Thomas & Friends series 1

Thomas the Tank Engine & 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 Wilbert Awdry.

Thomas & Friends
Series 1
DVD cover art
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original network	ITV (Central) (via Children's ITV)
Original release	9 October 1984 (1984-10-09) – 8 January 1985 (1985-01-08)
Series chronology
List of episodes

This article lists and details episodes from the first series of the show, which was originally broadcast in 1984. This series was initially narrated by Ringo Starr for the United Kingdom audiences, who later re-narrated 25 episodes for the United States from 1989-1990. The entire series was narrated by George Carlin for the US audiences beginning in 1991.

It was produced by Clearwater Features Ltd. for Britt Allcroft (Thomas the Tank Engine) Ltd. and Central Independent Television.

Production

All of the stories in Series 1 were originally written by the Rev. W. Awdry, including a one-off story commissioned by the staff: Thomas' Christmas Party. The seven engines introduced in this series became the core of the cast in later episodes, with crew member (and from Series 8–12, director) Steve Asquith terming them the "Magnificent Seven".^[1] Many settings from the first series would stay with the show for years, even through its 2009 transition to CGI, such as Knapford Station, Wellsworth, Gordon's Hill, Henry's Tunnel, and Tidmouth Sheds.

The pilot for the series (which was never aired on television) was filmed in April 1983. It was an adaptation of "Down the Mine",^{[citation needed]} which was remade entirely when the rest of the episodes were shot.^[1] The pilot was later restored and released to the public in May 2025 on the Thomas & Friends YouTube channel.

Filming lasted 7 months from September 1983 to March 1984. Post production was completed in April, 6 months before its official debut on October 9, 1984.^{[citation needed]}

This series (along with the one that succeeds it) was narrated by Ringo Starr. However in 1989, Shining Time Station was created as a way to bring Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends to American television. Ringo Starr portrayed Mr. Conductor, a tiny magical conductor who told stories of engines on the Island of Sodor. Starr re-narrated twenty-five of the episodes in the first series, "Whistles and Sneezes" being the exception. Terms like "trucks" and "guards" were re-named to "freight cars" and "conductors" in the new narration. After Starr left the show, American comedian George Carlin played Mr. Conductor's cousin and narrated all episodes from the first series to the fourth series.^[2] The first season of Shining Time Station lists the Thomas stories' original UK titles in the end credits, but were re-titled for later seasons and for home video.

Episodes

Main article: List of Thomas & Friends episodes

No. overall	No. in series	UK title (top) US title (bottom)	Directed by	Source	Original release date
1	1	"Thomas & Gordon"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	9 October 1984 (1984-10-09)
		"Thomas Gets Tricked"
A little blue tank engine called Thomas lives and works at a big station on the Island of Sodor. He enjoys teasing the other engines, especially Gordon, the biggest and proudest tender engine of all. When Thomas gets carried away with the teasing, Gordon decides to teach him a lesson.
2	2	"Edward & Gordon"	David Mitton	The Three Railway Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	9 October 1984 (1984-10-09)
		"Edward Helps Out"		Based on Edward's Day Out and the story of the same name (Edward & Gordon)
Edward is a blue mixed-traffic tender engine, who has been in the shed and not out working for quite a while. Edward's driver and fireman feel sorry for him and decide to use him one day. Soon, Edward helps Gordon the next day when the big engine gets stuck on a hill with a goods train.
3	3	"The Sad Story of Henry"	David Mitton	The Three Railway Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	16 October 1984 (1984-10-16)
		"Come Out, Henry!"
A green mixed-traffic tender engine named Henry is afraid of the rain, thinking it will spoil his lovely green paint and red stripes. One day, he hides in a tunnel and refuses to come out. After numerous failed attempts to convince him, Sir Topham Hatt (known as the Fat Controller), the man in charge of all the engines, has no choice but to wall Henry up in the tunnel.
4	4	"Edward, Gordon & Henry"	David Mitton	The Three Railway Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	16 October 1984 (1984-10-16)
		"Henry to the Rescue"
Henry has been stuck in the south tunnel for a really long time and regrets being so stubborn. One day, Gordon goes too fast with the express and bursts his safety valve near the north portal of Henry's Tunnel. Edward is the only engine available, but the train is too heavy to push without Henry's help.
5	5	"Thomas' Train"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	23 October 1984 (1984-10-23)
		"A Big Day for Thomas"
Thomas is getting bored with shunting and wishes that he would pull coaches instead of merely collecting them. One day, when Henry is ill, his chance comes, but he accidentally starts off before being coupled up to the train.
6	6	"Thomas & the Trucks"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	23 October 1984 (1984-10-23)
		"Trouble for Thomas"
Thomas is tired of pushing coaches and wants to see the world. One night, Edward tells him that if he can take his goods train, he will push coaches in the yard. Thomas gets his chance, is too excited to pay attention to Edward's advice. At the top of Gordon's hill, Thomas puts on his brakes. But the Troublesome Trucks proceed to push him to the bottom, where he stops at a siding. The Fat Controller, who sees Thomas, tells him that he still has a lot to learn about trucks.
7	7	"Thomas & the Breakdown Train"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	30 October 1984 (1984-10-30)
		"Thomas Saves the Day"
One day, a red mixed-traffic tender engine called James whistles for help when a heavy load of Trucks pushes him out of control and sets his wooden brakes on fire. Thomas reacts fast and gets the breakdown train. He later arrives at the accident site and helps out. Because of this, the Fat Controller rewards Thomas with his own branch line and two faithful coaches called Annie and Clarabel.
8	8	"James & the Coaches"	David Mitton	James the Red Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	30 October 1984 (1984-10-30)
		"James Learns a Lesson"		Based on James and the Top Hat and James and the Bootlace
James is enjoying his new life on the Island of Sodor, but still has a lot to learn - especially when he accidentally ruins the Fat Controller's new top hat and blows a hole in the brake pipe of one of his coaches.
9	9	"Troublesome Trucks"	David Mitton	James the Red Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	6 November 1984 (1984-11-06)
		"Foolish Freight Cars"
James is stuck in the sheds after the incident with the coaches, but soon he gets let out to pull some trucks. James is more than happy, even though he does get teased by the other engines about his incident. The trucks try to make James give up, but he manages to pull them to their station.
10	10	"James & the Express"	David Mitton	James the Red Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	6 November 1984 (1984-11-06)
		"A Proud Day for James"
Gordon ends up going down a different track with the express, ironically after boasting to James that he knows the right line. James serves as Gordon's replacement for the day and the Fat Controller allows him to take the Express sometimes.
11	11	"Thomas & the Guard"	David Mitton	Tank Engine Thomas Again by Rev. W. Awdry	13 November 1984 (1984-11-13)
		"Thomas and the Conductor"
Thomas does a great job running his branch line with Annie and Clarabel, but soon he becomes so impatient with Henry being late, that he accidentally leaves his guard behind on a platform.
12	12	"Thomas Goes Fishing"	David Mitton	Tank Engine Thomas Again by Rev. W. Awdry	13 November 1984 (1984-11-13)
Thomas wants to fish after seeing people fishing, but is told that engines never go fishing. The next day, Thomas needs a drink of water. But when the water tower is out of order, Thomas' crew decides to get water from the river, only to face a consequence with fish in Thomas' boiler.
13	13	"Thomas, Terence & the Snow"	David Mitton	Tank Engine Thomas Again by Rev. W. Awdry	20 November 1984 (1984-11-20)
		"Terence the Tractor"
Thomas meets a caterpillar tractor called Terence, and makes fun of him by saying his wheels are ugly. Terence explains that his wheels are caterpillars and he can go anywhere, which comes in handy during the winter, when Thomas damages his snowplough and gets stuck in a snowdrift.
14	14	"Thomas & Bertie"	David Mitton	Tank Engine Thomas Again by Rev. W. Awdry	20 November 1984 (1984-11-20)
		"Thomas and Bertie's Great Race"
Thomas meets a single-deck bus called Bertie, who reminds Thomas of the time he took his passengers after he got stuck in the snowdrift, and Terence came to pull him out; Bertie also challenges Thomas to a race to the next station.
15	15	"Tenders & Turntables"	David Mitton	Troublesome Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	27 November 1984 (1984-11-27)
Since Thomas has to work on his branch line, Henry, Gordon and James must shunt their own coaches, which makes them angry as they say tender engines never shunt. To make matters worse, Gordon and James both encounter turntable trouble, with Gordon unable to get perfectly balanced and being forced to pull his next train tender first, and James being spun round like a top due to high wind, leaving him dizzy and completely humiliated when Gordon witnesses it. Having had enough, soon, the tender engines decide to go on strike.
16	16	"Trouble in the Shed"	David Mitton	Troublesome Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	27 November 1984 (1984-11-27)
When the Fat Controller sees that Gordon, James and Henry have gone on strike, he brings in Edward to end it. But when he sees Edward being treated poorly, he buys a new saddle tank engine called Percy to help and shuts the three tender engines up in the sheds as punishment for their mutiny. Percy soon gets to work shunting coaches and handling Thomas' branch, while Edward and Thomas work together to run the main line.
17	17	"Percy Runs Away"	David Mitton	Troublesome Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	4 December 1984 (1984-12-04)
The Fat Controller allows the three tender engines to go back to their jobs and then lets Percy, Edward and Thomas take a break for a while. Percy is so cheeky that he becomes careless and forgets Edward's advice about the junction. Percy is so startled by the presence of Gordon that he reverses away quickly without his crew, but gets stuck in a bank of earth. Later, Gordon pulls Percy out of the bank while congratulating him for preventing a nasty accident.
18	18	"Coal"	David Mitton	Henry the Green Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	4 December 1984 (1984-12-04)
		"Henry's Special Coal"
Henry has been sick for some time and the Fat Controller is concerned about him. It turns out Henry's small firebox is unable to take the heat from the Island's coal and requires an expensive but special Welsh load. By using the Welsh coal, Henry's performance improves dramatically.
19	19	"The Flying Kipper"	David Mitton	Henry the Green Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	11 December 1984 (1984-12-11)
Henry is chosen to pull an early morning fish train, dubbed "the Flying Kipper". Everything goes well until ice freezes the points from the main line into a siding and snow forces down a signal set at "Danger", leading Henry to collide with another goods train in the siding. The Fat Controller sends Henry to Crewe to get a new shape and a larger firebox, allowing him to use regular coal again and making him the engine he always deserved to be.
20	20	"Whistles & Sneezes"	David Mitton	Henry the Green Engine by Rev. W. Awdry Based on Gordon's Whistle and Henry's Sneeze	11 December 1984 (1984-12-11)
Gordon is jealous that Henry has been rebuilt and complains that he whistles too much. Ironically, Gordon's whistle jams later on and he is unable to stop from whistling. The next day, some boys throw stones at Henry and break the coaches' windows. Henry's driver and fireman decide to pay the boys out by making Henry sneeze at them.
21	21	"Toby & the Stout Gentleman"	David Mitton	Toby the Tram Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	18 December 1984 (1984-12-18)
		"Toby the Tram Engine"
Toby is a square tram engine who works on his own little line. He is happy there with his faithful coach Henrietta, who has seen better days, but soon he is quickly running out of work, being replaced by cars, lorries and buses. In the meantime, he is only carrying a few passengers and shunting a few trucks. Toby's line is about to be closed down for good when a letter comes for him.
22	22	"Thomas in Trouble"	David Mitton	Toby the Tram Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	18 December 1984 (1984-12-18)
		"Thomas Breaks the Rules"
Thomas gets in trouble with a police constable for not having a cowcatcher or sideplates. When the Fat Controller hears about it, he buys Toby, who has both and brings Henrietta with him.
23	23	"Dirty Objects"	David Mitton	Toby the Tram Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	25 December 1984 (1984-12-25)
		"James in a Mess"
Toby and Henrietta are enjoying their new life on the Island of Sodor, but James calls them "dirty objects" as they look old fashioned and need new paint. Later, James takes a goods train, but the trucks push him down Gordon's Hill so fast, that he crashes into some tar wagons. James is more dirty than hurt, but when Toby and Percy arrive to help him, Toby says that he looks more like the so-called "dirty object" now.
24	24	"Off the Rails"	David Mitton	Gordon the Big Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	8 January 1985 (1985-01-08)[citation needed]
		"Gordon Takes a Dip"
One morning, Gordon is very difficult. He becomes the butt of Henry and Percy's jokes and refuses to pull a goods train. His plan to jam the turntable ends in failure when he slithers into a ditch. When the Fat Controller hears about this, he leaves Gordon there until later. At night, Gordon is finally pulled out of the ditch by James and Henry, but is now miserable and humiliated because of his actions.
25	25	"Down the Mine"	David Mitton	Gordon the Big Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	8 January 1985 (1985-01-08)[citation needed]
After his ditch incident, Gordon is forced to pull trucks as his punishment. Thomas enjoys teasing him about it much to Annie and Clarabel's dismay, but while working at the lead mines shunting trucks, he falls into one after he takes no notice of a "Danger" sign. Gordon, now feeling sorry for Thomas, pulls him out.
26	26	"Thomas' Christmas Party"	David Mitton	Thomas' Christmas Party by Rev. W. Awdry	25 December 1984 (1984-12-25)
Christmas arrives on the Island of Sodor. All the engines are busy with passengers and parcels, especially Thomas and Toby. Thomas likes it when he passes Mrs. Kyndley's house while working and she always waves to him. Thomas then goes to the shed to talk with the other engines about throwing a Christmas party for Mrs. Kyndley to thank her for saving them from an accident a year earlier.

Home media

United Kingdom

Series 1 was first released as two separate VHS and Betamax volumes by Guild Home Video in 1985. They remain the only Thomas related products released on the latter format. The Video Collection later re-released them as three VHS volumes in 1986, and have seen numerous re-releases over the years.

Video Collection International released a complete series VHS set in 1998, available as either a single-VHS or double-VHS release. It was soon released on DVD in 2004 as part of the "Classic Collection Boxset" before being released on its own the following year. The 2012 re-release by HIT Entertainment uses the 2003 restoration of the series.

Episodes from the series have also made it to various compilation releases with other series.

United States

Strand VCI Entertainment and Anchor Bay Entertainment have released Series 1 episodes on various VHS and DVD volumes.

In 2004, the complete series was released on DVD as part of a 3-disc boxset titled "The Early Years", featuring the original UK narrations and titles for the first time in the US.