| For other uses, see Sir Topham Hatt. |
- “My engines are much more important to me than any treasure. And you, Thomas, are my number one!”
- ― Sir Topham Hatt praising Thomas
Sir Topham Hatt, also known as "The Fat Controller", is the controller of the North Western Railway and formerly the Skarloey Railway and Lady Hatt's husband.
Biography[]
Sir Topham Hatt and his family
In his youth, it is known that Hatt was a boy scout and at one point had chicken pox.[5][6] His grandfather would call him Little Topham Hatt. When he was a young man, every year on his birthday, he would ride around in his special carriage pulled by Edward.
According to the 1990's Official Website, and the Question Time with Sir Topham Hatt audio cassette, Sir Topham Hatt left school at only 14 years old, and joined Swindon Engineering Works as an apprentice. Two years later, after learning all there is to know about steam engines, he came back to the Island of Sodor, and worked as a railway engineer for one of the railway companies at the time. In time, his good work was noticed, and he eventually rose quickly in the company, being a director at an early age of a newly formed company called the "North Western Railway". His imposing appearance, no less than his firm but kindly handling of both engines and staff, earned him the affectionate nickname of "The Fat Director". Then, after nationalisation when he was awarded a knighthood for his services to the railway industry, he became Sir Topham Hatt - The Fat Controller.
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.[7] He also built the Coffee Pots, including Glynn, some time prior to Thomas arriving on Sodor.[8]
Sir Topham Hatt married Lady Hatt and is the grandfather of Stephen and Bridget Hatt. His mother is Dowager Hatt, and he also has a twin brother named Sir Lowham Hatt. According to the Official Website, "we have yet to meet his children". Furthermore the 2015 Trading Cards states Sir Topham Hatt "is not the first to run the the railway. He follows his father and grandfather".
As well as owning the railway, he owns a cat and a blue car and lives in a mansion somewhere on the outskirts of Wellsworth.
When Henry refused to come out of the tunnel, Sir Topham Hatt suggested to some construction workers to brick him up and just leave him there for a while. However, when Gordon's safety valve burst, Henry was allowed out of the tunnel again. When the big engines went on strike, he decided to bring a little saddle tank to the railway and named him Percy. He would also go on holiday in the north of Sodor with his family where he came across an old steam tram named Toby whose line was closing down, so Sir Topham Hatt arranged to bring him to the North Western Railway.
With the new harbour opening up, Percy was overworked and so Sir Topham Hatt brought a great western engine named Duck to the railway to help. However when Percy fell into the sea, he decided to trial a diesel shunter named Diesel, only to send him away. With all the extra work, Sir Topham Hatt decided to buy an engine from Scotland, but was very surprised when two engines, named Donald and Douglas, showed up. When Thomas crashed into the stationmaster's house, he brought on a diesel railcar named Daisy to fill in for Thomas, only she would later stay on the railway. When Percy entered the station unannounced, he crashed into a trolley and ruined Sir Topham Hatt's trousers. When Douglas saved Oliver from being scrapped, Sir Topham Hatt had him and his brake van restored.
He became in charge of the Skarloey Railway, where he sent Rheneas off for repairs and shut Sir Handel up in the sheds. He also organised the search for Duke, the lost engine. He also loaned a stuck-up diesel from the mainland to help out the other engines with goods and express work towards the end of Stepney's visit. Her majesty, the queen would visit Sodor where Sir Topham Hatt greeted her at Knapford station. Sir Topham Hatt tried tirelessly to get to Lady Hatt's birthday party, having to ride in Caroline, George and become Thomas' fireman just to meet her. He also tried to reopen Boulder Quarry but later regretted it.
In the sixth series, the Fat Controller initially sent Salty to the Centre Island Quarry, only to later send him to the docks. He also brought a crane engine named Harvey to the railway. When Thomas broke down, his crew discovered Elizabeth the vintage lorry. Sir Topham Hatt and Elizabeth reunited and she was soon restored by Jem Cole. In the seventh series, he brought Emily, Arthur, Murdoch and Fergus to the railway and when Harold's rotors wouldn't start, he and Lady Hatt took a red balloon to the grand opening on the Skarloey Railway, only to soon got stuck in a tree. Sometime after this, Sir Topham Hatt would step down as the controller of the Skarloey Railway and would be succeeded by Peregrine Percival.
In the eighth series, Sir Topham Hatt gave Emily a new route up to Castle Loch. In the ninth series, he brought Neville and Molly to the railway and gave Thomas and James new trucks. In the tenth series, Sir Topham Hatt brought Rocky and Rosie to the railway and later lost his voice - Percy was asked to temporarily become the controller of the railway. When Thomas rediscovered the town of Great Waterton, Sir Topham Hatt sent a new engine called Stanley over from the Mainland to help with the restoration. He later gave a speech at the town's reopening on Sodor Day.
When Thomas discovered Hiro, Thomas tried to keep him a secret from Sir Topham Hatt in fear that Hiro would be scrapped, but Sir Topham Hatt did not want to scrap him; instead, he had Hiro restored at the Sodor Steamworks. After Sir Lowham Hatt visited the railway (much to Thomas' confusion), Sir Topham Hatt also crashed his car into mud, a bail of hay and a lake. When Allicia Botti came to the Island, Thomas accidentally splashed her and Sir Topham Hatt in muddy rain water. When the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre was being built, Thomas was sent off to the Mainland as a reward for saving Diesel. But when Thomas got lost at sea, Sir Topham Hatt tried desperately to find him. He soon saw Thomas' smoke signals on Misty Island, so he ordered James, Edward and Gordon to travel over to the Island where they reunited with Thomas. Sir Topham Hatt brought a firefighting engine called Belle to the railway, but she couldn’t do the work alone so she suggested for Flynn to come and help. When the diesels took over the Sodor Steamworks, Sir Topham Hatt reprimanded Diesel 10 and had the engines work together to fix the Vicarstown Dieselworks. When Thomas took Bertie on a tour around Sodor, Sir Topham and Dowager Hatt joined them for the tour. After Flynn mistook Gordon for being on fire, he soaked Sir Topham Hatt in water. Sir Topham Hatt soon obtained a new track inspection vehicle named Winston and asked Thomas to work at the Blue Mountain Quarry while Paxton was repaired. He later lost his hat during winter and asked Emily to find it for him. His open top carriage that he used to ride around in on his birthdays years ago was also rediscovered by Thomas and Winston.
When Ulfstead Catle was being reconstructed, Sir Topham Hatt asked Thomas, Percy and James to help out the Earl of Sodor. When the docks got busy, he had Kevin help out at the docks. When Sir Topham Hatt forgot to put Winston's break on, he had to chase after him across the Island. When Bill and Ben played a trick on Connor, Sir Topham had Bill repainted blue. When Diesel joined the back of Hiro's train, Hiro shunted the trucks very hard and caused milk churns to fly out and ruin Sir Topham's trousers. During the summer, Sir Topham loaned the Slip Coaches from the mainland to help out. A Deputy Minister later came to give Sir Topham a reward for "Services for transport" but ended up in the Clay Pits by mistake. After two inspectors came to the railway, things don't go so well initially for Sir Topham Hatt and was later visited by Bridget and Stephen Hatt when they had chicken pox. While his office at Knapford was redecorated, Percy misinterpreted this as him leaving Sodor, which caused a lot of confusion with the engines. When Thomas caused a huge derailment at Knapford, Sir Topham sent him to work on the new branchline. When Marion discovered pirate treasure, Sir Topham Hatt kept it in his safe in his office, only for Sailor John to blow up his office and escape with the treasure until Thomas helped to stop him. When Skiff saved Duck and Oliver from a crash, Sir Topham Hatt decided to give him a reward. He also attended a puppet show inside of Daisy's window. Dowager Hatt once gave Sir Topham Hatt a new white hat to keep him cool, but he didn't like it (even though it did keep him cool). When Henry was mistakenly repainted in a luminous green paint, he scared Sir Topham Hatt. When Skiff thought he spotted a Mermaid, he and Sir Topham Hatt got lost at sea. After Glynn the coffee pot was rediscovered and he and Sir Topham Hatt go up to the castle on Christmas Eve.
When the Great Railway Show came to the mainland, Sir Topham Hatt entered James, Emily, Henry, Percy and The Shooting Star into it but Thomas ultimately won it. He also gave Rosie a new livery along with the number 37 and later became very ill, in which Dowager Hatt temporally took over as controller for the day. Sir Topham Hatt also decided to buy a new P.A. system, however, nobody had any idea which trains to get on. When Cranky started creaking, he decided to go to the mainland and purchase a new crane named Carly. When Bertie broke down, Sir Topham Hatt becomes suspicious of Thomas making unscheduled stops. When James crashed into the back of Tidmouth sheds, Edward went to stay at Wellsworth with Philip; Sir Topham later allowed him to stay there permanently. When Thomas took James' goods train to the mainland, Sir Topham Hatt became worried about Thomas when he didn't return. When Thomas went on a ship to Dakar, Senegal, Sir Topham Hatt went on the S.S. Roxstar and chased after him going to Tanzania, Brazil and America. When Thomas, Nia and Sir Topham Hatt were back on Sodor, a new tender engine named Rebecca came to help Gordon out. He later gave Lady Hatt flowers and a cat on Valentines Day. When Salty and Porter had accidents at Brendam Docks, Sir Topham Hatt had to arrange for the Steam Team to save the day. After a technology fair came to Sodor, Sir Topham Hatt welcomed Sonny to the railway.
Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt later travelled to London to meet the Queen. Along the way, Sir Topham Hatt got covered in mud, his hat got squashed and later volunteered to be Thomas' fireman when his original one was accidentally left behind and helped bring Thomas all the way to London. In Victoria Station, Queen Elizabeth II rewarded Sir Topham Hatt for his services to the railway.
Other Media[]
Magazine Stories[]
In the Magazine Stories, Sir Topham Hatt appears faithful to his appearances on television. It is established that when he was younger, he used to go train-spotting everyday, after school. He used to be nicknamed The Fat Director, much like Sir Topham Hatt I in The Railway Series. He has a sister living in the town of Weymouth, Dorset, England. He sometimes visits her whilst on holiday, and while on holiday, he enjoys golfing.
He is very fond of fresh green beans, especially when they are served alongside roast beef, potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. As well, he is very fond of tinned sardines on toast, garnished with a sprig of fresh parsley. He enjoys eating Humbugs, though he has never tried pizza before. One of his favourite films is "The Railway Children (1970)", and his favourite Thomas-related story is Thomas and Bertie. Oddly, in a question presented to him in Issue #197, Sir Topham Hatt talks in third person.
Personality[]
Sir Topham Hatt is strict, but funny and fair. He can be strict, but with a good reason and he deeply cares about the engines and also shows a fatherly side to them. He is quite a strong character and will remind the engines that he is in charge if they start to rebel against his authority. He does not stand bullying, and even though he is usually serious, he does enjoy a good jolly laugh.
Despite his kindness and fairness, however, there are times where Sir Topham Hatt berates the engines for situations beyond their control, although it is usually because he still feels like their carelessness or ignorance played a hand in it. Like any son, he does hold a slight bit of respect for his mother, Dowager Hatt. But like all parental relationships, there are some things he finds more personal than others.
At times, Sir Topham Hatt can be the comic relief character, having high levels of irony and occasional slapstick. He can also be overhasty and forgetful at times and misplace priorities. He also has a slight sweet tooth, having a particular taste for crème buns, ice cream, milkshakes and cake.
That being said, he also shows a distinctly more fatherly side to his engines. When one of them goes missing, he is staunchly determined to find them, even if it means travelling entire countries to do so. He is also known to be very proud of his signature top hat, and often distresses about it possibly coming to harm. He does care about his engines much more though, as he threw it aside upon finding Thomas on Misty Island.
Family[]
As said, Sir Topham Hatt has a wife, Lady Hatt, two grandchildren, Stephen and Bridget Hatt, a brother, Sir Lowham Hatt, and an unnamed sister according to the magazines. It is assumed that his father is deceased as his mother - who lives with him - is known as Dowager Hatt and Dowager is a title given to posh widowed women. Nonetheless, his father and grandfather previously were controllers of the railway before him. Although his children have not appeared in the Television Series, they are briefly mentioned in the Magazines, The Official Website and Trading Cards descriptions[2].
Family Tree[]
| Grandfather Hatt † | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mr. Hatt † | Dowager Hatt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sir Handel Brown | Lady Jane Hatt | Sir Topham Hatt | Sir Lowham Hatt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Barbara Jane Hatt | Charles Topham Hatt | Amanda Croarie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stephen Topham Hatt | Bridget Amanda Hatt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Attire[]
Sir Topham Hatt is a short, chubby gentleman. He usually wears morning dress, consisting of grey trousers, a white shirt, a black tie, a cream, yellow, blue, purple or grey waistcoat, a black tailcoat and a black top hat. He is most often depicted as having thinned grey, black or brown hair and brown eyes, while in the television series, he is depicted as completely bald.
Appearances[]
Official Description[]
From Official Website:[1]
| “ | Sir Topham Hatt - The Fat Controller: It is many years since the young Mr Topham Hatt first came to Sodor as a railway engineer. He rose quickly in the company, being a director at an early age and eventually, Chairman.
|
” |
From Official Website:[2][3][4]
| “ | Sir Topham Hatt: Sir Topham Hatt is the director of the Railway and is responsible for making sure the engines are always Right on Time and Really Useful. He has a firm but kind manner in dealing with the engines and staff, and has risen through the ranks from a railway engineer to his current position.
|
” |
Audio Files[]
Themes[]
| First used | Last used | Composers | Theme Song |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | Series 2 | Mike O'Donnell Junior Campbell |
File:SirTophamHattTheme.ogg |
| Series 3 | |||
| Series 4 | |||
| Series 5 | |||
| Series 6 | Series 7 | File:SirTophamHattSeason6Theme.ogg | |
Trivia[]
- Unlike The Railway Series, Sir Topham Hatt is not three controllers but one mono entity of them all.
- Due to different societal norms, the Fat Controller is always referred to by his real name, "Sir Topham Hatt" in the US.
- In Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Diesel 10 calls him "Fat Hatt", a combination of his nickname and his surname.
- According to the Sodor Daily News newspaper in The Great Discovery, Sir Topham Hatt was 63 years old as of 23rd March 1953. This puts his date of birth in the year 1890, ten years after his counterpart in The Railway Series was born. This is likely not a concrete date, however, as a Sodor Times newspaper which appears in King of the Railway dates the special as taking place during April 2013, which would make Sir Topham Hatt 123 years old, older than the oldest verified human to have ever lived, Jeanne Calment.
- If this is true then that makes Dowager Hatt even older; somewhere in her 140s-160s.
- The Fat Controller's television series model from The Grand Opening appeared in the 2009 "Children in Need" charity single and was animated using stop-motion.
- Throughout the series, it has been shown that he is not a very good driver to both Elizabeth and Winston.
- The Fat Controller's office set was part of an exhibit at the Hangaram Art Museum in South Korea in 2010.
- Large scale and miniature models of Sir Topham Hatt are currently in the hands of the Top Props preservation group, after they were sold by The Prop Gallery. A large scale walking model of Sir Topham Hatt was also sold by The Prop Gallery and is now owned by Twitter user ThomasTankMerch.
- Sir Topham Hatt is often accompanied by two men in standard blue railway uniforms. They are presumed to be his assistants. In the sixteenth series episode, Percy and the Calliope, the narrator refers to them as "helpers".
- In the book, Thomas-saurus Rex, it states that Sir Topham Hatt used to be called "Little Topham Hatt" in his youth. His grandfather also appears in the book.
- Sir Topham Hatt's Thomas & Friends model had eyebrows inconsistently. Between the sixth and eleventh series, the model usually did not have them at all, excluding the seventh series episode, The Grand Opening. It would not be until the CGI series that he would permanently have eyebrows.
- The alternative rock band Catherine Wheel released a song named after the Fat Controller called "Here Comes the Fat Controller" on their 1997 album, Adam and Eve.
- From the thirteenth to fifteenth series, Sir Topham Hatt was referred to as "Bertram" by Allicia Botti and Dowager Hatt, though his first name is actually Topham.[9]
- Despite this the potrayal of Sir Topham Hatt in Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go is revealed to have his real name be "Bertram" in the book Meet the Engines.
- In most episodes and specials, Sir Topham Hatt is seen writing with his right hand. However, in the nineteenth series episode No Help at All, he is seen writing left-handed. This could be a mistake, but may also mean he is ambidextrous.
- A photo of the Fat Controller from the first series episode Trouble in the Shed was shown on a web-exclusive video of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
- Sir Topham Hatt is the only named human character to appear and speak in every series of the television series.
- Between the thirteenth and fifteenth series, Hero of the Rails to Tale of the Brave, Sir Topham Hatt was the only character from the model series to still be voiced by the narrator in the CGI Series in the Finnish dub.
- In the Polish dub Sir Topham Hatt pointed out that his full name is "Tobiasz Szyneczka", and not "Bertram".
- In the French dub Sir Topham Hatt received different names over the seasons: from series 1 to 5, Sir Topham Hatt was named Sir Gédéon Gibus, the Gibus being a type of top hatt which can be bend for transport or for easy storage; in the movie "Thomas and the Magic Railroad", Sir Topham Hatt's name does not differs from the original dub; and during the CGI era Sir Topham Hatt was referred as "Gustave Hatt", and not "Bertram".
- On some subtitled Australian VHS releases, He is called "The Fat Boss".
- Shining Time Station played a role in adapting his name for the US audience.
- In the book, Thomas and Toby, Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt are illustrated with three grandchildren, as opposed to two. This being an older granddaughter with blonde hair.
- In the eighth series, Sir Topham Hatt would usually be seen with two other men (called "helpers" by the narrator) when addressing the engines at the start of an episode. This would last until the eighteenth series, where the helpers would be slowly phased out and Sir Topham Hatt began to regularly appear without them when addressing the engines.
Quotes[]
- “Hello, I'm the Fat Controller. I'm the director of the railway. Nothing is more important to me and then my engines are being really useful and that means always being on time.”
- ― Website audio
- “Oh, it's you! Have you learned to drive properly yet?”
- ― Elizabeth, Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry, sixth series
- “Silence!”
- ― Catchphrase
- “You have caused confusion and delay!”
- ― Catchphrase
- “Oh, bother that telephone!”
- ― Catchphrase
Merchandise[]
- ERTL (with a conductor, Lady Hatt or as a wind-up; discontinued)
- Wooden Railway (several versions; discontinued)
- Take Along (in his car; discontinued)
- Tomy Trains (discontinued)
- Plarail
- TrackMaster (discontinued)
- Hornby (cancelled)
- Bachmann
- Thomas Engine Collection Series (in his yellow or blue car; discontinued)
- Tomica (with Thomas)
- My First Thomas (in his yellow car or normal; discontinued)
- Brio (discontinued)
- Capsule Plarail
- Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)
- Take-n-Play (in his car or placed inside Winston; discontinued)
- Adventures (in his car or placed inside Winston; discontinued)
- Trading Card
- Discover Junction
- My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
- Departing Now (discontinued)
- Mega Bloks (discontinued)
- De Agostini (discontinued)
- Royal Hampshire (discontinued)
- Lionel Trains
- LEGO (discontinued)
- Wood (discontinued)
- Aquadraw (discontinued)
- Push 'n' Go (discontinued)
- Thomas Plaster Casting Moulds (discontinued)
- Minis (only in the Target Blast Stunt set and Fizz 'n Go Mega Pack)
References[]
- ↑ Trading Cards (2015) - Sir Topham Hatt
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Trading Cards (2002) - Lady Hatt
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 RWS "Sodor: Reading Between the Lines" (2005)
- ↑ T&F - Thomas and Friends Writers' Bible (2003)
- ↑ T&F S20 #26 "Skiff and the Mermaid"
- ↑ T&F S19 #4 "Henry Spots Trouble"
- ↑ T&F S6 #5 "Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry"
- ↑ T&F S20 #27 "The Christmas Coffeepot"
- ↑ 2013.07.02 - THO Character Bios
