- "What I always say is two wheels are best!"
- ― The Thin Controller
Two Wheels Good is the fourteenth episode of the nineteenth series.
Plot
Lord Callan is having a special birthday ball, and Spencer has to take the Duke and Duchess to Callan Castle. The Duke has prepared a speech, as well as bringing a present. He reminds Spencer that they must get to the castle on time, and Spencer promises that he will not let them down.
Spencer's first stop is at Knapford, where the Thin Controller has just arrived on his bicycle to have a meeting with the Fat Controller. The Thin Controller tells him that he prefers to ride his bike, as "two wheels are best." Bertie disagrees and thinks that four wheels are best, while Thomas likes his six wheels. Spencer arrives and boasts that twenty wheels are the very best. The Duke reminds Spencer of his job, so Spencer sets off again.
Spencer speeds along confidently, when suddenly, his valve gear snaps and he slows to a stop, unable to go on. The Duke begins to worry about being late when Thomas arrives. He teases Spencer about his twenty wheels letting him down, and offers to take the Duke and Duchess the rest of the way to the castle, to which they agree.
But Thomas has not gone very far before he has to stop to avoid hitting a fallen tree. Bertie pulls up, and offers to take the Duke and Duchess himself. As they climb aboard, Bertie boasts that four wheels are best. Bertie hurries towards the castle through the quiet country roads. But suddenly, he runs over some nails laying in the road, and punctures a tyre. The Duke is just about to give up hope when the Thin Controller arrives on his bicycle. The Duke tells him about his important destination, so the Thin Controller sets off to the nearest phone box to call for help. Soon, Harold arrives to pick up the Duke and Duchess. They quickly climb aboard and Harold flies them to the castle. Lord Callan greets them and asks where Spencer is. The Duke promises to tell him over dinner, and thanks Harold for his help.
That evening at Knapford, Spencer feels very embarrassed for breaking down. But his valve gear has been fixed, and Bertie's flat tyre is mended too. Thomas still does not know how many wheels are the best, while the Fat Controller tries to ride the Thin Controller's bike, but he does not get the hang of it. Harold flies over the station, and Thomas realises that he did not even use his wheels.
Characters
- Thomas
- Spencer
- Annie
- Bertie
- Harold
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Lord Callan
- The Duke and Duchess of Boxford
- Mr. Percival
- The Knapford Station Speaker
- Clarabel (does not speak)
- Percy (cameo)
- Toby (cameo)
- Henrietta (cameo)
- The Birdwatcher (cameo)
- The Ginger-haired Boy (cameo)
- A Dark Uniformed Boy (cameo)
- Dowager Hatt's Friends (cameos)
- The Lady with the Big Hat (cameo)
- The Welsh Birdwatcher (cameo)
- Albert's Wife (cameo)
- The Female Puppet Show Entertainer (cameo)
Locations
- The Duke and Duchess of Boxford's Summer House
- Knapford
- Road and Rail Runby and Road Bridge
- Callan Castle
- The Cow Field
- Sodor Search and Rescue Centre (mentioned)
Cast
UK
- John Hasler as Thomas
- Matt Wilkinson as Spencer and the Duke of Boxford
- Teresa Gallagher as Annie and the Duchess of Boxford
- Keith Wickham as Bertie, Harold, the Fat Controller, Lord Callan and the Thin Controller
- Miranda Raison as the Knapford Station Speaker
US
- Joseph May as Thomas
- Glenn Wrage as Spencer
- Teresa Gallagher as Annie
- Keith Wickham as Bertie, Sir Topham Hatt and Lord Callan
- Kerry Shale as Harold and Mr. Percival
- William Hope as the Duke of Boxford
- Jules de Jongh as the Duchess of Boxford
- Miranda Raison as the Knapford Station Speaker
Trivia
- Going by production order, this is the sixteenth episode of the nineteenth series.
- This episode marks the first of a few things for Lord Callan:
- His first appearance since The Great Discovery.
- His first appearance in an episode since the eleventh series episode, Dirty Work.
- His first speaking role since his debut in the seventh series.
- His first appearance in CGI.
- This is Spencer's last episode with a leading role until the twenty-first series episode, Confused Coaches.
- The plot is similar to the fifth series episode, Lady Hatt's Birthday Party where the Fat Controller uses his car, Caroline, George, and Thomas, as for the Duke and Duchess they use Spencer, Thomas, Bertie, and Harold.
- Instrumental snippets from the special The Adventure Begins can be heard throughout the episode.
- The scene of Harold arriving at Callan Castle very closely resembles the scene where he rescued the climbers from The Thomas Way.
- The episode's title is a reference to the famous quote "Four legs good, two legs bad" from George Orwell's novel "Animal Farm."
- This was the very last episode that aired on PBS Kids in the US on 31 December 2017, when Thomas & Friends was removed from their lineup and moved to Nick Jr. the following March.
- In the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Baltic Russian and Vietnamese dubs, the UK dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.
Goofs
- When the Thin Controller uses the telephone, he faces away from the phone itself with the earpiece to his ear, but does not speak into the mouthpiece built into the box. The person receiving the call would not have been able to hear him properly.
Merchandise
- TrackMaster - Royal Spencer (discontinued)
- Books - Race to Callan Castle/The Best Engines Ever
- Engine Adventures - Thomas' Trusty Wheels
- Magazine Stories - Harold to the Rescue!
In Other Languages
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Home Media Releases
UK
- Start Your Engines!
- The Complete Series 19 (Start Your Engines! Bonus Disc)
US
- Start Your Engines!
- Season 19
AUS
- Start Your Engines!
CHN
| #01 Who's Geoffrey? | #10 Salty All at Sea | #19 Diesel's Ghostly Christmas Part One |
| #02 The Truth About Toby | #11 Den and Dart | #20 Diesel's Ghostly Christmas Part Two |
| #03 Lost Property | #12 Helping Hiro | #21 Thomas the Babysitter |
| #04 Henry Spots Trouble | #13 Slow Stephen | #22 Rocky Rescue |
| #05 A Cranky Christmas | #14 Two Wheels Good | #23 The Other Side of the Mountain |
| #06 Snow Place Like Home | #15 Reds vs. Blues | #24 No Help at All |
| #07 The Beast of Sodor | #16 Best Engine Ever | #25 Goodbye Fat Controller |
| #08 Toad and the Whale | #17 The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead | #26 Wild Water Rescue |
| #09 Very Important Sheep | #18 Philip to the Rescue | |