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Thomas & Friends (formerly Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends) is a British children's television series which was first broadcast in 1984.

The series was based on The Railway Series, a series of books created by the Reverend W.V. Awdry. They deal with the adventures of a group of subanthropomorphised trains and road vehicles who live on the fictional Island of Sodor. The books were based on stories Awdry told to entertain his son Christopher during his recovery from the measles. Many of the stories are based on events from Awdry's personal experience. During the 1980s the television rights were sold to Britt Allcroft and she began producing the series. The show has been narrated by former Beatles member Ringo Starr, Michael Angelis, George Carlin, Alec Baldwin and Michael Brandon.

Series history

For the first two seasons, the series was closely based on stories from the Railway Series. The first season took stories from the first eight books, along with one specially written by Rev. W. Awdry, 'Thomas's Christmas Party'.

The second season took stories from Book 9 ('Edward the Blue Engine') to Book 30 ('More About Thomas the Tank Engine'). This last book was unusual, in that it was written specifically by Christopher Awdry in order to be adapted for the series, as a contractual obligation of the series at that time was that it could not create original stories that had not previously appeared in print. The series also adapted a story from a Thomas Annual, 'Thomas and Trevor', and an especially written stand-alone story, 'Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree'. Many fans consider this to be the "golden age" of Thomas.

The third season was a combination of episodes derived from the Railway Series, from stories in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends magazine and wholly original work. There were two primary reasons for diverging from the original books. The first was that many of the books not yet adapted featured large numbers of new characters, and so would be expensive to produce. The second was that the producers wanted more stories centring on Thomas, the nominal main character. This caused controversy, with Rev. W. Awdry complaining that the new stories were unrealistic and not true to the spirit of the books (see Henry the Green Engine for more details on this).

Prior to the fourth season, a number of accusations of sexism were levelled against the series. Among these was a complaint that the series was short of female characters. To counter this, the producers promised that new female characters would appear in the next series. This series was almost entirely based on the Railway Series. The narrow gauge engines were introduced, greatly increasing the number of stories that could be produced. Only one original story was used, namely 'Rusty to the Rescue', but this took certain elements of plot and dialogue from the book 'Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine'.

The fifth season was a radical departure, as it was entirely original. Some fans consider the series from here on to be an entirely separate continuity from the Railway Series. This season saw the introduction of new characters and more action-packed storylines.

Following this season, the film 'Thomas and the Magic Railroad' was released. It featured only a small number of characters from the television series and was rather more fantasy based. Despite high production values and the popularity of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, the movie was criticised for being confusing, badly written, poorly directed, poorly acted and not true to the spirit of either the Railway Series or the television adaptation. It was well received by young children at whom it was aimed, but nevertheless flopped at the box office, making only $16 million. No reference to the film has ever been made in the television series, except for the new faces.

Following this disaster, Britt Allcroft left the company. New episodes, that had been written by her and director David Mitton, were from then on scripted by hired-in writers.

The sixth and seventh seasons continued the policy of action-packed storylines and new characters. The sixth season was notable for its attempt to create a spin-off series. In this sixth season, two episodes were produced centring around a group of new characters known as 'The Pack'. These were construction machines, and it has been speculated that this was an attempt to cash in on the success of Bob the Builder. The spin-off never materialised, and as the models of the Pack were incompatible with the other characters in the series (having been built to a larger scale), they have not been seen in the show since.

Following Series 7, a number of very siginificant changes took place. The series was taken over by HIT Entertainment (ironically, the owners of Bob the Builder). Episode length was increased from five to seven minutes, a new theme tune was composed and the series title was shortened to Thomas & Friends. The number of characters was greatly reduced, with stories focusing on Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby and Emily. Following a number of complaints from parent action groups concerning the number of accidents in the series, the stories' emphasis was moved from action to character, with episodes generally focusing upon morals. However, this decision did not prove popular with long-running fans of the series.

Shortly before the release of Series 9, a straight-to-video film, 'Calling All Engines', was brought out. This featured characters from 'Thomas and the Magic Railroad', but was not a sequel as such. It received a far better reception than the earlier film, and HIT are thought to be considering the possibility of similar specials in the future.

Series 9 featured new characters and the return of a number of old ones. A tenth season is currently in production.

Characters from the series

Thomas and Friends may have the largest cast of any children's television series. Over the years, literally dozens of characters have put in an appearance. A few of the more prominent characters are:

Thomas

Main Article: Thomas the Tank Engine

Thomas is a tank engine who lives and works on the Island of Sodor. He can be cheeky, especially to the bigger engines. He has his own branch line, given to him after rescuing James from his accident. Thomas also has two coaches called Annie and Clarabel.

Edward

Main article: Edward the Blue Engine

Edward is the oldest, wisest and kindest of the engines. He often gets tired, but the Fat Controller knows he can always be relied upon to get the job done.

Henry

Main article: Henry the Green Engine

Henry is a highly strung engine who is equally at home pulling coaches and trucks. Originally, he looked very much like Gordon, and used to suffer greatly with boiler troubles. He found temporary relief when he was given Welsh coal, but following an accident with the Flying Kipper he was given a new shape which cured his illness entirely.

Gordon

Main article: Gordon the Big Engine

A big, proud engine who pulls the Express. This makes him boastful at times, but he often gets his comeuppance. His strength and speed make him a valuable addition to the railway. He seems to represent the upper class of the time of the writing of the series (the 1930s-1940s).

James

Main article: James the Red Engine

James is perhaps best described, according to the song 'Engine Roll Call', as "vain but lots of fun". He is very proud of his shiny red paint, and will throw himself into any job with great enthusiasm- provided it's a job he likes.

Percy

Main article: Percy the Small Engine

Percy is a small engine, and the youngest. He can also be cheeky to the bigger engines, and this sometimes gets him into trouble. His best friend is Thomas, although the two of them often squabble.

Toby

Main article: Toby the Tram Engine

Toby is an old tramway engine with a great deal of wisdom and experience. He used to work on a special line in England, delivering goods from farms and villages to the main line, but trucks and road vehicles took over his job, and the line closed, after which he came to Sodor. He now works on Thomas' branch line and at the quarry with his coach, Henrietta. He can get annoyed when younger engines ignore his advice, but he is generally a friend to all.

Duck

Main article: Duck the Great Western Engine

Duck is a green GWR pannier tank engine. His real name is Montague but everyone calles him Duck becaues he waddles like a Duck. He likes the name Duck far better than Montague. Duck is a hard working, industrious engine who arrived when the Fat Controller needed another engine to help with the goods work.

Donald and Douglas

Main article: Donald and Douglas

Donald and Douglas are identical twin tender engines that arrived from Scotland. The Fat Controller had only ordered one engine, and this caused confusion at first. The twins enjoy working in the snow, ploughing it for the other engines.

Emily

Main article: Emily

Emily is the Fat Controller's first female steam engine. She acts as a 'bigger sister' to Thomas and Percy, often setting them straight when they want to make trouble. However, she also has a streak of arrogance and impatience in her, which can sometimes lead HER into as much trouble as Thomas and Percy.

Annie and Clarabel

Main article: Annie and Clarabel

These two coaches work with Thomas. Although they are old-fashioned, Thomas loves them very much and the three of them are quite inseparable.

The Fat Controller

Main article: Fat Controller

The Fat Controller, real name Sir Topham Hatt, is in charge of all the engines on the railway. He is firm but fair, and is always willing to give an engine another chance if they make a mistake. The engines all have the utmost respect for him.

Bertie the Bus

Main Article: Bertie the Bus

This excitable bus loves nothing more than a chance to show his speed on the roads of Sodor. He famously raced Thomas and, though he lost, the two have been firm friends ever since. He often helps the engines, and sometimes they can even help him.

Harold the Helicopter

Main article: Harold the Helicopter

A helicopter based on a Westland Whirlwind (rotary wing) design who patrols the skies of Sodor. Nicknamed "whirlybird" by the engines, he enjoys a good-natured rivalry with them.

Other characters

For information on characters not covered here, see:

  • Railway Engines - for more information on Steam Engines and Diesel Engines.

Season index

Upcoming Seasons

Cinema Movies

Direct-To-Video Movies

Thomas on television and in film

The series was first broadcast in 1984 on ITV in the United Kingdom. It was shown throughout the late eighties and into the early 90s when it was taken off the terrestrial UK network following broadcast of the third series. Between 1994 and 2003, Thomas was never shown on terrestrial UK networks, although did make a comeback on satellite through Cartoon Network in the mid 1990s and lasted until 2001, which was 5 seasons, and then Nick Jr in 2001/2002, where it has remained since and become a popular fixture, even stretching to their involvement with Gullane and HIT Entertainment on recent series of the popular children's series. Thomas also made a comeback on ITV in January 2003 with its sixth series of five minute stories. The sixth and seventh series were shown in their entirety in 2003/4. The eighth series was broadcast in 2005, but only 13 episodes were aired, possibly on account of the new format for the programme; it is only as of July 2006 that the remaining 13 episodes are being broadcast. Due to a new agreement between ITV and the Programming Authority (Ofcom) which allowed them to cut their children's TV output in mid 2005, there is no definite guarantee that Series 9 or any upcoming series will be broadcast.

In 1989, Thomas and Friends was shown in North America, in a television series called Shining Time Station which was broadcast on PBS. Storytime with Thomas is another American spinoff that aired in 1999 on the Fox Family Channel. Today, Thomas and Friends is broadcast in more than twenty languages around the world. In 2000 Thomas moved to the big screen, with the release of Thomas and the Magic Railroad; the film was not a success.

The Thomas and Friends stories were five minutes long. The first two series showed two episodes at a time, with a show of the characters in the middle. It changed to one at a time in series three. In each series until series eight, the number of trains on the railway increases as the railway expands.

In 2004, the series began using computer animated special effects and the story length changed from five to seven minutes. A half-hour show format (aired on PBS and Treehouse TV in North America and on Nick Jr. in the UK from 2004) was also adopted, showing three episodes plus puzzles, songs, and mini stories. The new series made major changes, such as changing the famous theme tune, and took on a more moralistic stance than previous series.

Narrators

  • Ringo Starr (UK narrator seasons 1-2; U.S. narrator seasons 1-2). Ringo Starr, drummer in The Beatles, narrated the first two TV series of Thomas and Friends from 1984 to 1989. Ringo did the original UK narration for the series, and then when exported to the US, parts of it were renarrated and replaced. Ringo also contributed his services to Ladybird Audio Book tie-ins for the series, and appeared in Shining Time Station as the first Mr Conductor, before returning to pursue his musical career with his All Starr Band. Starr's celebrity status was a useful factor in gaining publicity for the show in its first season, and he is now the narrator most associated with Thomas.
  • Michael Angelis (UK narrator seasons 3- ; U.S. narrator season 7). Angelis has narrated the series since 1991, and been the longest standing narrator for the series in its history. He began in the 3rd series, and continues to narrate the British series. Angelis also replaced Baldwin for the beginning of the seventh season of the U.S. version for only one DVD called "New Friends for Thomas". He has also narrated the direct-to-video release Calling All Engines. Angelis also narrated the first three volumes of The Railway Series for CD release in the UK in March 2006.
  • George Carlin (U.S. narrator seasons 3-4). Carlin was the first American to narrate the series; he replaced Starr in 1991 for the American series and "Shining Time Station" as the Mr Conductor character. In the American series, Carlin re-narrated the first two seasons due to Shining Time; in 1998, he left the series to pursue his career in comedy.
  • Alec Baldwin (U.S. narrator seasons 5-6). Baldwin replaced Carlin in 1998 for the U.S. series; he left the series to pursue film roles. In the American series, Baldwin renarrated seasons 5-6 due to Storytime With Thomas
  • Michael Brandon (U.S. narrator seasons 8- ). Brandon renarrated part of the 6th series for television broadcast and narrated the 7th, 8th and 9th seasons, as well as the straight to video special - Calling All Engines, he continues to narrate the series in America today.

Production history

The series has gone through numerous changes throughout its run. The producer is in charge of every aspect of the show for the relevant season(s)

Originally the series was produced by Britt Allcroft Ltd (Britt Allcroft's company) and Clearwater Features Ltd (David Mitton and Robert D. Cardona's company). Clearwater closed down in 1990 and Britt Allcroft Ltd (which changed to Gullane Ltd in 2000) produced solo until 2003, when HIT Entertainment bought the company and now runs its operation. HIT Entertainment was bought over in 2005 by Private Equity firm - Apax. Contrary to speculation and rumour, Apax are not a production company, and there is very little change likely to be made to the production side of HIT.

The series has always been filmed at Shepperton Studios.

Television series trivia

  • Since 1984, the show has been filmed at West London's Shepperton Studios. The layouts are expansive and fit in a hangar-sized room. The train miniatures are set on remote control and filmed using a 35mm camera, in order to get quality shots from such small objects. *
  • Stories were taken from The Railway Series books in the first four series.
  • From 1998 onwards stories were written especially for television. First by the then producers of the show Britt Allcroft and David Mitton (series 5), and then by a much larger team of hired writers (series 6 onwards).
  • Throughout series 6 and 7, David Mitton continued to provide storylines and wrote his final script during the show's sixth run, "Edward the Very Useful Engine".
  • The narrator provides the story and the character voices.
  • In the Japanese and Korean versions, individual voice actors did the characters' voices instead of the narrator.
  • In some episodes, old models used in Thomas' short-lived sister show, TUGS appear.
  • Season 7 was the last season to use 35mm film and the original Thomas the Tank Engine theme tune
  • In the American version of the first two seasons and in some other seasons, the episodes had different titles.
  • Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell composed the show's original theme song and music from the years 1984 to 2003. In 2004, Robert Hartshorne took their place as composer, while Ed Welch wrote the new theme tune and the songs.
  • David Mitton directed until he retired in 2003. However, Steve Asquith replaced him from 2004.
  • Thomas the Tank Engine was in The Guinness Book of World Records 2004 for the world's largest model railway for the Thomas & Friends Big Live tour 2002; the model in question was a model of James. Gordon, who is bigger than James, did appear in the show, although a full model of him was not made. His front was seen sticking out of the shed in the scenes at the shed.
  • Season 9 is the first season where Thomas appeared in all 26 episodes.
  • Daisy's face appears to be the same as Boco's, only with make-up and eye lashes.
  • Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, Bertie, Annie, Clarabel and The Fat Controller are the only characters to appear in every season of the show.
  • The Season 8 change from 35mm film (used in movies) to digital film (used for newscasts) is somewhat obvious. Viewers will detect that the camera resolution is finer, and the motion is less jumpy; however, animate objects (especially engines and flowing steam) move unrealistically fast across the screen.
  • Only one episode refers to the steam preservation movement during the setting. This episode is "Edward's Exploit", which Gordon snobbily remarks, "He (Edward) should give up and be preserved before it's too late."
  • Three real engines have been featured on the show - Stepney has made a number of appearances (Stepney is also a real engine from the Bluebell Railway), and City of Truro and Flying Scotsman played minor roles in two Season 3 episodes.

Merchandise

Thomas video games

Thomas models

Hornby Railways produce a range of OO scale Thomas Models. The models are not particularly detailed, but suitable in their role of toys. In the United States, Lionel offers a range of Thomas models in the larger O scale. Ertl, now defunct, produced a range of die-cast and plastic models. Learning Curve of Chicago produces and distributes the Thomas Wooden Railway System, which includes most characters, wooden track, stations, bridges, tunnels, and buildings, designed as educational and learning tools for young children. They also produce the Take along Thomas & Friends range of travel Thomas playsets. Tomy produce a Motor Road and Rail plastic train model set with battery powered engines and a wide range of track types and Thomas characters. Recently Tomy has also introduced die-cast models of the Thomas characters. Other Thomas models and toys can be found below under 'Thomas Merchandise'.

Other merchandise

Day Out with Thomas

"Day Out with Thomas", also referred to as "Come Ride the Rails with Thomas" is a US tour by a real train modeled after Thomas the Tank Engine. The Thomas engine visits various historic railroads across the United States allowing visitors to ride on a passenger car pulled by the engine. HIT Entertainment sponsors the event to promote the Thomas and Friends brand.

See also

External links

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends | Children's ITV television programmes | Children's television series | Rail transport in fiction

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends".

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