The Fat Controller
Encyclopedia
The Fat Controller is the head of the railway in The Railway Series
of books written by the Rev. W. V. Awdry. In the first two books in the series (The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine) he is known as The Fat Director. In the third book (James the Red Engine) he becomes The Fat Controller, as the railway has been nationalised. His full name is revealed in the foreword to the book Henry the Green Engine.
The Fat Controller also appears in many episodes of the television series Thomas and Friends, adapted from the books. In this he was usually portrayed in the form of a static figure, but from Season 12 onwards was portrayed using CGI
.
The name or term "fat controller" has since been adopted in various contexts in the English language, beyond the sphere of the original stories.
refused to leave a tunnel, the story says "a Fat Director who was on the train told the guard to get a rope". The character is referred to as the Fat Director/Controller for the remainder of the Railway Series, both in the narrative and by the other characters. The name Sir Topham Hatt is first mentioned in the Foreword to Henry the Green Engine and also appears on his luggage trunk in the same book in the story "Percy and the Trousers". The first use of the name Sir Topham Hatt in the narrative comes in Duck and the Diesel Engine when Diesel refers to the character as "Your worthy Fat..." but is interrupted and firmly corrected by Duck
who says "'Sir Topham Hatt' to you".
at the Great Western Railway
's Swindon
works, which gave him a great love of all things Great Western. He went on to assist A. W. Dry in the construction of the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway, which became Thomas
' branch line, and designed the locomotives that ran upon it.
When the standard gauge railways of the Island were merged into the North Western Railway
in 1914, Topham Hatt was called upon for his engineering skill. He constructed a bridge to link Sodor with the Mainland, as well as a number of branch lines and improvements to locomotive facilities. He was immediately made a Director of the railway.
Topham married Jane Brown and fathered a son (Charles Topham Hatt) and a daughter (Barbara Jane Hatt). Jane was sister to Sir Handel Brown, Liberal MP for Sodor East and owner of the Skarloey Railway, making all successive descendants of the two railway families cousins. Charles wed Amanda Croarie, daughter of the owner of the Ffarquhar Quarry Company, and Barbara married Henry Regaby, the Viscount Harwick. In light of this, Topham's family unit can be seen as an alliance of several of the most prominent families in Sodor.
When the North Western Railway was nationalised and became part of British Railways in 1948, Topham Hatt was made Controller of the railway. 1948 also saw him made a baronet
for his services to the railways of Sodor.
He was responsible for the line's policy of retaining steam locomotives long after they had been abolished on the rest of British Railways, and while Dr Beeching
was closing down branch lines on the Mainland, Charles was reopening them on Sodor.
He is shown to be a qualified railway engine driver when he brings Percy to the yard for the first time. He is in charge of all the engines on Sodor and seemingly has a great deal of say over other vehicles. As a young man, he learnt to drive in Elizabeth the vintage Sentinel lorry.
He has overseen the construction of a number of lines, railway services, and has been involved with the opening of several tourist attractions on Sodor.
Narrator Michael Angelis
portrayed the character with a strong Yorkshire
accent, a trait of which has been continued when Pierce Brosnan
briefly took over the mantle, and also when individual voice artists were brought in to voice the characters (The Fat Controller being voiced by Keith Wickham
in the UK version, and Kerry Shale
in the US version).
In the American version, he has almost always been referred to by his actual name, Sir Topham Hatt, possibly because "fat" is a more pejorative term in the U.S.
In episode 18 of Series 14, the Dowager Hatt called her son "Bertram" when he met her at the station after Thomas had taken her for a trip around Misty Island.
and morning suit, the Fat Controller looks rather old-fashioned and formal. However, it should be noted that until at least the late 1950s it was customary for railway officials in Britain to be so dressed – for Sir Topham to be dressed any other way would be far more unusual.
In the television series, Sir Topham's suit has often been used for comic effect, being augmented with scarf and mittens in winter. The series plays on the outdated nature of this outfit, giving Sir Topham an entire wardrobe of old-fashioned and formal clothes for occasions when he is not "on duty". In the Season 8 episode "Halloween", he is shown wearing pyjamas and a nightcap, and in the Seasons 9 and 10 episodes "Flour Power" and "Sticky Toffee Thomas" he is briefly shown wearing a wizard costume. In yet another episode, he is shown wearing a kilt, a gift from a visiting Scottish Lord.
Jane Hatt, formerly Jane Brown, helps her husband run the railway, and is happiest when she sees new lines opened, and has had some special birthday parties. She likes the railway, but had a certain dislike of Annie and Clarabel. Later, she took a liking to them, after they got new coats of paint. Although her husband runs a railway, she likes a day out on a boat or in their car.
Hatt visits Sodor occasionally, and her son held a party for her. Her Dalmatian
dog (soon to be named Gremlin) ran away. She says the Railway is really useful, and the Fat Controller says she is always right.
Dowager Hatt has appeared in;
She is the only member of the household to originate in the television series, never having appeared in the books.
Stephen Hatt only appeared in a few Season 1 and 5 episodes, and made cameo appearances in 'Thomas and the Tuba' and 'Thomas and the Circus'.
In the Railway Series, Stephen ultimately took the railway over, and is the current Fat Controller. In the television series he has always remained a child.
's old line, and she thought he was an electric tram.
Her parents (mentioned only in the book 'Sodor: Reading Between the Lines') are Charles and Amanda Hatt. Bridget was last featured in Season 5, but made a cameo appearance in Thomas and the Tuba, and Thomas and the Circus in Season 8.
Sir Lowham Hatt is mischievous and enjoys playing with the children. He seems to know little or nothing about railways. He played hide-and-seek with the children and then went into a signal box and pulled the lever, switching Gordon to the branchline. He dresses exactly like Sir Topham but has a moustache
. It is unknown how and why he got his knighthood.
Sir Lowham Hatt first appears in Season 13.
who is featured in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends TV Series. He has appeared in only two stories, "Thomas in Trouble" ("Thomas Breaks the Rules" in the United States
) in Season 1, and "Fergus Breaks The Rules", in Season 7.
Some have even suggested the idea that, with Awdry being a clergyman, the Fat Controller was meant to act as an omnipresent, God
-like figure. This was never the intention, although in The Thomas the Tank Engine Man, Awdry states he is happy to go along with this idea if it gives the young children 'an idea of there being someone who is in control of the world.'
Christopher Awdry
suggests in Sodor: Reading Between the Lines that Sir Topham could have been loosely inspired by the doctor
who treated him when he had measles
.
" events are a popular way of raising money for heritage railways. These events are an opportunity for children to meet characters from the books and television series (or at least, engines that have been "dressed up" to resemble them). These events are invariably presided over by a Fat Controller, played by a railway volunteer of appropriate age and build.
The copyright holders are strict about how these volunteers should appear: the South Devon Railway
's Fat Controller was forced to either quit or shave off his beard, and it is absolutely forbidden for a Fat Controller to be too thin.
, played by Richard Thorp
, and refers to him as "the Fat Controller".
In Australia the term 'fat controller' is also used to describe someone working within the finance industry, usually the financial manager of a company similar to the terminology 'fat cat
' being used to describe people relating to government.
The name "Fat Controller" has also been given to a student magazine, an electronic snow glove and at least one public house
in the United Kingdom
.
It is also the nickname of Samuel Northcliffe, the malevolent influence on the life of protagonist Ian Wharton in British novelist Will Self
's 1993 novel My Idea of Fun.
The British alternative rock band Catherine Wheel
recorded the song "Here Comes the Fat Controller" on their 1997 album, Adam and Eve
.
Electronic musician Squarepusher
has a song called "Fat Controller" on his album Hard Normal Daddy
.
"Fat Controller" is the name of Frostwave's 16-step analogue sequencer midi cv produced by Paul Perry.
Name of the programming antipattern (The Fat Controller) related to MVC; opposite of Skinny Controller.
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
of books written by the Rev. W. V. Awdry. In the first two books in the series (The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine) he is known as The Fat Director. In the third book (James the Red Engine) he becomes The Fat Controller, as the railway has been nationalised. His full name is revealed in the foreword to the book Henry the Green Engine.
The Fat Controller also appears in many episodes of the television series Thomas and Friends, adapted from the books. In this he was usually portrayed in the form of a static figure, but from Season 12 onwards was portrayed using CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
.
The name or term "fat controller" has since been adopted in various contexts in the English language, beyond the sphere of the original stories.
Origin of nickname
The character is first seen in "The Sad Story of Henry" in the first book in the Railway Series, The Three Railway Engines. When HenryHenry the Green Engine
Henry the Green Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic 4-6-0 steam locomotive from The Railway Series books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry, and the spin-off children's television series, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.Henry lives on the fictitious...
refused to leave a tunnel, the story says "a Fat Director who was on the train told the guard to get a rope". The character is referred to as the Fat Director/Controller for the remainder of the Railway Series, both in the narrative and by the other characters. The name Sir Topham Hatt is first mentioned in the Foreword to Henry the Green Engine and also appears on his luggage trunk in the same book in the story "Percy and the Trousers". The first use of the name Sir Topham Hatt in the narrative comes in Duck and the Diesel Engine when Diesel refers to the character as "Your worthy Fat..." but is interrupted and firmly corrected by Duck
Duck the Great Western Engine
Duck the Great Western Engine is a fictional steam engine from The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry and the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends. He is a green 0-6-0 pannier tank locomotive and lives and works on the Island of Sodor....
who says "'Sir Topham Hatt' to you".
Biography (Railway Series)
There have been three Fat Controllers. This is not revealed directly in the stories, as they all look very similar and are all known as Sir Topham Hatt. However, the books The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (written by Rev. W. Awdry and George Awdry) and Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (by Christopher Awdry) make this clear.Sir Topham Hatt I
He was a talented engineer who was apprenticed with William StanierWilliam Stanier
Sir William Arthur Stanier, FRS was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
at the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
's Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
works, which gave him a great love of all things Great Western. He went on to assist A. W. Dry in the construction of the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway, which became Thomas
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
' branch line, and designed the locomotives that ran upon it.
When the standard gauge railways of the Island were merged into the North Western Railway
North Western Railway (fictional)
The North Western Railway is the main railway company featured in The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry. Although the company's name has never been specifically stated in the books, it was mentioned as such in tie-in books such as The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and...
in 1914, Topham Hatt was called upon for his engineering skill. He constructed a bridge to link Sodor with the Mainland, as well as a number of branch lines and improvements to locomotive facilities. He was immediately made a Director of the railway.
Topham married Jane Brown and fathered a son (Charles Topham Hatt) and a daughter (Barbara Jane Hatt). Jane was sister to Sir Handel Brown, Liberal MP for Sodor East and owner of the Skarloey Railway, making all successive descendants of the two railway families cousins. Charles wed Amanda Croarie, daughter of the owner of the Ffarquhar Quarry Company, and Barbara married Henry Regaby, the Viscount Harwick. In light of this, Topham's family unit can be seen as an alliance of several of the most prominent families in Sodor.
When the North Western Railway was nationalised and became part of British Railways in 1948, Topham Hatt was made Controller of the railway. 1948 also saw him made a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
for his services to the railways of Sodor.
Sir Topham Hatt II
Charles Topham Hatt was the son of the first Sir Topham Hatt and the second Controller of the NWR. He too served an apprenticeship with Stanier, this time working under the locomotive designer. Like his father, he was an innovative engineer and made a number of improvements to the railway and its engines. He was also the originator of the scheme to construct the Arlesdale Railway and the ballast consortium that used it.He was responsible for the line's policy of retaining steam locomotives long after they had been abolished on the rest of British Railways, and while Dr Beeching
Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
was closing down branch lines on the Mainland, Charles was reopening them on Sodor.
Sir Topham Hatt III
Stephen Topham Hatt was first seen as a child in the book Toby the Tram Engine. As an adult, he was made the third Controller of the North Western Railway. His son, Richard Topham Hatt, is tipped to be the next Fat Controller and on Stephen's death will inherit the family's Baronetcy and the title 'Sir Topham Hatt'.Biography (television series)
In the television series the Fat Controller is always the same man, with the same wife and grandchildren. He is in his mid 40's (as evident in a newspaper article in the Great Discovery), although his voice in the UK versions sometimes hint at old age, and he has even appeared with a white moustache in certain episodes. Very little of his history is revealed, although we do see more of his extended family, including his mother (Dowager Hatt), and his mischievous brother (Sir Lowham Hatt).He is shown to be a qualified railway engine driver when he brings Percy to the yard for the first time. He is in charge of all the engines on Sodor and seemingly has a great deal of say over other vehicles. As a young man, he learnt to drive in Elizabeth the vintage Sentinel lorry.
He has overseen the construction of a number of lines, railway services, and has been involved with the opening of several tourist attractions on Sodor.
Narrator Michael Angelis
Michael Angelis
Michael Angelis is an English actor and voice actor.Michael Angelis was one of the stars of the famous 1982 BBC drama serial Boys from the Black Stuff and another Alan Bleasedale drama G.B.H.. He also starred in comedies such as Luv and The Liver Birds, in which he appeared between series 5 and 9...
portrayed the character with a strong Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
accent, a trait of which has been continued when Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
briefly took over the mantle, and also when individual voice artists were brought in to voice the characters (The Fat Controller being voiced by Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham is a British actor, comedian and voice actor.He is well known for voicing Changed Daily in The Secret Show, Mr. Small, and Mr. Tall in The Mr. Men Show , Corneil in Corneil & Bernie , Mr...
in the UK version, and Kerry Shale
Kerry Shale
Kerry Shale is a UK-based actor, writer and voice-over artist. He is married to Suzanne Shale, a former Oxford University law don, now a specialist in the field of medical ethics.-Theatre:...
in the US version).
In the American version, he has almost always been referred to by his actual name, Sir Topham Hatt, possibly because "fat" is a more pejorative term in the U.S.
In episode 18 of Series 14, the Dowager Hatt called her son "Bertram" when he met her at the station after Thomas had taken her for a trip around Misty Island.
Mode of dress
In his iconic top hatTop hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
and morning suit, the Fat Controller looks rather old-fashioned and formal. However, it should be noted that until at least the late 1950s it was customary for railway officials in Britain to be so dressed – for Sir Topham to be dressed any other way would be far more unusual.
In the television series, Sir Topham's suit has often been used for comic effect, being augmented with scarf and mittens in winter. The series plays on the outdated nature of this outfit, giving Sir Topham an entire wardrobe of old-fashioned and formal clothes for occasions when he is not "on duty". In the Season 8 episode "Halloween", he is shown wearing pyjamas and a nightcap, and in the Seasons 9 and 10 episodes "Flour Power" and "Sticky Toffee Thomas" he is briefly shown wearing a wizard costume. In yet another episode, he is shown wearing a kilt, a gift from a visiting Scottish Lord.
Wife: Lady Hatt
LadyLady
The word lady is a polite term for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to, or spouse of, a lord or gentleman, and in many contexts a term for any adult woman...
Jane Hatt, formerly Jane Brown, helps her husband run the railway, and is happiest when she sees new lines opened, and has had some special birthday parties. She likes the railway, but had a certain dislike of Annie and Clarabel. Later, she took a liking to them, after they got new coats of paint. Although her husband runs a railway, she likes a day out on a boat or in their car.
Mother: Dowager Hatt
DowagerDowager
A dowager is a widow who holds a title or property, or dower, derived from her deceased husband. As an adjective, "Dowager" usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles....
Hatt visits Sodor occasionally, and her son held a party for her. Her Dalmatian
Dalmatian (dog)
The Dalmatian is a breed of dog whose roots are often said to trace back to Dalmatia, a region of Croatia where the first illustrations of the dog have been found. The Dalmatian is noted for its unique black- or brown-spotted coat and was mainly used as a carriage dog in its early days...
dog (soon to be named Gremlin) ran away. She says the Railway is really useful, and the Fat Controller says she is always right.
Dowager Hatt has appeared in;
- Season 5 - Gordon and the Gremlin
- Season 6 - It's Only Snow (cameo) and Thomas the Jet Engine (cameo)
- Season 9 - Thomas and the Birthday Picnic
- Season 11 - Percy and the Left Luggage
- Season 12 - Excellent Emily
- Season 13 - Percy's Parcel
- Season 14 - Jitters and Japes
- Season 15 - Edward the Hero
She is the only member of the household to originate in the television series, never having appeared in the books.
Grandson: Stephen Hatt
Stephen Topham Hatt lives on the Island of Sodor, and regularly has outings and holidays with his grandparents and sister. Stephen loves trains, and was excited when he first met Toby the Tram Engine. Stephen also has a bit of knowledge about the Island, of which is the reason they discovered the Old Castle and the mine (in which Bertram was found).Stephen Hatt only appeared in a few Season 1 and 5 episodes, and made cameo appearances in 'Thomas and the Tuba' and 'Thomas and the Circus'.
In the Railway Series, Stephen ultimately took the railway over, and is the current Fat Controller. In the television series he has always remained a child.
Granddaughter: Bridget Hatt
Bridget Amanda Hatt lives on Sodor, and regularly goes for outings and holidays with her grandparents and her older brother, Stephen. On one occasion they went to Toby the Tram EngineToby the Tram Engine
Toby the Tram Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tram engine in The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry and his son, Christopher; he also appears in the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends...
's old line, and she thought he was an electric tram.
Her parents (mentioned only in the book 'Sodor: Reading Between the Lines') are Charles and Amanda Hatt. Bridget was last featured in Season 5, but made a cameo appearance in Thomas and the Tuba, and Thomas and the Circus in Season 8.
Brother: Lowham Hatt
Sir Lowham Hatt is the jolly brother of Sir Topham Hatt, the son of Dowager Hatt, the great-uncle of Stephen and Bridget Hatt, and the brother-in-law of Lady Hatt.Sir Lowham Hatt is mischievous and enjoys playing with the children. He seems to know little or nothing about railways. He played hide-and-seek with the children and then went into a signal box and pulled the lever, switching Gordon to the branchline. He dresses exactly like Sir Topham but has a moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
. It is unknown how and why he got his knighthood.
Sir Lowham Hatt first appears in Season 13.
Butler
Sir Topham has a butlerButler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
who is featured in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends TV Series. He has appeared in only two stories, "Thomas in Trouble" ("Thomas Breaks the Rules" in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) in Season 1, and "Fergus Breaks The Rules", in Season 7.
Inspiration
Whilst many names have been put forward, it seems that no one true figure inspired the character. Wilbert Awdry claims the character was originally created as a nod towards 'pompous railway officials' of the time, 'who gave out plenty of orders, but never actually did anything.' This is particularly reflected in the first book, The Three Railway Engines, but over time, the character softens, becoming more of a father, or perhaps grandfather figure to the engines.Some have even suggested the idea that, with Awdry being a clergyman, the Fat Controller was meant to act as an omnipresent, God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
-like figure. This was never the intention, although in The Thomas the Tank Engine Man, Awdry states he is happy to go along with this idea if it gives the young children 'an idea of there being someone who is in control of the world.'
Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry is an English author best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his father, the Rev. W. Awdry. He has also produced children's books based on a number of other railways, as well as non-fiction articles...
suggests in Sodor: Reading Between the Lines that Sir Topham could have been loosely inspired by the doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who treated him when he had measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
.
Real Fat Controllers
"Day out with ThomasDay out with Thomas
Day Out With Thomas is a trade name, licensed by HiT Entertainment, for tourist events that take place on heritage railways and feature one or more trains decorated to look like characters from the children's TV series, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends....
" events are a popular way of raising money for heritage railways. These events are an opportunity for children to meet characters from the books and television series (or at least, engines that have been "dressed up" to resemble them). These events are invariably presided over by a Fat Controller, played by a railway volunteer of appropriate age and build.
The copyright holders are strict about how these volunteers should appear: the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Trust
The South Devon Railway Trust is a charitable organisation that operates a heritage railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh in Devon, alongside the River Dart...
's Fat Controller was forced to either quit or shave off his beard, and it is absolutely forbidden for a Fat Controller to be too thin.
Other uses of the name "Fat Controller"
In Series 3, Episode 2 of To the Manor Born, during a meeting to protest the closing of the local railway station, the Rector loses his temper with an overweight representative of British RailBritish Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
, played by Richard Thorp
Richard Thorp
Richard Thorp is an English actor, who appeared in such great British films as The Dambusters and the 1957 film The Barrets of Wimpole Street.. He is best known for playing the part of Alan Turner on ITV soap Emmerdale since 1982. Previous TV roles included Dr...
, and refers to him as "the Fat Controller".
In Australia the term 'fat controller' is also used to describe someone working within the finance industry, usually the financial manager of a company similar to the terminology 'fat cat
Fat cat (term)
Fat cat is a political term originally describing a rich political donor, also called an angel or big money man.The New York Times has described fat cats as symbols of "a deeply corrupt campaign finance system riddled with loopholes", with Americans seeing them as recipients of the "perks of...
' being used to describe people relating to government.
The name "Fat Controller" has also been given to a student magazine, an electronic snow glove and at least one public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
It is also the nickname of Samuel Northcliffe, the malevolent influence on the life of protagonist Ian Wharton in British novelist Will Self
Will Self
William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
's 1993 novel My Idea of Fun.
The British alternative rock band Catherine Wheel
Catherine Wheel
Catherine Wheel were a four-piece alternative rock band from Great Yarmouth, England. The band was active from 1990 to 2000, experiencing fluctuating levels of commercial success, and embarking on many lengthy tours.-Biography:...
recorded the song "Here Comes the Fat Controller" on their 1997 album, Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve (album)
Adam and Eve is the fourth full-length album by the English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel. Released in 1997 , the album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers and number 178 on the Billboard 200...
.
Electronic musician Squarepusher
Squarepusher
Squarepusher is the performing pseudonym of Tom Jenkinson, an English electronic music artist signed to Warp Records. He specialises in the electronic music genres of drum and bass and acid, with a significant jazz and musique concrète influence....
has a song called "Fat Controller" on his album Hard Normal Daddy
Hard Normal Daddy
Hard Normal Daddy is an acid and drum and bass album by UK electronic musician Squarepusher. It was his first full release on the Warp Records label....
.
"Fat Controller" is the name of Frostwave's 16-step analogue sequencer midi cv produced by Paul Perry.
Name of the programming antipattern (The Fat Controller) related to MVC; opposite of Skinny Controller.