| For other uses, see Thomas. |
Thomas & Friends (originally titled Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends and later retitled Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!) is a British children's television series created by Britt Allcroft, originally based on The Railway Series by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher. The series was originally televised in the UK from 1984 to 2021, spanning twenty-four series which include a total of 584 episodes, one theatrical film and thirteen feature-length specials. The series has been released in over 185 territories and dubbed into many other languages.
The series follows the adventures of Thomas, a blue anthropomorphic tank engine, as well as a large cast of anthropomorphic railway engines, rolling stock, non-rail vehicles, humans and animals, many of whom live and work on the Island of Sodor, located in the Irish Sea between the Mainland and the Isle of Man. Major railways on the Island of Sodor include the standard gauge North Western Railway, operated by Sir Topham Hatt, affectionately nicknamed "The Fat Controller" by the engines and staff; the narrow gauge Skarloey Railway operated since Series 9 by Mr. Percival, nicknamed "The Thin Controller"; as well as the 15-inch gauge Arlesdale Railway, operated by Fergus Duncan, nicknamed "The Small Controller".
History
Previous Television Attempts
BBC
- Main article: The Sad Story of Henry (1953)
The first attempt to televise adapted stories from The Railway Series books began in May 1953 when the BBC sent a letter to Railway Series editor Eric Marriott stating that they wanted to broadcast live two stories from The Three Railway Engines using Hornby models as well as superimposed human characters and rain effects. Marriott agreed to this but Awdry was concerned about authenticity. During the live broadcast of the first episode on Sunday, 14 June 1953, failure to switch a set of points resulted in Henry derailing and a hand was seen picking him up and putting him back on the rails. About a week later, news of the broadcast hit the front pages of notable newspapers and Awdry commented that the broadcast was "unprofessional" and called the point-switching debacle an "elementary mistake". Further production was subsequently cancelled.[1]
Years later, the BBC featured Awdry's stories again on the children's storytelling show Jackanory. Sitting in a stationmaster's office, host Ted Ray, read aloud five Railway Series books in episodes that aired from 20 September to 2 October 1970.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Main article: Thomas the Tank Engine (1976)
In 1973, Andrew Lloyd Webber, who had read The Railway Series books as a child, approached Railway Series publisher Kaye & Ward about adapting the books into a musical television programme with 30-minute episodes. Wanting to secure money from American investors, Lloyd Webber's company wanted control over everything written for The Railway Series, past and future. Awdry and the publishers were apprehensive and Awdry commented that, "Once the Americans get hold of it, the whole series would be vulgarised and ruined." However, a contract was eventually signed and Awdry was paid an advance of £500.
Brian Cosgrove animating the 1976 pilot
Lloyd Webber pitched his idea to Granada TV, who commissioned a pilot episode featuring 2D cutouts of the engines moving along a background animated by Brian Cosgrove. By early 1976, the pilot was completed but Granada TV ultimately decided not to produce a full series, fearing that, at the time, Awdry's stories were not popular enough outside the UK to justify the time and money needed to make the series. Lloyd Webber would later go on to produce a musical titled Starlight Express loosely based on The Railway Series as well as the story of Cinderella.[2]
Origins
In 1979, Britt Allcroft, a British television producer, was making a five-minute documentary on the resurgence of interest in steam railways, part of which featured an interview with the Reverend Awdry at the Bluebell Railway. Prior to interviewing Awdry, Britt Allcroft read some of The Railway Series books and had become intrigued with the characters, stories and illustrations. After dinner one evening, Allcroft told Awdry that she believed that his stories were "made to be brought to life" and that she would like to be the one to do it.[3] Awdry, however, replied that others had previously tried and failed to bring The Railway Series stories to television. Nevertheless, in 1980, Allcroft negotiated television rights with Railway Series publisher Kaye & Ward for £50,000, financed by getting a second mortgage on her family's Southampton home and loaning money from her local bank.
Screenshot from the original pilot episode
Allcroft spent the next two years raising additional money for production and meeting with different animators to decide on what type of animation would be used for the series. After meeting with David Mitton, co-founder of Clearwater Features, the two of them decided to use radio-controlled models for the steam engines and other vehicles, with static but interchangeable faces and moving eyes. After getting a commitment from ITV, a low budget, pre-production test pilot episode based on The Railway Series story Down the Mine was filmed. After the pilot episode was test screened on 3 April 1983, ITV greenlit a full series of twenty-six episodes.
Allcroft was determined from the outset to use a single narrator instead of a voice cast. After overhearing him on television, she reached out to former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and hired him to narrate the series. Upon hearing about Allcroft's endeavour, the manager of Starr's personal studio at the time, Mike O'Donnell, co-composed with Junior Campbell the opening theme music and submitted a demo to Allcroft, after which they were hired to compose music for the series.
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (1984-1999)
Clearwater Features (1984-1990)
Opening title card for the first series
The first series was filmed at Clearwater's in-house studio in Battersea, a suburb of London. It featured twenty-five episodes based on stories from the first eight Railway Series books and a twenty-sixth episode written by Allcroft and Mitton which they requested Awdry to publish as a book. The series was first broadcast from 9 October 1984 to 8 January 1985 and saw great success, due in part to the quality of the original Railway Series stories, Starr's fame and the "live action" animation style. The series was later released on VHS and Betamax in the UK in 1985.
A second series, filmed at Shepperton Studios, featured stories from a larger range of Railway Series books, some of which were written by the Reverend's son, Christopher Awdry. The second series premiered in 1986 to even greater success.
Opening title card for Shining Time Station
After the major successes of the first and second series, Allcroft began working to bring Thomas to television in the United States. Upon meeting with Rick Siggelkow, they decided to create a half-hour programme which would feature the four-and-a-half minute Thomas episodes as part of the show. The result was Shining Time Station, originally starring Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor, which began airing on PBS in 1989. This was another major success for Allcroft and was the beginning of the Thomas craze in North America.
Opening title card for TUGS
Meanwhile, David Mitton, American producer Robert D. Cardona and many members of the Thomas production crew produced a new series titled TUGS, which premiered on TVS in 1989. Due to its costly production and TVS' loss of franchise to Meridian Broadcasting in 1990, Clearwater Features filed for bankruptcy and closed on 31 December 1990. After this, Mitton went to work for The Britt Allcroft Company, while Cardona moved to Canada and produced another series featuring tugboats titled Theodore Tugboat.
The Britt Allcroft Company (1991-1999)
When Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends returned in 1991 with the third series, there were some big changes. Many of the Reverend Awdry's stories had been previously adapted in the first two series but Allcroft and Mitton still wanted to focus on existing characters. Because of this, instead of closely following the Railway Series stories, Allcroft and Mitton loosely adapted twelve of the Reverend's stories which had not been previously adapted, adapted twelve episodes from magazine stories originally written by Andrew Brenner (who unfortunately was not credited for his original stories) and wrote two original stories. Additionally, Ringo Starr stepped down from his role as narrator to continue his music career. Because of this, actor Michael Angelis was hired to narrate the third series in the UK, with comedian George Carlin assuming the role of Mr. Conductor and Thomas narrator in the US. The first sixteen episodes of the third series premiered in November 1991 on VHS in the UK and on Shining Time Station in the US, with the the full twenty-six episode series premiering on ITV in the UK in 1992. In response to the change in writing, the Reverend Awdry harshly criticised the third series, specifically the episode Henry's Forest, for its lack of realism and the breaking of railway protocol.
As a result of Awdry's criticism, the fourth series, first premiering on VHS in 1994 and later on Cartoon Network in 1995, featured twenty-five stories written by the Reverend Awdry and his son Christopher. The series featured many new characters such as the Skarloey Railway engines and Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine. Only one episode from the fourth series, titled Rusty to the Rescue, was an original story written by Allcroft and Mitton.
After the Reverend Awdry's death in 1997, Allcroft's company bought out the underlying rights to The Railway Series for £13.5 million. With this, Allcroft and Mitton were no longer obligated to adapt Railway Series stories for television. By this time, the series was doing incredibly well and Allcroft had set her sights on producing a full-length Thomas film. A departure from the previous four series, the fifth series featured mostly original storylines written by Allcroft and Mitton, some of which were inspired by former railway stationmaster David Maidment, as well as a few magazine adaptations. Many more action sequences were featured in this series, which allowed Allcroft and Mitton to showcase the series to potential investors before producing a theatrical film. Actor Alec Baldwin was overtook the role of narrator in the US after the end of Shining Time Station and subsequent departure of George Carlin from narrating the series. The fifth series premiered in the UK in 1998 on VHS and on Cartoon Network and in the US in 1999 on VHS and on FOX Family as part of a show titled Storytime with Thomas.
Thomas & Friends logo
(dated 17 November 1999)
Thomas & Friends (1999-2018)
In late 1999, the series' title was shortened to Thomas & Friends and, from that point on, a new logo with the shortened title began to be used on all licensed merchandise. Although it was introduced in 1999, this logo was not used in the series' opening titles until the seventh series in 2003.
Thomas' First Feature-Length Movie (1999-2000)
A promotional image for
Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Starting in 1999, Allcroft and Mitton filmed the feature-length Thomas film titled Thomas and the Magic Railroad, which premiered in cinemas in July 2000 in the UK, US and Canada and December 2000 in Australia. Due in part to numerous changes from the original script, the film had a complex storyline featuring characters from both Thomas and Shining Time Station, as well as many new characters. The film was not well-received by film critics for its storyline, acting, special effects and lack of faithfulness to the original series. The film was also considered a box-office bomb, only making $19.7 million worldwide[4] against a production budget of $19 million. Despite its initial failure, it sold considerably well on home video.
Gullane Entertainment (2000-2003)
Due to the poor reception and box-office performance of Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Britt Allcroft stepped down as the CEO of her company on 7 September 2000 and the company was subsequently renamed Gullane Entertainment. However, Allcroft remained on staff as an executive producer and creative consultant for Thomas & Friends. To diversify, Gullane Entertainment acquired other brands, including Fireman Sam and Guinness World Records.
Alfie (left) and Jack (right),
main characters of the planned Jack and the Pack spin-off series
In 2001, the idea for a spin-off series focusing on the non-rail vehicles[5] was being tossed around at Gullane. It is likely that this idea later became Jack and the Sodor Construction Company. In 2002, the sixth series was produced, featuring stories written by a writing staff headed by Abi Grant and Paul Larson, with some story ideas conceived by David Mitton and one episode loosely adapted from a Railway Series story. Two episodes, directed by Steve Asquith, served as a backdoor pilot for the planned Jack and the Sodor Construction Company spin-off series. The series premiered on Nick Jr. in the UK and on home video in the US and Canada in September 2002.
After approximately two years of negotiation, in July 2002, HiT Entertainment agreed to purchase Gullane Entertainment for £139 million[6], with the sale being finalised in September 2002. Allcroft stepped down from HiT at the end of January 2003[7]. During this time, in 2002 and early 2003, the seventh series and thirteen Jack and the Sodor Construction Company episodes were filmed. The purchase of Thomas by HiT Entertainment affected some aspects of the seventh series and HiT cancelled the other thirteen planned Jack and the Sodor Construction Company episodes. The seventh series premiered on home video and on Nick Jr. in the UK on 6 October 2003. However, the thirteen filmed Jack and the Sodor Construction Company episodes were not released by HiT Entertainment until 2006.
Making Tracks to Great Destinations (2004-2008)
Title card for "Thomas & Friends: Making Tracks to Great Destinations"
HiT Entertainment considered Thomas & Friends to be marketable as an educational children's series and, as a result, had a new vision for the series' writing and direction. After the seventh series, many production crew members left or were not re-hired by HiT Entertainment, including director David Mitton and composers Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell. Steve Asquith took over as director using new digital cameras and Robert Hartshorne took over as composer, with a new theme song and sing-along songs composed by Ed Welch and actor Michael Brandon took over as narrator in the US. As a result, the eighth series, premiering on home video in May 2004, came with drastic changes. For television, the eighth series was compiled into thirteen half-hour broadcasts (with seventh series episodes included) which premiered in September 2004 on Nick Jr. in the UK, PBS in the US and Treehouse TV in Canada. Episode runtimes were lengthened from four-and-a-half to seven minutes and educational interstitial learning segments were added between episodes.
In 2005, Thomas & Friends celebrated the 60th anniversary of the original publication of The Railway Series book The Three Railway Engines. That year, the ninth series premiered and HiT Entertainment released the first 60-minute direct-to-video special titled Calling All Engines! Additionally, HiT Entertainment was bought by private equity firm Apax Partners in 2005. The tenth series premiered in 2006 and was the first series to feature twenty-eight episodes as opposed to the usual twenty-six. The eleventh series, filmed with new high-definition cameras, premiered in 2007, with the final six episodes being released direct-to-DVD. The Great Discovery was released in cinemas and on DVD in 2008, featuring the voice of Pierce Brosnan as the narrator.
Computer-Animated Thomas (2008-2012)
A brass model of Thomas with a computer-animated face
One of the most revolutionary changes in the series took place in 2008, when it was announced that Thomas & Friends would be produced using computer generated imagery (CGI). The CGI would be produced in Canada at Nitrogen Studios and the twelfth series used CGI for the faces of the engines, humans and animals alongside the traditional live-action format. This was also the first series to only feature twenty episodes and the first series with Sharon Miller in the role of head writer.
A fully computer-animated promotional image of Thomas
The first fully computer-animated production was the 2009 feature-length special Hero of the Rails, directed by Greg Tiernan. This was also the first time the engines and people had individual voice actors (with the exception of Thomas and the Magic Railroad). The thirteenth and fourteenth series premiered in 2010 along with another direct-to-video special titled Misty Island Rescue. The fifteenth series premiered in March 2011 and the next direct-to-video special, Day of the Diesels, was released in September 2011, featuring music by both Robert Hartshorne and his son, Peter.
In October 2011, Mattel won HiT Entertainment in an auction by Apax Partners and, in February 2012, the sale was completed. February 2012 also saw the premiere of the sixteenth series in the UK. The direct-to-video special Blue Mountain Mystery was released in September 2012. It was the last Thomas & Friends production to be animated by Nitrogen Studios.
New Writers and Animators (2013-2018)
Following Mattel's acquisition of HiT Entertainment, Andrew Brenner took over as head writer and Arc Productions took over the CGI animation with Mark Moraghan taking over the role of narrator in both the UK and US. The seventeenth series premiered on DVD in the US and Canada in April 2013 and on TV in the UK in June 2013. This series saw a return to the original twenty-six episode format and a new writing style which was closer to that of the first seven series. In June 2013, King of the Railway, the seventh special, premiered on television in Poland, later premiering in cinemas in Australia and New Zealand in July and in the UK in August. Similar to the eleventh series, the final six episodes of the seventeenth series were released direct-to-DVD in March 2014. In April 2014, the eighteenth series premiered on DVD in the US and Canada and the eighth feature-length special, Tale of the Brave, was released theatrically across Australia and New Zealand in July 2014. The final six episodes of the eighteenth series were released direct-to-DVD premiered in the UK in January 2015.
A promotional image for
The Adventure Begins
In celebration of the 70th anniversary of The Railway Series, a 44-minute direct-to-DVD special titled The Adventure Begins was released in March 2015 in the US and Canada and July 2015 in the UK, the first feature to include original stories by the Reverend W. Awdry since the sixth series in 2002. The nineteenth series premiered on DVD in the US and Canada in June 2015. On 14 July 2015, a special 28-minute documentary titled 70 Years of Friendship was released exclusively on the official Thomas & Friends YouTube channel. In September 2015, the next special, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, was released on home video. At the end of 2015, the composers Robert and Peter Hartshorne's contracts expired and Mattel hired composer Chris Renshaw and songwriter Oliver Davis.
On 31 March 2016, HiT Entertainment was fully folded into Mattel's subdivision Mattel Creations. On 9 April 2016, a special 4-D theme park-exclusive production titled Thomas & Friends in 4-D: Bubbling Boilers was released in Boston. The next special, The Great Race, featuring engines from various countries around the world competing in The Great Railway Show, was released in cinemas in the UK on 21 May 2016 in celebration of the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. It was later released on home video in the UK, Australia, US and Canada in September.
In August 2016, Arc Productions closed down after filing for bankruptcy. After entering an agreement, Jam Filled Entertainment looked to acquire Arc Productions under new management. On 22 August 2016, it was confirmed that Jam Filled had successfully acquired the entirety of Arc Productions and some former Arc staff regained their jobs and resumed working on animation for Thomas & Friends, now as part of Jam Filled Entertainment.
The twentieth series premiered on Channel 5 in the UK on 5 September 2016 and was the second series to feature twenty-eight episodes. Three episodes of the series, which premiered on Family Jr. in Canada in January 2017, were adapted from the 1967 Railway Series book Small Railway Engines, the first episodes adapted from this book since the sixth series episode Faulty Whistles in 2002.
In August 2017, the 73-minute special Journey Beyond Sodor was released on DVD. The twenty-first series premiered in September 2017, being the first series entirely animated by Jam Filled Entertainment. Only featuring eighteen episodes, the series was cut short in order to allow for development of the twenty-second series. After a thirteen-year run on PBS in the US, the twenty-first series premiered on Nickelodeon in the US in December 2017 and was later aired on Nick Jr. through 2019.
Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! (2018-2021)
In 2018, the series underwent a drastic revamp. While Andrew Brenner remained the head writer, the series title was changed to Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! beginning with an 81-minute special of the same name, which was released in cinemas in the UK in July 2018. The special and half of the twenty-second series focused on Thomas travelling the world and learning about different cultures, while the other half of the twenty-second series took place on Sodor. A new theme song was introduced, the visuals became faster-paced, a greater emphasis was placed on comedy and action, animals became a more prominent feature of the stories and fantasy sequences became more prevalent. The narrator was replaced with Thomas speaking directly to the audience. Additionally, Edward, Henry and Toby were removed from the Steam Team, being replaced with new female engines named Nia and Rebecca in an effort to more closely balance the gender ratio among the main cast. These changes were made in an attempt to keep Thomas & Friends relevant by making it more similar to other preschool shows. The twenty-second series premiered in Italy in August 2018, followed by its premieres in the UK and Australia in September.
In May 2019, the twenty-third series premiered on Canal 5 in Mexico and, in July 2019, Digs & Discoveries premiered at Drayton Manor's 4D cinema.
In early 2020, Thomas & Friends moved from airing on Nick Jr. in the US to streaming exclusively on Netflix. In celebration of the 75th anniversary of The Railway Series, in May 2020, a special double-length episode titled Thomas and the Royal Engine premiered on Netflix with a live-action introduction by Prince Harry. After this, the remaining episodes of twenty-fourth series and Marvellous Machinery, featuring new head writer David Stoten, premiered on Netflix, marking the final productions for the series. The final episode premiered on Channel 5 in the UK on 20 January 2021, bringing an end to Thomas & Friends after over 36 years on British television.
Reboot
In October 2020, Mattel announced their collaboration with Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Enterprises to produce a 2D animated "reboot" series titled Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, which premiered on Cartoonito in the US on 13 September 2021 and in the UK on 8 November 2021. The reboot series' creator, Rick Suvalle, indicated that the reboot series takes place in an entirely different continuity and is not a continuation of the original Thomas & Friends series.
Legacy (2021-present)
The original Thomas model on display at Drayton Manor Resort in 2020
Following the CGI switchover in 2009, the Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition was opened outside of Farmer McColl's Farm at Drayton Manor Resort featuring the original models of Thomas, Edward and Rosie running on a Gauge 1 layout. Years later, in November 2023, the exhibition moved above the Thomas Land shop with a layout filled with replica models of Thomas, Edward and Toby running and the original models of Spencer, Salty and Rosie on static display. Other props and models have been exclusively shown at Thomas-themed events, such as the Talyllyn Railway's annual Awdry Extravaganza weekend events and the Clearwater events at the Midland Railway in Butterley, Derbyshire.
An image from Project Tiger Moth: The Good Old Days
In November 2022, a fan-made project titled Project Tiger Moth: The Good Old Days was released on YouTube by FlyingPringle and his team, featuring some screen-used models from the original series and replica Gauge 1 models and sets, in memory of David Mitton.
Britt Allcroft and Rick Sigglekow at the private premiere of An Unlikely Fandom in 2023
In November 2023, an independent documentary film titled An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine, directed by Brannon Carty, premiered at a private event in New York City, with special guests Rick Sigglekow and Britt Allcroft in attendance. The documentary focused on the appeal of Thomas & Friends and the history of the internet Thomas from the early 2000s to the early 2020s, featuring interviews of many fans and original Thomas crew members including series creator Britt Allcroft, Shining Time Station co-creator Rick Sigglekow and series co-composer Mike O'Donnell.
On 25 December 2024, Britt Allcroft passed away in Los Angeles, California[8]. Her death was first announced publicly by An Unlikely Fandom filmmaker Brannon Carty on social media on 3 January 2025[9].
- “I think that children live these days in a fast-paced world but I don't think children really change. They need in their lives gentleness, they need comfort, they need fun and they need stories that, whilst being entertaining for them, also help them interpret the world.”
- ― Britt Allcroft, The Thomas the Tank Engine Man BBC Bookmark Documentary (1995)
Series
- Main article: List of Thomas & Friends episodes
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired (UK) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | ||
| 1 | 26 | 9 October 1984 | 8 January 1985 | ITV |
| 2 | 24 September 1986 | 17 December 1986 | ||
| 3 | 25 February 1992 | 14 July 1992 | ||
| 4 | 4 March 1996 | 8 April 1996 | Cartoon Network | |
| 5 | 14 September 1998 | 19 October 1998 | ||
| 6 | 16 September 2002 | 21 October 2002 | Nick Jr. | |
| 7 | 6 October 2003 | 10 November 2003 | ||
| 8 | 1 August 2004 | 24 October 2004 | ||
| 9 | 5 September 2005 | 25 November 2005 | ||
| 10 | 28 | 4 September 2006 | 17 September 2006 | |
| 11 | 26 | 3 September 2007 | 15 January 2008 | |
| 12 | 20 | 1 September 2008 | 26 September 2008 | Channel 5 |
| 13 | 25 January 2010 | 19 February 2010 | ||
| 14 | 11 October 2010 | 8 November 2010 | ||
| 15 | 1 March 2011 | 28 March 2011 | ||
| 16 | 20 February 2012 | 25 December 2012 | ||
| 17 | 26 | 3 June 2013 | 21 November 2014 | |
| 18 | 25 August 2014 | 31 July 2015 | ||
| 19 | 21 September 2015 | 10 March 2017 | ||
| 20 | 28 | 5 September 2016 | 20 December 2017 | |
| 21 | 18 | 18 September 2017 | 22 December 2017 | |
| 22 | 26 | 3 September 2018 | 15 May 2019 | |
| 23 | 23 | 2 September 2019 | 15 May 2020 | |
| 24 | 2 May 2020 | 20 January 2021 | ||
Feature-Length Film and Specials
1. Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)- 2. Calling All Engines! (2005)
- 3. The Great Discovery (2008)
- 4. Hero of the Rails (2009)
- 5. Misty Island Rescue (2010)
- 6. Day of the Diesels (2011)
- 7. Blue Mountain Mystery (2012)
- 8. King of the Railway (2013)
- 9. Tale of the Brave (2014)
- 10. The Adventure Begins (2015)
- 11. Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (2015)
- 12. The Great Race (2016)
- 13. Journey Beyond Sodor (2017)
- 14. Big World! Big Adventures! (2018)
Miscellaneous Specials
- Thomas and the U.K. Trip (Japanese, 1992)
- Hello Thomas and James (Japanese, 1996)
- Thomas and Connie's Wonderful American Journey (Japanese, 2000)
- Thomas & Friends in 4-D: Bubbling Boilers (2016)
See Also
Narrators
These are the narrators of the show in the United Kingdom and the United States. Some of the narrators also played Mr. Conductor.
- Ringo Starr (UK narrator for Series 1–2, 1984–1986; US narrator for Series 1-2, 1989–1990)
- Michael Angelis (UK narrator for Series 3–16, 1991–2012, US narrator for the New Friends for Thomas and Other Adventures VHS/DVD, 2004)
- George Carlin (US narrator for Series 1–4, 1991–1996)
- Alec Baldwin (US narrator for Series 5–6, 1998–2003)
- Michael Brandon (US narrator for Series 7–16, re-dubbed six Series 6 episodes, 2004–2012)
- Pierce Brosnan (UK/US guest narrator for The Great Discovery and the original cut of Series 12, 2008)
- Mark Moraghan (UK/US narrator for Series 17–21, re-dubbed one Series 13 episode in the US, 2013–2018)
- Thomas the Tank Engine (narrator for Series 22–24, 2018–2021):
- Potrayed by John Hasler in the UK version
- Potrayed by Joseph May in the US version
Around the World
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends originally premiered in the UK on 9 October 1984. It later premiered in Canada in 1985, Norway in 1986, Australia and New Zealand in 1987, in the Welsh language in 1988, in the United States in 1989, Japan in 1990 and Sweden in 1991. Since then, Thomas was introduced in more territories and dubbed into many other languages.
|
Awards
- Nominated - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Animated Film, 1985 and 1987
- Won - The Licensing Awards - Best Classic Licensed Property, 2014
Trivia
- From 1986 to 2008, the show was filmed at West London's Shepperton Studios. The layouts were expansive and fitted in a hangar-sized room. The trains were at the scale of Gauge 1 and filmed using a 35 mm camera for the first seven series, in order to get quality shots from such small objects[10].
- Every UK narrator of the series, excluding John Hasler, has narrated at least a few episodes for the US.
- Four real engines have been featured in the show - Stepney has made a number of appearances and City of Truro and The Flying Scotsman (tenders only) played minor roles in two third series episodes. The latter is also featured in the 2016 special The Great Race. City of Truro also briefly cameoed in one sixteenth series episode. Also, Stephen, more famously known as The Rocket, belongs to Sir Robert Norramby in the television series universe and is subsequently a regular character in the series.
- When the first two series came out, the font used in the title open sequence was Beton Bold. In Series 3-7, the opening title font was Rockwell Condensed Bold. From Series 8 onwards, the titles used Sodor Bold.
- Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, Annie, Clarabel and Sir Topham Hatt are the only characters who have appeared in every series of the show, all of whom, except Annie and Clarabel, also had a speaking role in each series. Out of all of them, Thomas, Henry, Gordon and James are the only characters who have appeared in every special. In addition, Thomas, Henry and James are the only characters to have at least one line of dialogue in every special.
- There are no characters that have appeared in every episode of the series, not even Thomas himself. However, despite not technically being a character, the narrator has lines in every single episode prior to the twenty-second series, aside from the 1998 Canadian Thomas Comes to Breakfast VHS, a 2011 Romanian airing of A Bad Day for Sir Handel and the premiere Channel 5 airing of A Shed for Edward, all of which omitted the narrator by mistake and were later re-released with narration.
- Thomas appears and speaks in every episode of the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and nineteenth series. He also appears in every episode of the ninth, sixteenth and twentieth series, despite not speaking in all of them. However, from the twenty-second to twenty-fourth series, Thomas himself takes over the role of narrator, telling it from his point of view.
- Tidmouth Sheds is the only location to appear in every series of the franchise.
- The engines and rolling stock seen from the first series were made out of modified Märklin gauge 1 models.
- The rolling stock seen from Series 1-5 were made out of modified Tenmille gauge 1 kits. Tenmille still make some of these wagons today. From Series 6 onwards, they were all scratch built.
- In 2005, the series ranked 26th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Kids' TV Shows vote. In 2013, the series ranked 34th in Channel 5's 50 Greatest Kids TV Shows vote.
- 2024 marked the 40th anniversary of the Thomas & Friends television series, while 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of The Railway Series.
- Several models from the series have been on display at the Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition at Drayton Manor Resort in the UK, Explore the Rails in the US, Nitrogen Studios in Canada and the Thomas Town and Hara Model Railway Museum in Japan. Some models have also been sold to various buyers worldwide including Top Props, ThomasMerchandise, SmurfyDan and TomJedski.
Gallery
Logos
.PNG "1984Thomaslogo(2).PNG (1.85 MB)")
(dated 17 November 1999)
References
- ↑ Brian Sibley, The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (2015 edition), pages 202-204
- ↑ Brian Sibley, The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (2015 edition), page 312
- ↑ Brian Sibley, The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (2015 edition), page 313
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ [3]
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ Britt Allcroft, Who Brought Thomas the Tank Engine to TV, Dies at 81 - The New York Times
- ↑ Brannon Carty on Twitter
- ↑ Sodor Island Fansite's Behind the Scenes page