This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the South African VHS or the book. |
- "Harold wants to get rid of us."
"He doesn't need tunnels!"
"Don't worry; he's just counting sheep!"
"Counting sheep? Pah! He's counting how many engines he can get rid of! He'll see how useful I am tomorrow!" - ― Gordon, Henry and Percy about Harold
Thomas and the Rumours, retitled Thomas and the Rumors on some North American releases, is the seventeenth episode of the fifth series. It is based on the magazine story Rumours and Speculation. In the US, it aired with Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach in an episode of Storytime with Thomas.
Plot
Thomas the Tank Engine loves his branch line very much. When he comes to a small station one day, he sees some children on the platform. The children are upset that their playground has been closed, as the sand pit is said to be too dirty to play in. They ask Thomas to help, and he promises to see what he can do as he sets off. Thomas hopes things are not as bad as they are described, but he soon passes the playground and realises the children are right; there is a large sign saying that the playground is closed until further notice.
Thomas arrives back at the yard later, intent on telling the others about the children's playground. However, Percy rushes in with equally big news; The Fat Controller has chosen Harold to show a special visitor around Sodor rather than the engines. The big engines are shocked at this and proclaim that they are meant to show visitors around the island, not Harold.
When Gordon sees Harold, he believes Harold thinks he is faster than Gordon. When Henry sees Harold, he believes that the Fat Controller chose Harold because he believes Harold is more important than he is. Finally, Percy sees Harold near a field where there are sheep grazing and decides that Harold must be counting sheep and feels much better.
That evening at the sheds, the big engines start to believe that Harold is trying to replace them. Gordon quickly brushes off Percy's sheep-counting theory, declaring that Harold is instead counting how many engines he can get rid of; he decides to show Harold how useful he is the next day. Thomas wants to bring up the children's dilemma, but he knows that solving the mystery of Harold and the visitor is the engines' top priority now.
The next day, Gordon is on his way to collect his train when he sees Harold, and he and his crew decide to prove that he is faster than the helicopter. However, upon coming up to a junction, they are so distracted by Harold, they do not notice that the signal is red, and go onto a line leading to a tunnel under repair. Gordon's driver reduces steam and applies the brakes, but it is too late. Gordon plunges into the tunnel and crashes into the blockage inside.
Thomas later arrives with the Breakdown Train, and the Fat Controller scolds Gordon's driver for his recklessness. Worried that Gordon will be scrapped, Thomas tells him about the engines' belief that the visitor wants to see if Harold can replace them. The Fat Controller explains to Thomas that the visitor is actually making a new playground for the children, and he was using Harold because it was easier to find a suitable site from up in the air. The visitor notes that the sand blockage cleared from the tunnel - a large mound of sand that they found... by accident and rumour - will be perfect for the playground.
The Fat Controller still uses Harold to fly above the island. Thankfully, the engines now all know Harold is not spying on them; he is just being very useful in his own way.
Characters
- Thomas
- Henry
- Gordon
- James
- Percy
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Bridget Hatt (not named)
- Mr. Walsh (not named)
- Harold (does not speak)
- Duck (cameo)
- Annie and Clarabel (cameos)
- Stephen Hatt (cameo)
- Jem Cole (cameo)
- Farmer Trotter (cameo)
- Harold's Pilots (cameos)
Locations
- Tower Windmill
- The Hay Farm
- Callan
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Standard and Narrow Gauge Tunnels
- The Tunnel Under Repair
- Skarloey (stock footage)
Trivia
- According to film slates:
- The shot of Harold flying up at the end is actually reversed footage from Make Someone Happy. It was filmed on the 11th of November 1997.
- Callan Station was filmed on the 13th of November 1997. Close-ups were filmed on the 19th.
- The close-up shot of Gordon's driver seeing the tunnel is a deleted scene from Gordon and the Gremlin. It was filmed on the 15th of December 1997.
- Harold flying across a dawn/dusk sky was filmed on 13 January 1998 and was actually a deleted scene from Oliver's Find.
- Gordon challenging Harold was filmed on the 20th of February 1998, as was Harold against the sky.
- The close-up of Harold's blades was filmed specifically for the Harold the Helicopter music video on the 23rd of February 1998. Later that same day, the Tunnel Under Repair set was filmed, with the relevant close-ups filmed the next day.
- The Runby Tunnel was filmed on the 25th of February 1998.
- The Windmill and Sheep Field sets, in that order, were filmed on 6 March 1998.
- The scenes on the Hay Farm set were filmed on the 10th of March 1998. The shot on the set that is shared with Make Someone Happy was labelled as being for a music video but never used in one.
- The scene with the fuel tankers leaking was recorded for the episode, but was used in the previous episode.
- BoCo and Daisy's roles in the original magazine story were replaced with Thomas and Henry in this episode, respectively.
- This episode marks:
- The only time in which the Fat Controller scolds an engine's crew instead of the engine themself.
- Mr. Walsh's only speaking role and his last appearance.
- The last appearance of James' original smug face; he would later get a current one in future seasons.
- The last appearance of Henry's angry face in an episode until the seventh series episode, What's the Matter with Henry?.
- The last to be based on a story written by Andrew Brenner until he became head writer in King of the Railway.
- Extended stock footage from the fourth series episode, Trucks and a deleted scene from Gordon and the Gremlin are used.
- When Gordon puffs onto the wrong line, the music in the UK dub fades in later and fades out earlier than the US and other international dubs.
- A photograph of Swedish model Anita Ekberg appears at Callan station.
- A close-up of the Fat Controller amused by Thomas' concern that Harold might replace them became a popular internet meme in November 2014, using the caption "The Fat Controller laughed. 'You are wrong,'" as opposed to the actual line: “The Fat Controller laughed. ‘Oh-ho. Well, the engines are wrong and you shouldn't listen to rumours, Thomas.’”
- The episode was released on the Spooks and Surprises VHS a day before airing on television. This makes it the first of five fifth series episodes released directly to home video.
- Scenes from this episode were recreated for the Japanese web video series, Salaryman Thomas.
Goofs
- In the title card for the US dub, there is a second "U" in the word rumors, retaining the British spelling of rumours.
- When the children tell Thomas about the playground, one child looks happy.
- When Thomas puffs out of Callan, a signal tilts slightly to one side.
- When Thomas passes the playground, there is a sign saying: "Playground closed until further notice," at the back of the playground. However, when Gordon passes the playground, the sign is gone.
- When Thomas puffs into Tidmouth Sheds, the tank of one of the milk wagons beside him is incorrectly placed higher up.
- When Percy first appears, he rushes in from a dead end.
- When Percy is on the turntable, part of its fencing is snapped.
- When Gordon first sees Harold, he puffs through a bridge. However, in the next scene in the close-up of Gordon, the bridge is gone.
- Studio equipment can be seen in the top-left corner in the close-up of Henry before he enters the tunnel.
- Percy's roof is lifted during the evening scenes at Tidmouth Sheds.
- Percy's eyes are misaligned when Gordon replies to him about Harold counting sheep.
- The special visitor's small scale model is wearing a grey suit while his large scale model is wearing a yellow suit.
- Henry's eyes are misaligned when Thomas arrives at the sheds, and again when Harold leaves the sheds at the end of the episode.
- One of Henry's vans has a damaged roof.
- In some close-up shots, Gordon's buffers are crooked.
Quotes
- Gordon: You look glum, little Percy. What's up?
- Percy: The Fat Controller told driver that he's using Harold to show a visitor the island instead of using any of us engines.
- Gordon: Despicable!
- Henry: Disgusting!
- James: Engines are meant to take visitors around our island, not that whirly-bird thing!
- Driver: We'll show that whirly-bird just how fast you can go, Gordon!
- Narrator: But because they were watching Harold, they missed a signal and went onto a wrong line. Gordon was travelling to trouble, and ahead was a tunnel under repair. His driver reduced steam and braked hard. [Gordon runs into the tunnel and crashes] But it was too late. [Gordon is later rescued with help by the breakdown train manned by Thomas] Later, Thomas pulled Gordon clear with the Breakdown Train. The Fat Controller spoke severely to Gordon's driver about the accident.
- Thomas: Will Gordon be scrapped, sir?
- The Fat Controller: What makes you think that, Thomas?
- Narrator: Thomas decided to pluck up courage.
- Thomas: Because the engines think the visitor is here to see if we can be replaced by Harold.
- Narrator: The Fat Controller laughed.
- The Fat Controller: Oh-ho! Well, the engines are wrong and you shouldn't listen to rumours, Thomas. This gentleman is making a new playground for the children. It was easier to find a suitable site from up in the air.
- Mr. Walsh: And what's more, that tunnel sand will be perfect for the playground, found by accident and rumour, you might say.
In Other Languages
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Home Video Releases
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US/CAN DVD BoxsetAUS
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Episode
#01 Cranky Bugs | #10 Toby and the Flood | #19 Happy Ever After |
#02 Horrid Lorry | #11 Haunted Henry | #20 Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday |
#03 A Better View for Gordon | #12 Double Teething Troubles | #21 A Surprise for Percy |
#04 Lady Hatt's Birthday Party | #13 Stepney Gets Lost | #22 Make Someone Happy |
#05 James and the Trouble with Trees | #14 Toby's Discovery | #23 Busy Going Backwards |
#06 Gordon and the Gremlin | #15 Something in the Air | #24 Duncan Gets Spooked |
#07 Bye George! | #16 Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach | #25 Rusty and the Boulder |
#08 Baa! | #17 Thomas and the Rumours | #26 Snow |
#09 Put Upon Percy | #18 Oliver's Find | |