Presumably titled The Adventures of Thomas was the then second theatrical Thomas & Friends film that was planned for release. Little was ever known about this film and the full state of this film is still currently unknown. As of 2018, it has most likely been cancelled, since no new updates on the film have been announced. The first series (1984) used stories from the first eight books, along with one specially written by the Rev. W. Awdry, Thomas's Christmas Party. The second series (1986) used stories from Book No.9 ( Edward the Blue Engine) to Book No.30 ( More About Thomas the Tank Engine). The latter book was unusual, as it was written specifically by Christopher Awdry to be adapted by the show. At that time, it was a contractual obligation that the series could only adapt stories that appeared in print. The series also used a story from a Thomas Annual, "Thomas and Trevor", and a specially written stand-alone story, Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree. One episode (" The Missing Coach") was in the process of being filmed, but was cancelled mid-way through filming as Allcroft decided it was too confusing for young viewers. The production team went on to use "Better Late Than Never" instead. [13] The story "Gordon Goes Foreign" from the Railway Series book The Eight Famous Engines was also planned to be adapted but was scrapped due to budgetary limitations. After the huge successes of the first and second series, Britt Allcroft set another goal: bringing Thomas into the United States. Due to stricter broadcasting schedules, Britt had to create a half hour programme to go with the five and a half minute episodes. The result was Shining Time Station, starring Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor, which began airing in 1989. This was another hit for Allcroft and was the beginning of the "Thomas craze" in America. The 6th, 7th, 21st and 24th series were not dubbed into German. The Series was narrated by Manfred Steffen from the 1st to 5th series and by Sky du Mont from the 8th to 20th series. a b c d e f g h i j "The TV Series – A History of Thomas on Screen". Sodor Island. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010 . Retrieved 17 February 2014.

Haring, Bruce (31 May 2020). "Michael Angelis Dies: Voice Of 'Thomas The Tank Engine' Was 76". Deadline . Retrieved 5 June 2020. Bluebell Railway – FAQ". Bluebell Railway. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014 . Retrieved 19 February 2014.Thomas appears and speaks in every episode of the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and nineteenth series. He also appears in every episode of the ninth, sixteenth and twentieth series, despite not speaking in all of them. However, starting from Big World! Big Adventures! and the twenty second series onwards, Thomas himself takes over the role of narration, telling it from his point of view. Thomas was described in the opening to "Thomas and Gordon", the first story in book number two, Thomas the Tank Engine, as: [11] Despite becoming the most popular character in The Railway Series, Thomas was not featured in the first book, The Three Railway Engines. Anthony D'Alessandro (6 October 2020). " Thomas & Friends New Movie In The Works From Mattel Films & Marc Forster's 2Dux²". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 6 October 2020. The Case for the Missing Coach". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011 . Retrieved 28 November 2010.

Thomas The Tank Engine' For Sale Cheap". Deadline London. 20 September 2010 . Retrieved 5 May 2012. Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell composed the show's original main title theme, songs and incidental music from 1984 to 2003. In 2004 Robert Hartshorne took their place as composer, while Ed Welch wrote the new theme tune and the songs. These are the narrators of the show in the United Kingdom and the United States. Some of the narrators also played Mr. Conductor. Arc Productions Comes on Board As Animation Studio For HIT Entertainment's Thomas & Friends". Hit Entertainment. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014 . Retrieved 13 February 2014.The series was last produced by Mattel Creations taking over HiT Entertainment, who filmed the series since its acquisition of Gullane Entertainment in 2002. Mallory, Michael (6 November 2006). "How Thomas the Tank Engine Works". Entertainment.howstuffworks.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007 . Retrieved 1 October 2011. A new theme song and new incidental music was composed by Ed Welch and Robert Hartshorne, respectively. The episode runtime was increased to seven minutes. The series was produced using digital video cameras, creating a somewhat different look for the show. Other changes included the additions of CGI educational sequences and transitions between stories. Executive producer Peter Urie also left, while Jocelyn Stevenson remained in her role as executive producer. Sam Barlow became the story executive, while Abi Grant and Paul Larson served as script editors. This series saw the adoption of a centralised cast, including Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby and Emily. THOMAS & FRIENDS Announcement". WNET. 29 December 2017. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018 . Retrieved 26 June 2023. In 1996, the Thomas stories were segments for Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales, again featuring George Carlin. Alec Baldwin portrayed Mr. Conductor in the first theatrical film, Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000), and narrated the series for the US from 1998 to 2003. Michael Angelis narrated the series from 1991 to 2012 in the UK, while Michael Brandon narrated the series from 2004 to 2012 in the US. From 2013 to 2017, the series was narrated by Mark Moraghan. From 2018, the episodes were told from Thomas's point of view.

Thomas has been referenced, featured and parodied in popular culture. In 1988, he was parodied on ITV's Spitting Image where he was portrayed as a drunk who went "completely off the rails." [18] In 2009, he appeared in " The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" where he was voiced by Ringo Starr, who narrated the first two series of Thomas and Friends. [19] In the British comedy show Bobby Davro's TV Weekly, a spoof was created titled "Thomas the Tanked Up Engine" involving Jeremy, the pink engine. Bobby Davro provided the narration by impersonating Ringo Starr. Allcroft rounded up a production crew, which included model director David Mitton, narrator Ringo Starr and composers Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell. The first series premiered in October 1984 and with its success, came a second series in 1986. Animoca Brands and Mattel launch "Thomas & Friends: Race On!" game". Animoca Brands. 18 December 2015 . Retrieved 14 May 2022. Haller, Sonja (17 May 2019). "Exclusive sneak peek: 'Thomas & Friends' pulls into station with season debut". USA Today. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019 . Retrieved 17 May 2019. Series 9 (2005) and 10 (2006) saw the expansion of the supporting cast with new and old characters. From Series 9 onwards, the narrator would call out the episodes' names, and from Series 11 onwards the theme song was begun with the sound of a train whistle. Series 10 aired with twenty-eight episodes rather than the twenty-six of previous years. The eleventh series (2007) was filmed in high definition format. Twenty episodes aired in the original broadcast, while six were first released direct to DVD as Engines and Escapades and later aired on TV. Jocelyn Stevenson stepped down as executive producer after Series 10, with Christopher Skala taking her place as executive producer for Series 11. Sharon Miller became the script editor from Series 9 to 11.

September 2016 saw the release of the next direct-to-DVD special, The Great Race. The twentieth series began broadcasting in the UK on 5 September 2016 with the first five episodes of the series and in the US on the October 21, 2016. HiT Entertainment and SiF released a poll in which fans voted for what they wanted to see rendered in CG for this series. Notably, this was the first series since the fourth series to adapt Railway Series stories, with the book Small Railway Engines being adapted into the final three episodes of the series. In February 2012, it was announced that Arc Productions would take over animation duties starting with the seventeenth series in 2013. In August 2016, Arc Productions closed down after filing for bankruptcy. Jam Filled Entertainment, however, entered into an agreement, looking at acquiring the entirety of Arc. On 22nd August 2016, it was confirmed that Jam Filled Entertainment had successfully acquired Arc Productions and thus taken over the animation for Thomas & Friends. In the United Kingdom, Thomas & Friends was originally broadcast on ITV until 2006. Since then it has been broadcast on Channel 5's Milkshake! strand. When the television series returned in 1991 with the third series, there were some big changes. Instead of following closely to the Railway Series, Allcroft and Mitton loosely adapted many of the Reverend's stories as well as loosely adapted magazine stories written by the current head writer Andrew Brenner (who unfortunately did not get credited for these adaptations), they even wrote their own episodes, much to the Reverend's disdain. The fourth series, airing in 1995, only had one original episode however and featured many new characters such as the Skarloey Railway engines.