This article is about the eighth series of Thomas & Friends. You may be looking for the eighth series of Watch Out, Thomas!.

The eighth series of Thomas & Friends was the first series produced entirely after HiT Entertainment's acquisition of Gullane Entertainment had completed. It was narrated by Michael Angelis in the UK and Michael Brandon in the US. It first premiered on VHS and DVD in May 2004 before airing on television in September 2004 on PBS Kids in the US and then In Canada on Treehouse TV a few days later and in October later that year on Nick Jr. in the UK.

Production

After their purchase of Gullane, HiT Entertainment decided to make a number of major changes to the format of the series. Jan Page was replaced by Paul Larson and Abi Grant, both involved with the franchise since 2001, as story editor, while Sam Barlow was appointed as a script executive, granting him a supervisory position over the show's writing. The primary cast was similarly revamped through the creation of a solidified main cast of eight engines, dubbed the Steam Team. In order to establish its presence, all episodes would feature one or more of these eight characters in leading roles, while other characters were either relegated to only one leading role, supporting roles, or eliminated altogether, with many not returning to the show as regulars for at least ten years. Intending to relaunch the series on TV in the United States following three years of primarily direct-to-video distribution, HiT extended each episode's runtime from four and a half to seven minutes and created a 30-minute block format for the series on PBS containing two new episodes, an episode from the previous series (with rescored background music) and several music videos and learning segments (some of which being animated in CGI by id3tv, who also animated supplementary material for the series). To comply with PBS' programming mandates, the tone of the series became more overtly educational, with simplified vocabulary and the main cast of engines being written more analogously to young children, and the reduced presence of the engines' crews, who would vanish almost entirely in subsequent model series.

Meanwhile, veteran music composers Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell were replaced by Robert Hartshorne and songwriter Ed Welch, while David Mitton was superseded as director by longtime Shepperton crew member Stephen Asquith. Digital camera equipment similarly replaced the 35mm film camera utilised for the previous seven series.

The eighth series was originally meant to be produced by Gullane Entertainment as far back as 2001, as Gullane were going to make 78 episodes that would take up 3 series. However, the acquisition of Gullane by HiT the following year only enabled them to produce 52 episodes or two full series.^[1]

Work on the eighth series began in 2003, shortly after the filming of the seventh series and Jack and the Sodor Construction Company. A draft of a writers' bible used for this series was written in March 2003.

Episodes

Songs

Screenshot	Title	Composers	Original release date
	Sounds	Ed Welch	18 May 2004 (US/CAN, VHS/DVD)
	"All Aboard!" and "Close the doors!" Whistle blows and the engine roars…
	Engine Roll Call	Ed Welch	18 May 2004 (US/CAN, VHS/DVD)
	They're two, they're four, they're six, they're eight, Shunting trucks and hauling freight…
	Emily	Ed Welch	6 October 2004 (UK)
	There's no one quite like Emily Friendly, emerald Emily…
	Surprises	Ed Welch	8 October 2004 (UK)
	Surprises, surprises, they come all shapes and sizes You never know what's round the bend…
	Determination	Ed Welch	10 October 2004 (UK)
	Don't give up, show determination. Don't give up. You'll be a big sensation…
	Patience	Ed Welch	12 October 2004 (UK)
	Patience is a virtue, so it never hurts to Take a little time to see…
	Ode to Gordon	Ed Welch	14 October 2004 (UK)
	We'll sing a song for Gordon, He's big, he's fast, he's proud…
	A World Around You	Ed Welch	16 October 2004 (UK)
	Have a look about you, take in what you see There's a world around you wherever you may be…

Characters

• Thomas
• Edward
• Henry
• Gordon
• James
• Percy
• Toby
• Emily
• Harvey
• Arthur
• Spencer
• Diesel
• Mavis
• 'Arry and Bert
• Salty
• Annie and Clarabel
• Troublesome Trucks
• Bertie
• Elizabeth
• Harold
• Cranky
• Sir Topham Hatt
• Farmer McColl
• Sodor Brass Band
• The Second Dock Manager
• The Ffarquhar Quarry Manager
• The Sports Day Children
• Stephen Hatt (not named)
• Mr. Hobson (not named)
• Murdoch (does not speak)
• Trevor (does not speak)
• Lady Hatt (does not speak)
• Refreshment Lady (does not speak)
• Allicia Botti (does not speak)
• The Duke and Duchess of Boxford (do not speak)
• Farmer Collett (not named, does not speak)
• Henrietta (cameo)
• George (cameo)
• Caroline (cameo)
• Butch (cameo)
• Tiger Moth (cameo)
• Bridget Hatt (cameo)
• Jem Cole (cameo)
• Farmer Trotter (cameo)
• Nancy (cameo)
• Cyril (cameo)
• The Photographer (cameo)
• The Injured Sailor (cameo)
• The Storyteller (cameo)
• The Tidmouth Lighthouse Keeper (cameo)
• The Captain (cameo)
• The Sodor Ironworks Manager (cameo)
• The Hatts' Second Butler (cameo)
• Harold's Pilots (cameos)
• The Mid Sodor Railway Manager (cameo)
• Signal Engineers (stock footage cameos)
• City of Truro (scrapped model cameo)
• Toad (faceless cameo)
• Big Mickey (faceless cameo)
• Duck (music video cameo)
• Oliver (music video cameo)
• Rheneas (music video cameo)
• Rusty (music video cameo)
• One stone-dropping boy (music video cameo)
• Mr. Jolly (factory logo cameo, mentioned)
• Donald and Douglas (mentioned, speaking role cut, music video cameos)
• The Fisherman (mentioned, music video cameo)
• Bill and Ben (cut, deleted scene)

Characters Introduced

• The Sodor Ice Cream Factory Manager
• The Black-suited Railway Inspector
• The Halloween Engine (does not speak)
• The Ice Cream Lady (does not speak)
• The Circus Clowns (do not speak)
• The Ringmaster (does not speak)
• Kuffy the Clown (not named, does not speak)
• The Male Teacher (cameo)
• The Sodor Dairy Manager (cameo)
• The Dairy Employees (cameos)
• The Second Mayor of Sodor (mentioned)

Locations

• Island of Sodor
  • Black Loch
  • Brendam Docks
    • Brendam Canal
    • Brendam Warehouse
    • Sodor Shipping Company
  • Bulgy's Bridge
  • Callan Castle
  • Dryaw
    • Dryaw Airfield
  • Ffarquhar
    • Ffarquhar Quarry
      • Mavis' Shed
  • Gordon's Hill
  • Henry's Forest
    • Sodor Wishing Tree
  • Henry's Tunnel
  • Kellsthorpe Road
  • Kirk Ronan Junction
  • Knapford
    • Knapford Sheds
    • Knapford Yards
  • Maithwaite
  • Maron
  • McColl Farm
  • Mr. Jolly's Chocolate Factory
  • Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox
  • Road and Rail Runby and Road Bridge
  • Sir Topham Hatt's Office
  • Sodor Dairy
  • Sodor Fuel Depot
  • Sodor Ice Cream Factory
  • Sodor Ironworks
  • Sandy Beach
  • The Coaling Plant
  • The Country Village Station
  • The Difficult Bend
  • The Duke and Duchess of Boxford's Summer House
  • The Flour Mill
  • The Fishing Village
  • The Single-Track Intersection
  • The Timber Mill
  • The Runby Bridge
  • The School
  • The Sheep Field
  • The Watermill
  • Tidmouth Beach
  • Tidmouth Sheds
    • Tidmouth Engine Works
    • Tidmouth Goods Station
  • Toby's Shed
  • Tower Windmill
  • Wellsworth
    • Wellsworth Bridge
    • Wellsworth Yards
  • The Hay Farm (stock footage)
  • Tidmouth Tunnel (stock footage)
  • Rail Bridge Over Rail and Canal (music video)
  • Crosby (deleted scene)
    • Crosby Coal Hopper
  • Bridge Over Single-Track Tunnel (Island of Sodor opening sequence)
  • Sodor Slate Quarry (dropped)
  • Elsbridge (dropped)
• The Mainland (mentioned)

Trivia

• This was the first series of several things:
  • The first series of HiT Entertainment's new format of the series in the UK. But because the seventh series, due to it being paired with this series, was the first series of HiT's new format in the US. This technically means that this is the second series of HiT Entertainment's new format in the US.
  • The first series to incorporate CGI into live-action; it was mainly used for the overhead map in the opening sequence and for the steam that puffs out of the engines.
  • The first series since the third series in which Diesel appears in more than one episode.
  • The first series in which Mavis appears in only one episode.
  • The first series with Paul Larson and Abi Grant as script editors/head writers (not counting Jack and the Sodor Construction Company).
  • Simon Spencer's first series as producer and showrunner.
  • The first series of the main show not to have the classics Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, Robert Gauld-Galliers, Mike O'Donnell, Junior Campbell, Phil Fehrle, Peter Urie, Jan Page, Brian Trueman, George Tarry, Jenny McDade, Polly Churchill, Robin Kingsland, Lee Pressman, Mike Erander, The Maidstone Studios and Gullane Entertainment involved in production after they stopped working on the main series. However, classic stock footage directed by David Mitton and produced by Gullane Entertainment was used through out the series up until Halloween and in the music videos of the series. Also, unlike the previous two series that used stock footage from episodes that were filmed in 4:3 fullscreen, the footage is instead stretched into widescreen instead of matted into widescreen. This also happens in the Jack and the Pack series.
  • The first series in the US where all episode titles are the same as the UK.
  • Sam Barlow's first series as story executive.
  • Marc Seal's first series as a part of the writing team.
  • The first series to have Steve Asquith as a director since the sixth series and the first series of the main show entirely directed by Steve Asquith following David Mitton's retirement and the planned Jack and the Sodor Construction Company spin-off series (released two years later).
  • The first series released with music composed by Robert Hartshorne and songs composed by Ed Welch. Six episodes of the sixth series and the entire seventh series were later re-scored by Robert Hartshorne during or after the release of this series.
  • The first series to have songs written by Ed Welch.
  • The first series to use the Sodor Bold font for title cards and credits, replacing the previously used Rockwell font.
  • The first series in which Duck, Donald, Douglas (if the deleted scene in the fifth series counts), Oliver, Bill, Ben, Stepney (if stock footage counts), Fergus, Terence, the Skarloey Railway, the Post Van, Farmer Finney, Jenny Packard and Tom Tipper do not appear since their debuts, although Donald and Douglas were mentioned in one episode and they also appear in a deleted scene from another episode. Bill and Ben also appear in another deleted scene of yet another episode. Duck, Oliver, Rheneas and Rusty also made stock footage cameos in some songs. However, the likes of Duck, Rheneas and Oliver did appear in the various sixth and seventh series episodes aired alongside the new eighth and ninth series episodes on Nick Jr.
  • The first series in where Toad and Bulgy do not appear since their returns.
  • The first series to use a new opening and closing title, the Island of Sodor introduction sequence and Engine Roll Call as the theme. The original opening, however, is used in the Greek dub.
  • The first series shot on digital, specifically BetaCam SP technology, as opposed to 35mm film.
  • The first series that established the Steam Team.
  • The first series to air on PBS outside of Shining Time Station.
  • The first series to air on American television in a half hour format since the fifth series on Fox Family's Storytime with Thomas.
  • The first series to have the crashes in slow motion.
  • The first series to use the term 'steamie' to describe the steam engine characters.
  • The first series to introduce non-Caucasian humans, as prior humans on the series were of the Caucasian race.
  • The first series not to introduce any non-human characters, excluding the Halloween Engine.
  • The first series dubbed in Croatian since the second series.
  • The first series dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese, German and Greek since the fifth series.
  • The first series dubbed in Norwegian since the sixth series.
  • The first series dubbed in European Spanish, Indonesian and Thai.
  • The first series to have all of its episodes dubbed in Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.
  • The first series not dubbed in Welsh until the fifteenth series.
  • The first series aired by EBS English in South Korea.
  • The first series that VHS and DVD released on the same date by C4U Media in South Korea.
  • The first series which wasn't released with music video on VHS in South Korea.
  • The first series which wasn't released on DVD in Italy.
  • The first series aired by TV4 since the second series in Sweden.
  • The first series aired by MiniMini in Poland.
  • The first series to feature Thomas' anxious face from the second series on-screen.
  • The first series where Murdoch appears but does not speak since his introduction.
  • The first series to feature Edward's ashamed face made in the second series and his unamused face that was made during the first series.
  • The first series to feature Thomas' tearful face since the fourth series episode Paint Pots and Queens.
  • The first series where Thomas does not speak in the finale.
  • The first series to feature Emily's annoyed face.
  • The first series to feature Spencer's laughing and sleeping faces.
  • The first series to feature 'Arry and Bert's cross faces.
  • The first series since the fifth series where food items are transported in open wagons. According to Sam Barlow, this was done to visually reinforce the contents of rolling stock in order for young children to believe it.
  • The first series narrated by Kim Seung-jun in South Korea.
  • The first series described for visually impaired audiences on PBS.
  • The first series shot in 50fps (converted to 60fps for NTSC regions) or 25fps interlaced.
  • This series and the next series were never aired on television in Finland.
• This was the last series of several things:
  • Abi Grant's second and last series as script editor.
  • The last series broadcast on CITV in the UK, as the channel would lose the license to Channel 5 in 2006.
  • The last series narrated by Leo Morimoto in Japan, as well as the last series to feature the original Japanese voice cast from Aoni Production. Starting from Calling All Engines!, there Would be a new Japanese voice cast.
  • The last series of the main show to feature stock footage directed by David Mitton, four years before his death in 2008, thus also being the last series of the main show to use footage produced by Gullane Entertainment (as well as when it was originally known as The Britt Allcroft Company), although this later happens in Calling All Engines! and the Jack and the Sodor Construction Company spin-off series.
  • The last series to be completely released on VHS in the US.
  • The last series to see any episodes released on VHS in the UK and Australia.
  • The last series which was released with music videos on DVD in South Korea.
  • The last series where the title cards are not read aloud by the narrator.
  • The last series to feature Tidmouth Sheds in its original form before its rebuild in Calling All Engines!
  • The last series where Thomas' driver has a speaking role until the twenty-fourth series.
  • The last series in which Harold appears in one episode until the third series of All Engines Go.
  • Not counting the appearance of Troublesome Trucks with faces in the Series 10 episode Follow that Flour and the Series 9 interactive segment Percy's Favorite Things, this is the last season to depict the Troublesome Trucks' faces having eyes as part of the sculpt. Starting from the ninth series, their faces would instead have the eyes be done as separate eyeballs.
• This was the only series of several things:
  • Paul Larson's only series as script editor.
  • The only series in which Dave Ingham and Robin Rigby were a part of the writing team (not counting Rigby's cancelled Jack and the Sodor Construction Company episodes).
  • The only series to use an extended version of the theme for the end credits.
  • The only series in the model series without the Skarloey Railway engines since their introductions in the fourth series. They were also absent in the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and the nineteenth series.
  • The only series where Percy was given a new wincing face.
  • The only series released music video on DVD by Adongmoonhak in South Korea.
  • The only time Harvey's wincing face was used, albeit in a deleted scene.
  • The only series where the episodes' title cards are not read aloud by the narrator in the Finnish dub.
• A shot for shot remake of the title sequence from the first series was originally filmed for this series. A different title sequence ended up being used instead, which takes inspiration from the previous one. Behind the scenes filming images of the original titles were shown at the fifth Awdry Extravaganza event at the Talyllyn Railway. According to the event, the sequence was changed to show the evolution of the show.
  • Footage of Thomas at Ffarquhar shot around the time of filming this opening appears in the Sounds Learning Segment. This is evident from Sir Topham Hatt and his car being in the same positions as the behind the scenes photo.
• After PBS Kids started adding sponsors after Series 9 first aired, re-airings of Series 8 were edited to make room for them with a few seconds of a scene cut off whenever the narrator stops for a bit in the Today on the Island of Sodor openings and Learning Segments. The music was also rearranged in the Today on the Island of Sodor opening.
• In Japan, after its initial release on DVD in 2006, this series was never re-released in Japan and is currently unavailable for streaming. However, the series is still mentioned on the Japanese Thomas & Friends website
  • The Japanese dub of Squeak, Rattle and Roll would eventually get re-released as part of The Best Collection in 2025.
• The Korean DVDs credit Michael Angelis as the narrator, even though they were re-dubbed in Korean.
• In the Vietnamese dub, Michael Angelis' dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.
• In the first MiniMini airing of Squeak, Rattle and Roll, Michael Angelis' dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used. This was fixed later on, as on later airings and DVD, Michael Angelis' dub is not heard.
• Unlike most dubs, the Japanese dub of this series has a different opening and closing sequence, as it only shows footage of the "Welcome to the Island of Sodor" introductory sequence at the start, whilst an instrumental rendition of the Engine Roll Call music video is used as the end credits.
• In Finland, this series had been shown before the fifth, sixth and seventh series aired. meaning that the audience may not have known who were Harvey, Arthur, Spencer, 'Arry, Bert, Salty, Elizabeth, Cranky and Murdoch.
• This series contained the 200th episode of the television series, which was As Good as Gordon.
• A deleted scene from Squeak, Rattle and Roll suggests that Thomas would have appeared in the episode. Had he actually appeared, this would have been the first series where Thomas appears in every episode instead of the ninth series. Regardless of whether he would have spoken in the episode or not, the thirteenth series would still be the first series where Thomas speaks in every episode.
• Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell had come up with music ideas for this series but HiT did not renew their contracts.
• The Milkshake! reruns of this series aired from 16 to 28 October 2006.
• This series and the previous series were shown in a CITV segment It's On at Quarter Past Three. This segment changed from the classic clock to a wooden one during this series. Additionally, the first few minutes of CiTV were broken during its run of Edward the Great until the actual airing. The episodes were divided into sections of thirteen episodes per year, the first thirteen in January 2005 and the next thirteen in July 2006 ending the terrestrial broadcast apart from older series airing on the CITV Channel between 2006 and 2007.

References

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