friends, aired in 2021.
In his youth, he was a Boy Scout. Prior to him becoming Controller of the North Western Railway, Sir Topham Hatt owned a Sentinel steam lorry named Elizabeth, who notes that he was not the best driver. When he was a young man, Edward always took him aboard an old coach on his birthday. He also built the Coffee Pots some time prior to Thomas arriving on Sodor. Sir Topham later received his knighthood for his services to the railway industry. He was also the controller of the Skarloey Railway, until Mr. Percival was hired to help him manage the ever-increasing size of his railway industry. Prior to Blue Mountain Mystery, he bought a track inspection car named Winston, who is often used as a private transportation vehicle on the railway.
Sir Topham Hatt married Lady Hatt and is the grandfather of Stephen and Bridget Hatt. He has a twin brother, Sir Lowham Hatt and his mother is Dowager Hatt.
Prior to 2009, Michael Angelis and Pierce Brosnan gave Sir Topham Hatt a strong and gruff Yorkshire accent. Keith Wickham voiced him in the UK dub from the start of the show's CGI switch in Hero of the Rails, with Kerry Shale likewise voicing him in the US dub. Shale voiced Sir Topham until the end of the eighteenth series, leading Wickham to take over the role in the US dub from The Adventure Begins to the twenty-fourth series. Wickham portrayed Sir Topham with a higher pitched British accent, while Shale portrayed the character with a deep American accent.
Behind the Scenes[]
Gauge 1 figure[]
Sir Topham Hatt's Gauge 1 figure was made from resin for the first and second series. It was painted and used for distance shots and scenes with the engines only. During production of the third series, a lead small scale figurine was used to replace the original which was later switched back to resin during the start of the sixth series.
Many depictions of the props that have been assembled for various scenarios to match the storylines have since been purchased by fans over the years. Sir Topham's first series figure, eleventh series figure, and hatless third series head are currently owned by Twitter users FlyingPringle, Top Props and Lew The Racoon, respectively, with the latter two being sold by The Prop Gallery and the former being owned by Jonathan Saville. The hatless third series head would later be given to FlyingPringle by Lew in late 2022 in exchange for a passenger head. The Prop Gallery also sold a kilted figure in 2022 and is now currently owned by Youtube user ThomasFan U.K.[1] A figurine of him in a swimsuit was formerly at Drayton Manor Resort until it was put back on display in September 2023 during construction of the new prop exhibition. A figurine of him in his smart outfit was also put on display at both Clearwater Events. Additionally, the first series model would cameo in the fan-made episode "The Good Old Days". Additionally, a set of spare unused eye decals for Sir Topham Hatt's small scale models alongside many other figures, are currently owned by Twitter user TomsProps.
A seemingly unused leaning forward figure was put on display on the new Drayton Manor display, though bizarrely at the same time as the swimsuit figure and sporting the head of a carpenter from Calling All Engines!
Gauge 3 figure[]
A Gauge 3 figure of Sir Topham Hatt was made in the sixth series for scenes where he had to interact with the large-scale models of the narrow gauge engines, which had been used since the fifth series for ease of filming and reliability. Just like the Gauge 1 figure, the model had many variations built to match the needs of the episode's plot, and like many post-second series figures, it was made of resin. One of these figures is owned by one of the HiT Entertainment crew members Simon Spencer, while Sir Topham Hatt's original sixth series model is currently owned by Twitter and Instagram user ThomasTankMerch. Additionally, a set of spare unused eye decals for Sir Topham Hatt's Gauge 3 figure, alongside many other figures, are currently owned by Twitter user TomsProps.
Gauge 3.5 figure[]
A Gauge 3.5 figure of Sir Topham Hatt was also created for the spin-off series, Jack and the Sodor Construction Company. It appears in two episodes, A Visit from Thomas and Percy Helps Out. This figure was later sold on The Prop Store. A set of spare unused eye decals for Sir Topham Hatt's Gauge 3.5 figure, alongside many other figures, are currently owned by Twitter user TomsProps.
Close-up figure[]
A close-up figure of Sir Topham Hatt was made for scenes where he had to interact with the close-up models for engines and set dressings. Just like the Gauge 1 figure, the model had many variations to match the needs of the plots. This close-up model was made from wood and was later replaced with resin copies for the third series until the special The Great Discovery. A set of spare unused eye decals for Sir Topham Hatt's close-up figures, alongside many other figures, are currently owned by Twitter user TomsProps.
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A close-up figure was used in conjunction with the Gauge 1 set to create perspective.
Preservation[]
The head of the original wooden close-up model is currently owned by now former Twitter user FlyingPringle. It was previously owned by former modelmaker Jonathan Saville. Given the poor condition it was received in due to previously having been sanded down to be moulded, the head was restored and for the missing body, a replica was made from a reproduction casting mould, with the arms being from the fifth series production pair.
The photos of the restoration process below were taken by FlyingPringle.
CGI model[]
The twelfth series marked the beginning of the show's transition into Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) as a replacement for the show's long-standing live-action models. Sir Topham Hatt was recreated from scratch in CGI by Nitrogen Studios in 2008, a year before the show switched over to full CGI. His model was "hand-sculpted" in Maya, a 3D animation and modelling software.
Photographs of Sir Topham Hatt's close-up figure were used for referencing. According to Greg Tiernan, every detail of the original television series models for each character is carefully reproduced in the CGI model. The models are subjected to many rounds of review before they are submitted to HiT Entertainment for final input and approval.
The model was duplicated and reskinned with a moustache for usage as Sir Lowham Hatt.
In the sixteenth series episode, Happy Birthday Sir!, a young Sir Topham Hatt was seen in a flashback. The model was redressed from an existing child render, and given modified versions of Sir Topham's usual clothes.
In The Thomas & Friends Institute of Innovation, a muscular version of Sir Topham Hatt on steroids was also created.
Pantone Colours[]
The following pantone colours are used on Sir Topham Hatt's CGI model:
- ■ PMS 100 (yellow)
- ■ PMS 474 (orange)
- ■ PMS 428 (light grey)
- ■ PMS 431 (dark grey)
- ■ PMS 432 (dark blue)
- ■ PMS (black)
Reference Sheets[]
Voice Actors[]
- Keith Wickham (UK; Hero of the Rails onwards - US; The Adventure Begins onwards)
- Kerry Shale (US; Hero of the Rails - eighteenth series)
- Rob Rackstraw (Thomas' Magical Birthday Wishes, Learning with Thomas and The Sodor Springtime Parade)
- Blas García (Latin America; Hero of the Rails onwards; excluding Number One Engine)
- Manuel Pérez (Latin America; Number One Engine only)
- Harold Salazar (Latin America; Thomas' Magical Birthday Wishes, Learning with Thomas and The Sodor Springtime Parade)
- Kōhei Miyauchi (Japan; first - fourth series)
- Takeshi Aono (Japan; Hello Thomas and James - eighth series)
- Rokurō Naya (Japan; Calling All Engines! - Samson at Your Service, excluding Tale of the Brave)
- Kan Tanaka (Japan; Tale of the Brave and Samson Sent for Scrap - twenty-fourth series)
- Øyvind Borgemoen Lyse (Norway; Hero of the Rails - Tale of the Brave)
- Fredrik Steen (Norway; eighteenth series onwards)
- Bernard Demory (France and French speaking Canada; sixth series onwards; excluding eighth - twelfth series)
- Michel Lasorne (France and French speaking Canada; eighth - twelfth series)
- Enzo Avolio (Italy)
- Eberhard Haar (Germany; Hero of the Rails onwards)
- Jürgen Holdorf (Germany; singing voice; Big World! Big Adventures!)
- Thomas Fritsch (Germany; audiobooks: Little Saucebox Thomas - Things Always Seem To Happen When You Least Expect Them)
- Jörg Gillner (Germany; audiobooks: Calling All Engines! - The Splish-Splash-Splosh-Game)
- Aku Laitinen (Finland)
- Markus Bäckman (Finland: Number One Engine only)
- Pasi Ruohonen (Finland: Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go)
- Mikołaj Klimek (Poland)
- Nir Ron (Israel)
- Maarten Wansink (The Netherlands)
- Troells Toya (Denmark)
- Claes Ljungmark (Sweden, specials only)
- Adam Fietz (Sweden, TV series)
- Luiz Carlos de Morais (Brazil; twelfth series onwards)
- Roberto Cuadrado (Spain; Hero of the Rails onwards)
- Farago Andras (Hungary)
- Rin Tripa (Romania)
- Alexander Kotov (Russia)
- Oh Byeong-jo (South Korea; twelfth (re-dub) to fifteenth series and Misty Island Rescue original dub only)
- Shin Yong-u (South Korea; King of the Railway original dub only)
- Um Sang-hyun (South Korea; sixteenth to twenty-fourth series and Hero of the Rails (re-dub) to King of the Railway (re-dub) and Big World! Big Adventures! only)
- Park Sang-u (South Korea; Tale of the Brave to twenty-first series only)
- Loukas Frangoulis (Greece)