Series 23 of Thomas & Friends began airing on 18 May 2019 in the US and 2 September 2019 in the UK.
Production
Mattel green-lit a new series and several specials for Thomas & Friends that premiered in 2019. Production began on the twenty-third series which consisted of 20 x 11-minute episodes as well as three 22-minute specials following the recent revamp of the series.
The series is once again, split into two halves: one half with Thomas travelling around the world, and one half taking place on the Island of Sodor. Along with more episodes set in the previously visited China, India and Australia, Thomas will also visit two new countries, Italy and Brazil.
Episodes
Screenshot | UK title (top) US title (bottom) |
Written by | Original UK release date | Episode number # |
---|---|---|---|---|
File:FreetheRoadspromo.png | Free the Roads | Michael White | 2 September 2019 | #01 |
Bulgy thinks that people should travel by bus instead of rail until he learns that having so many passengers is not easy for the buses on their own. | ||||
File:CrowningAroundPromo2.png | Crowning Around | Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson | 3 September 2019 | #02 |
Rajiv learns that he can be really useful with or without his crown. | ||||
Chucklesome Trucks | Davey Moore | 4 September 2019 | #03 | |
Rebecca defies expectations when she works with the Troublesome Trucks and has a very amusing day. | ||||
The Other Big Engine | Davey Moore | 5 September 2019 | #04 | |
Thomas meets another big blue engine in Brazil that reminds him of Gordon. | ||||
Heart of Gold | Michael White | 6 September 2019 | #05 | |
Toby does not feel useful working at Ulfstead Castle but soon proves some rude passengers wrong when he saves the crown. | ||||
Batucada | Davey Moore | 9 September 2019 | #06 | |
Thomas finds a way to take part in the Brazilian carnival music. | ||||
Gordon Gets the Giggles | Becky Overton | 10 September 2019 | #07 | |
Gordon becomes worried when he gets a serious case of the giggles. | ||||
Thomas Makes a Mistake | Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson | 11 September 2019 | #08 | |
Thomas causes confusion and delay by not seeking help when he makes a mistake. | ||||
Diesel Do Right | Davey Moore | 12 September 2019 | #09 | |
Diesel plays a trick on Rebecca to try to get the other engines in trouble for a change. | ||||
Grudge Match | Davey Moore | 13 September 2019 | #10 | |
Raul wants to beat Thomas in a game, but his competitive nature soon gets him into trouble. | ||||
Panicky Percy | Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson | 16 December 2019 | #11 | |
Percy causes confusion and delay by panicking over nothing. | ||||
Laid Back Shane | Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson | TBA | TBA | |
Shane has too much fun to stop and refuel until he runs out of coal and is stranded in the desert. | ||||
Wish You Were Here | Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson | TBA | TBA | |
Thomas misses his best friend, Percy, while working on the Chinese railway. | ||||
Diesel Glows Away | Davey Moore | TBA | TBA | |
When Diesel hides from the other engines, his plans backfire and he gets a surprise. | ||||
Out of Site | Michael White | TBA | TBA | |
Brenda learns that it is important to work as a team and not just care about her own jobs. | ||||
First Day on Sodor! | Becky Overton | TBA | TBA | |
Darcy makes some mistakes on her first day, but she soon makes up for it when everyone sees what she can really do. | ||||
Lorenzo's Solo | Becky Overton | TBA | TBA | |
Lorenzo gets lost when he leaves Beppe behind to take Dame Bella Canto to a concert alone. | ||||
Too Loud, Thomas! | Becky Overton | TBA | TBA | |
Thomas loses his voice and he must find a new way to pass on his message. | ||||
Deep Trouble | Michael White | TBA | TBA | |
Max and Monty's antics on a construction site get them into trouble. | ||||
File:RangersoftheRailspromo.png | Rangers of the Rails | Davey Moore | TBA | TBA |
Emily takes the Sodor Rangers camping but gets derailed. |
Specials
Screenshot | UK title (top) US title (bottom) |
Written by | Original UK release date | Episode number # |
---|---|---|---|---|
Steam Team to the Rescue | Davey Moore | 19 October 2019 | #01 | |
The steam engines must work overtime to unload cargo from the docks when a series of accidents put all of the diesel engines out of action. | ||||
File:AllTracksLeadtoRomepromo.jpg | All Tracks Lead to Rome | Becky Overton | 21 December 2019 | #02 |
Thomas is keen to prove to his new friend Gina that he is an expert in all things Italian, until he gets lost down an old mine. | ||||
Mines of Mystery | Becky Overton | 22 December 2019 | #03 | |
Thomas wants to impress his friends by finding an amazing discovery. It is not long before his wish is granted, although not in the way he had expected. |
Songs
Characters
- Thomas
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- James
- Percy
- Toby
- Duck
- Emily
- Belle
- Stanley
- Caitlin
- Porter
- Glynn
- Ashima
- Gina
- Raul
- Yong Bao
- Shane
- Rajiv
- Nia
- Hong-Mei
- Rebecca
- Diesel
- Salty
- Den
- Dart
- Paxton
- Norman
- Sidney
- Philip
- Fernando
- Shankar
- Noor Jehan
- Winston
- Skarloey
- Peter Sam
- Victor
- Millie
- Troublesome Trucks
- Annie and Clarabel
- An An and Yin-Long
- Aubrey and Aiden
- Terence
- Bertie
- Harold
- Bulgy
- Cranky
- Jack
- Alfie
- Oliver
- Max and Monty
- Kevin
- Captain
- Flynn
- Owen
- Carly
- Big Mickey
- Cassia
- Emerson
- Sir Topham Hatt
- The Knapford Stationmaster
- Jenny Packard
- The Teacher
- The Bird Watcher
- The Ginger-haired Boy
- Albert's Wife
- The Great Railway Show Judge
- The Film Crew Leader
- Sir Robert Norramby
- The Grumpy Passenger
- The Batucada Players
- Charubala
- The Indian Fashion Designer
- The Divers (fantasy)
- Rocky (does not speak)
- Butch (does not speak)
- Farmer McColl (does not speak)
- Dame Bella's Orchestra (do not speak)
- Mr. Bubbles (fantasy; does not speak)
- Flying Scotsman (does not speak; fantasy only)
- Rosie (cameo)
- Ryan (cameo)
- The White Tank Engine(s) (cameo)
- The Red Tank Engine(s) (cameo)
- The Grey Tender Engine(s) (cameo)
- The Brown Tender Engine(s) (cameo)
- 'Arry and Bert (cameo)
- Sir Handel (cameo)
- Duncan (cameo)
- Luke (cameo)
- Judy and Jerome (cameo)
- Merrick (cameo)
- Farmer Finney (cameo)
- Willie (cameo)
- The Bakers (cameo)
- Sodor United Football Team (cameo)
- The Search and Rescue Manager (cameo)
- The Blond-haired Boy (cameo)
- Dowager Hatt's Friends (cameo)
- The Welsh Bird Watcher (cameo)
- The Lady with the Big Hat (cameo)
- The Indian Police (cameo)
- Ace (fantasy; cameo)
- Ferdinand (portrait cameo; fantasy)
- Axel (stock footage cameo)
- Carlos (stock footage cameo)
- Frieda (stock footage cameo)
- Ivan (stock footage cameo)
- Three Mainland Diesels (stock footage cameo)
- Stephen (mentioned)
- Tamika (mentioned)
- King Godred (mentioned)
- Byron (indirectly mentioned)
Characters Introduced
- Gabriela
- Lorenzo
- Gustavo
- Beppe
- Brenda
- Darcy
- Ester
- Stefano
- The Crown Thieves
- The Grumpy Indian Stationmaster
- The Friendly Indian Stationmaster
- Mia
- Dame Bella Canto
- Sodor Rangers
- The Road Finisher (fantasy)
Cast
UK AUS and NZ
- John Hasler as Thomas
- Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, Glynn, Bertie, Norman, Salty, Den, Skarloey, Captain, Harold, the Fat Controller, the Grumpy Passenger, the Children and a Passenger
- Nigel Pilkington as Percy
- Rob Rackstraw as James, Toby, Flynn, Owen, Big Mickey, the Troublesome Trucks, the Road Finisher, the Knapford Stationmaster and a Thief
- Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Brenda, Belle, Stephen Hatt, Bridget Hatt, the Teacher, Albert's Wife, Annie and Clarabel
- Jules de Jongh as Caitlin
- Yvonne Grundy as Nia
- Rachael Miller as Rebecca
- Matt Wilkinson as Cranky, Stanley, Winston and the Wellsworth Stationmaster
- Kerry Shale as Diesel, Kevin and the Troublesome Trucks
- Steven Kynman as Jack, Dart, Duck, Peter Sam and Paxton
- Tom Stourton as Terence and Alfie
- Tim Whitnall as Max and Oliver the Excavator
- Rasmus Hardiker as Monty and Philip
- Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
- David Bedella as Victor
- Bob Golding as Sidney
- Miranda Raison as Millie
- Tina Desai as Ashima and the Fashion Designer
- Nikhil Parmar as Rajiv, the Indian Troublesome Trucks and the Grumpy and Friendly Stationmasters
- Sheena Bhattessa as Noor Jehan and Charubala
- Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar
- Federico Trujillo as Raul, a Batucada Player and a Workman
- Dan Li as Yong Bao
- Shane Jacobson as Shane
- Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
- Tim Bain as Aiden, Some Passengers and the Australian Railway Workmen
- Colin McFarlane as Bulgy
- Lucy Montgomery as Carly
- Monica Lopera as Gabriela
- Gabriel Porras as the Crowd, Emerson and Fernando
- Francisco Labbe as Gustavo and a Batucada Player
- Laura Cucurullo as Cassia
- Christopher Ragland as the Troublesome Trucks and a Passenger
- Chipo Chung as Hong-Mei
- Siu-see Hung as An An and a Passenger
- Windson Liong as Yin-Long and a Passenger
- Anna Francolini as Gina, the Children, and the Passengers
- Harriet Kershaw as Darcy, Jenny Packard and a Kangaroo
- Vincenzo Nicoli as Lorenzo, Beppe, a Workman, Some Passengers and an Italian Farmer
- Flaminia Cinque as Ester and Dame Bella Canto
- Antonio Magro as Stefano, a Stationmaster and the Passengers
- Montserrat Lombard as Mia and the Passengers
- Ian McCue as a Thief
US and CAN
- Joseph May as Thomas
- William Hope as Edward and Toby
- Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, Diesel, Kevin, Harold and Max
- Rob Rackstraw as James, Stanley, Flynn, Owen, Monty, Big Mickey, the Road Finisher, the Knapford Stationmaster and a Thief
- Christopher Ragland as Percy, the Troublesome Trucks and a Passenger
- Jules de Jongh as Emily and Caitlin
- Matt Wilkinson as Winston and The Wellsworth Stationmaster
- Yvonne Grundy as Nia
- Rachael Miller as Rebecca
- Steven Kynman as Duck, Dart, Peter Sam, Paxton and a Boy
- Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
- David Bedella as Victor
- Miranda Raison as Millie
- Bob Golding as Sidney
- Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
- Tina Desai as Ashima and the Fashion Designer
- Nikhil Parmar as Rajiv, the Trucks and the Grumpy and Friendly Stationmasters
- Sheena Bhattessa as Noor Jehan and Charubala
- Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar
- Federico Trujillo as Raul, a Batucada Player and a Workman
- Dan Li as Yong Bao
- Shane Jacobson as Shane
- Teresa Gallagher as Brenda, Belle, Stephen Hatt, Bridget Hatt, the Teacher, Albert's Wife, Annie and Clarabel
- Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
- Tim Bain as Aiden, Some Passengers and the Australian Railway Workmen
- Tim Whitnall as Oliver the Excavator
- Colin McFarlane as Bulgy
- David Menkin as Jack and Porter
- Glenn Wrage as Cranky
- Tom Stourton as Terence and Alfie
- Lucy Montgomery as Carly
- Keith Wickham as Bertie, Glynn, Salty, Norman, Skarloey, Captain, Den, the Grumpy Passenger, a Passenger, a Boy and Sir Topham Hatt
- Monica Lopera as Gabriela
- Gabriel Porras as the Crowd, Emerson and Fernando
- Francisco Labbe as Gustavo and a Batucada Player
- Laura Cucurullo as Cassia
- Chipo Chung as Hong-Mei
- Siu-see Hung as An An and a Passenger
- Windson Liong as Yin-Long and a Passenger
- Anna Francolini as Gina, the Children, and the Passengers
- Harriet Kershaw as Darcy, Jenny Packard and a Kangaroo
- Vincenzo Nicoli as Lorenzo, Beppe, a Workman, Some Passengers and an Italian Farmer
- Antonio Magro as Stefano, a Stationmaster and the Passengers
- Montserrat Lombard as Mia and the Passengers
- Flaminia Cinque as Ester and Dame Bella Canto
- Ian McCue as a Thief
Trivia
- This series marks the last of a few things:
- Andrew Brenner's final series as head writer, and the second time he has not written any episodes for the series since he became head writer, the first time being of the twenty-first series.
- The last series to air on Nick Jr. in the US.
- This series marks the first of several things:
- The first series in which The Chinese Diesel, Isla, Henrietta, Hannah and Dexter do not appear.
- Jenny Packard's first appearance in full CGI.
- The first series since his full body is shown in The Great Race where Flying Scotsman does not make a physical appearance.
- The first series since her return in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure where Daisy does not appear.
- The first series since his introduction in the ninteenth series where Philip does not get an episode about himself.
- The first series to have specials since Diesel's Ghostly Christmas.
- Gina, Ace, Cassia, Emerson, and Raul's first appearances in an episode, not counting the stock footage appearances of other international engines and The Mainland Diesels in Grudge Match.
- The first series since his debut in King of the Railway where Stephen does not physically appear.
- The first series since his debut in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure where Skiff does not appear.
- The first series since the sixteenth series to have twenty episodes (not counting the double-length specials).
- Byron's first close mention since The Great Discovery.
- Fernando's first speaking role in an episode and the first time he is referred to by name.
- The first series since their introductions where Ryan, Judy and Jerome do not have speaking roles.
- The first series since the nineteenth series where Rosie does not speak, making this the first series since she joined the voice cast in Journey Beyond Sodor to not feature Nicola Stapleton.
- The first series where Tom Stourton takes over for Alfie.
- The first series where Thomas' friends from Sodor join him on his worldwide adventure: Percy in Thomas' fantasy sequence in Wish You Were Here, and Jack, Alfie, Oliver, Max, Monty and Brenda in Mines of Mystery.
- The first series in which Edward and Henry do not get individual speaking roles, despite singing.
- The first series since the CGI switchover to not feature Spencer.
- The first series since their introductions in the previous series and Series 21 to not feature Hannah and Dexter.
- This is also the first series since the thirteenth series not to have a Christmas episode and to have only one winter episode.
- This series marks Edward's least amount of appearances in a series to date, appearing in only two episodes total.
- Harriet Kershaw, Federico Trujillo, Monica Lopera, Francisco Labbe, Laura Cucurullo, Anna Francolini, Vincenzo Nicoli, Antonio Magro, Flaminia Cinque and Montserrat Lombard join the voice cast.
- Every male engine character from Brazil appears and speaks in only one episode of this series with the exception of Fernando, who appears in two but still only has one speaking appearance.
- Following the series' reboot, this is the first series to include double-length special episodes, such as the Digs and Discoveries mini-series episodes and Steam Team to the Rescue, along with the regular length episodes as a replacement for the hour-long specials.
- As a rare move, a good majority of the episodes premiered in the US before reaching a UK broadcast.
- Due to shortened episode amounts, there are three episodes set in Brazil, four episodes set in Italy, One episode set in China and Australia, and two set in India.