- "My favourite engine has to be Paxton the diesel. He may be a little rough around the edges but he's a kind and very funny diesel. He's a bit of a clown...just like me!"
- ― Ian McCue on Paxton, 2015 Licensing Source Book Interview
Ian McCue is an English producer, writer, television executive and voice actor.
He is the former senior creative executive producer at HiT Entertainment/Mattel Television for all of its brands, including Thomas & Friends. During the fifteenth series, he served as a line producer alongside Denise Green. He worked alongside Halim Jabbour until Jabbour left the series. He also wrote the Thomas' Comedy Showtime and Meet the Contenders shorts for the official YouTube channel, as well as Thomas & Friends in 4-D: Bubbling Boilers. He served as producer for the sixteenth through twentieth series and all eight specials in that time. He served as "creative executive" during the twenty-first series and twenty-second series, before becoming producer again for the twenty-third series and the twenty-fourth series after Micaela Winter left Mattel in August 2018.
He has also worked on other HiT Entertainment/Mattel Television brands, such as Fireman Sam and Bob the Builder.
Since 2021, he served as the transmedia storytelling supervisor at Mattel, overseeing podcasts, music videos and short-form content.
He launched Festivus, an animation networking and social event he ran for years. He has overseen the production of some of the UK's most well known children's TV series. In 2011, he won the Beyond the Call of Duty Award for his time as a children's producer.
Filmography
Thomas & Friends
Series
Line Producer
Producer
Creative Executive
Specials
Producer
- Day of the Diesels
- Blue Mountain Mystery
- King of the Railway
- Tale of the Brave
- The Adventure Begins
- Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure
- The Great Race
- Journey Beyond Sodor
Supervising Producer
Miscellaneous
- Thomas Wooden Pilot
- Down the Mine: The Pilot Episode (2025 restoration)
Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go
Promotional Videos
Writer
Thomas & Friends
Episodes
Special Episodes
Promotional Videos
- Thomas is Leaving Sodor for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!
- Thomas' Comedy Showtime
- Meet the Contenders
- Thomas & Friends Adventures Shorts
- Thomas Wooden Pilot
Songs
Calm
Voices
Thomas & Friends
UK/US
- The Blue Sea Serpent
- The Thin Tiger Hunter
- A Thief (Heart of Gold)
- Fair Attendees (A New Arrival)
JPN
- Thomas (Digs and Discoveries DVD; optional English dub, introduction only)
Songs
Thomas & Friends
Songs Performed
- He's Full of Surprises (with Andrew Brenner, Oliver Davis and David Stoten)
- A Thomas Birthday Wish (album version)
Songs Composed
- Legend of the Lost Engine (with Chris Renshaw)
- Party Train (with Chris Renshaw)
- The Little Engine Who Believed (with Lorenzo Castelli)
Trivia
- Since he joined the voice cast, McCue has never voiced any major vehicle characters. As another note, most of his roles are in a duo with Rob Rackstraw.
- In the documentary 70 Years of Friendship, he compared himself and Andrew Brenner to the crew in the engine. Brenner being the fireman fuelling the firebox with story ideas, and himself being the driver taking that idea from the very start to the very end of the journey.[1]
- According to the Licensing Source 2015 book, McCue stated that his favourite character is Paxton.
- On Kong Studio's website, McCue says relating to the Sodor Mystery shorts:
| “ | I am so proud of the work Kong and I did on the Sodor Mystery Shorts, and the viewing figures on YouTube confirm they are being well received and enjoyed by the target audience. The new look of Thomas & Friends takes us back in time to classic 2D animation in its design and movement. It’s a quality show, and I had no hesitation In Kong being able to deliver content that seamlessly matched the look and feel. Kong did an Abso-toot-ly fantastic job, and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to work with them again soon. | ” |
Gallery
Videos
