Thomas and Friends - Season 5
Encyclopedia
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
is a children's television series
about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series
books written by the Rev. W. Awdry.
This article lists and details episodes from the fifth season of this series, which was first broadcast in 1998. This season is narrated by Michael Angelis
, although Alec Baldwin
narrates the episodes for American audiences. This was the first (and only) season of the show to use the Dolby Surround
sound technique.
's desire to create a theatrical Thomas the Tank Engine movie, and requested that director David Mitton
show off his modelling skills. Series 5 aired in 1998, and the movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad
was released two years later.
Some inspiration for the stories came from a former LMR
manager named David Maidment. In 1997 Maidment met with Steven Wright about the possibility of supporting the Railway Children charity, and while Wright told him the show's staff commonly received such requests, they would consider. During their meeting, Maidment relayed stories about his railway experiences working in South Wales and as the manager at station. Days later Maidment received a call asking if he would allow some of his stories to be used as material – the stories from The Railway Series were frequently based on true events, and Allcroft and Mitton preferred this. Maidment agreed, and was also asked to review each story to make sure that the railway in the show operated realistically. £10,000 was donated to the Railway Children for his work.
These stories are amongst those adapted:
Additionally, "A Better View for Gordon" was based on a famous incident at Gare Montparnasse in 1895.
The design for each new character would be chosen by David Eves, and given to David Mitton for approval.
This series saw the introduction of new models of the narrow gauge engines, built on a larger scale. While Series 5 alternated between using the larger models and the originals, later episodes would see the large-scale versions being used almost exclusively. The change is most noticeable in "Rusty and the Boulder," where Rusty's smaller model is used for the first half of the episode, and then the updated model is used for the second half.
had left the American dub of Thomas with the fourth series, and actor Alec Baldwin was brought in to take his place. Baldwin would later play a starring role in the Magic Railroad feature.
, but Series 5 aired in the US as part of the half-hour Storytime with Thomas block. Each episode would include a new Series 5 episode, an episode of Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie
, and a Series 4 episode narrated by Carlin, with music videos and footage of Day out with Thomas
in between.
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas and Friends is a British children's television series, first broadcast on the ITV network in September 1984. Until 2003, it was named Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. This series was shot on 35mm film...
is a children's television series
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series
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...
books written by the Rev. W. Awdry.
This article lists and details episodes from the fifth season of this series, which was first broadcast in 1998. This season is narrated by 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...
, although Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
narrates the episodes for American audiences. This was the first (and only) season of the show to use the Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
sound technique.
Stories
The show's staff had decided since Series 3 that most of the best stories of The Railway Series had been adapted, the rest involving too many new characters or closely resembling previous stories. With Series 5, the decision was made to write a full series of original, staff-written stories. One reason for this was producer Britt AllcroftBritt Allcroft
Britt Allcroft is the multi- award-winning creator of a trio of children's entertainment produced in the 1980s and 1990s: "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends", , "Shining Time Station" and "Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie".She was born Hilary Mary Allcroft, in Worthing, England and, at...
's desire to create a theatrical Thomas the Tank Engine movie, and requested that director David Mitton
David Mitton
David Nelson Godfrey Mitton was a British television producer and director, and an experienced model maker and author, best known for directing and producing the children's television shows TUGS and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends...
show off his modelling skills. Series 5 aired in 1998, and the movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 British/American film based on the well-known TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and the United States TV series Shining Time Station. The film was co-produced by Gullane Entertainment and the Isle of Man Film Commission. It was written, produced...
was released two years later.
Some inspiration for the stories came from a former LMR
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
manager named David Maidment. In 1997 Maidment met with Steven Wright about the possibility of supporting the Railway Children charity, and while Wright told him the show's staff commonly received such requests, they would consider. During their meeting, Maidment relayed stories about his railway experiences working in South Wales and as the manager at station. Days later Maidment received a call asking if he would allow some of his stories to be used as material – the stories from The Railway Series were frequently based on true events, and Allcroft and Mitton preferred this. Maidment agreed, and was also asked to review each story to make sure that the railway in the show operated realistically. £10,000 was donated to the Railway Children for his work.
These stories are amongst those adapted:
- "Baa!" – a ram invades a railway station and attacks some vandals; additionally, the idea of a "Best Kept Station" competition.
- "James and the Trouble with Trees" – rain erodes an embankment, causing a tree to slide down and stand upright on the tracks.
- "Double Teething Troubles" – a British Rail Class 17British Rail Class 17The British Rail Class 17 was a class of 117 Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives built 1962–1965 by Clayton Equipment Company and their sub-contractor Beyer, Peacock & Co., for British Railways ....
diesel stalls while banking a train. - "Gordon and the Gremlins" – bathwater in a luxury coach splashes around the compartment.
Additionally, "A Better View for Gordon" was based on a famous incident at Gare Montparnasse in 1895.
The design for each new character would be chosen by David Eves, and given to David Mitton for approval.
Filming
Mitton shot 2,700 slates for Series 5, the most of any of the series he shot for Thomas.This series saw the introduction of new models of the narrow gauge engines, built on a larger scale. While Series 5 alternated between using the larger models and the originals, later episodes would see the large-scale versions being used almost exclusively. The change is most noticeable in "Rusty and the Boulder," where Rusty's smaller model is used for the first half of the episode, and then the updated model is used for the second half.
Talent
George CarlinGeorge Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
had left the American dub of Thomas with the fourth series, and actor Alec Baldwin was brought in to take his place. Baldwin would later play a starring role in the Magic Railroad feature.
Broadcast
Previously Thomas had only aired in the US as a segment on the TV show Shining Time StationShining Time Station
Shining Time Station is an American children's television series co-created by Britt Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by The Britt Allcroft Company and Quality Family Entertainment in New York for New York City PBS Station WNET, and was filmed first in New York and then in Toronto...
, but Series 5 aired in the US as part of the half-hour Storytime with Thomas block. Each episode would include a new Series 5 episode, an episode of Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie
Magic Adventures of Mumfie
Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie is an animated made-for-television movie and television series created by Britt Allcroft and directed by John Laurence Collins. It is based on the Mumfie novels by Katherine Tozer, which were originally published in 1936. Mumfie is a 'nelifunt', a toy...
, and a Series 4 episode narrated by Carlin, with music videos and footage of Day out with Thomas
Day 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....
in between.
Episodes
| # | Total | Title (Top) US Title (Bottom) |
Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
Introduced
- Cranky (Cranky Bugs)
- Horrid Lorries (Horrid Lorry)
- Butch (Cranky Bugs, cameo) (Horrid Lorry, does not speak)
- DerekDerekDerek is a male name derived from the same root as the Old German Theodoric, meaning power of the tribe or ruler of the people. Variants recently revived are Deryk, Deric, Derak, the Dutch form Dirk, popularised by the actor Dirk Bogarde, and the Low German Dirk...
(Double Teething Troubles, not named) - Arry and Bert (Stepney Gets Lost, Arry not named, Bert does not speak)
- Bertram (Toby's Discovery, does not speak)
- Tiger MothTiger mothTiger moths are moths of the family Arctiidae.Tiger moth may also refer to:*de Havilland Tiger Moth, an aircraft; an aerobatic and trainer tailwheel biplane*de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth, an earlier monoplane produced by de Havilland...
(Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday, does not speak) - Thumper (Rusty and the Boulder, does not speak)
- Old Slow Coach (Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach)
- Old Bailey (Haunted Henry)
- Boulder (Rusty and the Boulder, does not speak)
- Dowager Hatt (Gordon and the Gremlins)
Returning
- ThomasThomas the Tank EngineThomas 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...
- EdwardEdward the Blue EngineEdward the Blue Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam locomotive from The Railway Series children's books by the Rev W. Awdry, and the related TV Series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. He is a blue 4-4-0 tender engine with red stripes, about the same size as James the Red Engine, and has...
- HenryHenry the Green EngineHenry 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...
- GordonGordon the Big EngineGordon the Big Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tender locomotive in The Railway Series books by Rev. W. Awdry. Gordon is painted blue and carries the number 4. Gordon views himself as the most important engine because he is the biggest and he pulls the Express...
- JamesJames the Red EngineJames the Red Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tender locomotive from The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas and Friends. James is a mixed-traffic engine, which means he is just as capable of pulling coaches as trucks...
- PercyPercy the Small EnginePercy the Small Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam engine from The Railway Series of children's books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry...
- TobyToby the Tram EngineToby 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...
- DuckDuck the Great Western EngineDuck 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....
- Oliver
- Stepney
- Bill and Ben
- SkarloeySkarloeySkarloey is a fictional locomotive from The Railway Series by Rev. W. Awdry. He is one of the oldest engines on the Island of Sodor. Skarloey lives and works on the Skarloey Railway as Engine No.1.-Railway Series history:...
- RheneasRheneasRheneas is a fictional locomotive from The Railway Series by Rev. W. Awdry and the children's TV series Thomas and Friends. He is one of the oldest engines on the Island of Sodor...
- RustyRusty the dieselRusty the Diesel is a fictional Ruston & Hornsby diesel engine on the Skarloey Railway in The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas and Friends. He is responsible for hauling maintenance trains for gangers to repair the track. He also occasionally...
- Duncan
- Boco
- MavisMavisMavis is a female name. Its usage was initiated by Marie Corelli's 1895 novel The Sorrows of Satan1 which featured a character named Mavis Clare whose first name is said to be "rather odd" but suitable for Miss Clare as "she sings quite as sweetly as any thrush"...
- Annie and ClarabelAnnie and ClarabelAnnie and Clarabel are fictional characters from The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry and the related Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series...
- Toad
- TerenceTerence the TractorTerence the Tractor is a fictional anthropomorphic crawler tractor from The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends....
- BertieBertie the BusBertie the Bus is a small red bus character from The Railway Series books by the Rev. W Awdry and who also appears in the spin-off children's television series Thomas and Friends.-Book character:...
- George
- Caroline
- HaroldHarold the HelicopterHarold the Helicopter is a character in the Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry and the television series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends....
- Sir Topham HattThe Fat ControllerThe 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 he is known as The Fat Director...
- Lady Hatt
- Stephen Hatt
- Bridget Hatt
- Mrs.Kyndley
- Jem Cole
- Peter SamPeter SamPeter Sam is a fictional steam locomotive The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry and the spin-off TV series Thomas and Friends. Peter Sam lives and works on the Skarloey Railway on the Island of Sodor as engine No. 4....
(does not speak) - Henrietta (does not speak)
- Donald and DouglasDonald and DouglasDonald and Douglas are two fictional steam locomotives from The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry. They also appear in Thomas and Friends, the television series based on the books...
(Non-Speaking Cameos) - S.C.Ruffey (Cameo, on a truck's face)
- TrevorTrevorTrevor can be a male given name or a surname.-Etymology:Trevor can be a given name or surname of Welsh origin : also a habitational name from any of the numerous places in Wales, in particular the one near Llangollen, from the Welsh tre, meaning "homestead", or "settlement" and a form of mawr,...
(Non-Speaking Cameo) - Bulstrode (Cameo)
- Sir HandelSir HandelSir Handel is a fictional steam locomotive from The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry and its spin-off TV series, Thomas and Friends. Sir Handel lives and works on the Skarloey Railway on the Island of Sodor as Engine No.3...
(Music Video Cameo) - DukeDukeA duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
(Music Video Cameo)