This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the Buzz Book, the My First Thomas book, the DVD, or the magazine story. |
- “🎵Said Harold Helicopter to our Percy, 'You are slow! Your railway is out of date, and not much use you know!' But Percy with his stone trucks/cars did the trip in record time, and we beat the helicopter on our old branch line!🎵”
- ― Percy's fireman singing the victory song
Percy and Harold, retitled Percy Proves a Point in American releases, is the ninth episode of the second series.
Plot
Percy is now working at the new harbour on Thomas' Branch Line. He often has to fetch trucks, and although he works hard he still likes his new job and prefers branch line work over shunting for the mainline engines at the big station. Along the branch line is an airfield and Percy hears the planes flying overhead. The loudest though is a helicopter. Percy complains about the noise it would make.
One day Percy stops with his train at the airfield. The helicopter is there and they begin by introducing each other. The helicopter's name is Harold and it is not long before he insults Percy by calling railways slow and out of date. When they finish, Harold flies away and Percy sets off for the quarry. Percy finds Toby and expresses his feelings about Harold. Afterwards, he collects his trucks and heads back to the harbour.
On Percy's trip back to the harbour, they hear Harold's unmistakable buzzing. Percy's crew encourage the two to race each other. Percy has never been allowed to go that fast before. The trucks wail and beg Percy to stop, but it is no use. They have to slow down when they reach the wharf and Percy is sure that they have lost the race. But when the fireman climbs onto the roof of the cab, he can see Harold still looking for a place to land.
In celebration of Percy's victory, the fireman sings a song about the race, which Percy loves, especially the last line.
Characters
- Thomas
- Percy
- Harold
- Toby (does not speak)
- Harold's Pilots (cameo)
- Henry (stock footage cameo)
- Sir Topham Hatt (mentioned)
Locations
Trivia
- This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Percy the Small Engine.
- Stock footage from Coal is used.
- In the Japanese version, the music is omitted during Percy's Victory Song.
- Events of this episode were mentioned and recreated in CGI for the twentieth series episode, Letters to Santa.
Goofs
- In the first shot, Percy pushes a box close to the rails, his eyes are wonky, and trucks throughout his train bounce slightly.
- After Thomas says, "Well done, Percy! The Fat Controller is very pleased with us!" the camera then cuts to Percy. This is the same shot as the fireman singing; look up at Percy's cab and the fireman's legs can be seen.
- When the narrator says, "An airfield was close by," Thomas' face moves slightly. The same thing happens with Percy's face when he says, "Stupid thing! Why can't it go and buzz somewhere else?"
- In the close-up of Percy complaining to Toby about Harold, Percy's eyes are wonky.
- Because stock footage is used, it shows the driver in Henry's cab when Percy's says, "Well I'll be a ding dong dang!" and Percy's fireman changes appearance at the wharf.
- When Percy says, "Yes! Let's!" it is possible to see through his left eye.
- When Percy gains speed, his back wheel derails.
- Percy's trucks gain faces when they say, "We don't want to, we don't want to!"
- In the aerial shot of Harold flying alongside Percy, a truck vanishes from Percy's train.
- When Harold flies over the valley, he clips a tree.
- When Percy says, "Oh, dear! I'm sure we've lost!" his eyes are wonky.
- After Percy's fireman's song, his right eye (viewer's left) pops out of the face mask slightly.
- Throughout the episode, Percy's left (viewer's right) cylinder is loose.
- Percy only has half of his screw-link coupling.
- A rare picture of Percy at the quarry shows a gear visible between his left driving wheels.
- In the restored version, after Percy's fireman finishes his song, the shot of Percy freezes mid-take.
Merchandise
- Buzz Books - Percy and Harold
- My Thomas Story Library - Harold
- Magazine stories - Percy and Harold
- Ladybird Books - Percy and Harold/Percy Takes the Plunge
- Engine Adventures - Harold
In Other Languages
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Home Media Releases
#01 Thomas, Percy and the Coal | #10 The Runaway | #19 Daisy |
#02 Cows | #11 Percy Takes the Plunge | #20 Percy's Predicament |
#03 Bertie's Chase | #12 Pop Goes the Diesel | #21 The Diseasel |
#04 Saved from Scrap | #13 Dirty Work | #22 Wrong Road |
#05 Old Iron | #14 A Close Shave | #23 Edward's Exploit |
#06 Thomas and Trevor | #15 Better Late than Never | #24 Ghost Train |
#07 Percy and the Signal | #16 Break Van | #25 Woolly Bear |
#08 Duck Takes Charge | #17 The Deputation | #26 Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree |
#09 Percy and Harold | #18 Thomas Comes to Breakfast | Cancelled: The Missing Coach |
Cancelled: Gordon Goes Foreign | ||