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Thomas & Friends (series 18) facts for kids
| Thomas & Friends | |
|---|---|
Official cover art for the series 18 DVD
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 5 |
| Original release | 25 August 2014 – 29 July 2015 |
Thomas & 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 Reverend W. Awdry.
This article lists and details episodes from series 18 of the show, which first began broadcasting from 2014. Some episodes in this series have two titles: the original titles are indicated in bold, with the American-adapted titles underneath. This series is narrated by Mark Moraghan for the United Kingdom and United States audiences.
In April 2014, five episodes (Thomas the Quarry Engine, Not So Slow Coaches, Flatbeds of Fear, Disappearing Diesels, and Toad's Adventure) were released exclusively on the DVD "Trouble on the Tracks".
In October of the same year, a new DVD ("The Christmas Engines") was released in the U.S. on 28 October 2014. It contains the five episodes The Perfect Gift, Duncan the Humbug, Last Train for Christmas, Duck in the Water and Long Lost Friend.
In January 2015, another DVD (Dinos and Discoveries) (containing six more episodes) was released, before their official broadcast from 27 to 31 July (six months later).
Episodes
| No. overall |
No. in season |
UK title (top)
Main title (middle) US title (bottom) |
Directed by | Written by | Original air date | TV Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 415 | 1 | "Old Reliable Edward" | David Stoten | Andrew Brenner | 25 August 2014 | 1101a |
| The bigger engines tease Edward for being old and unreliable, especially Gordon. But when Gordon sees some red trousers blowing by the tracks, he mistakes them for a red danger flag for a pair of red pants and stops, ending up stuck on Gordon's Hill. Edward has to come and give him a push, but Gordon does not even say thank you, so Thomas and Edward decide to teach him a lesson. | ||||||
| 416 | 2 | "Not So Slow Coaches" | David Stoten | Laura Beaumont and Paul Larson | 25 August 2014 | 1101b |
| Thomas likes to tease Annie and Clarabel whenever they complain about going too fast. But when the two coaches find themselves coupled behind Caitlin by mistake, they get a taste of what going fast is really like and poor Thomas gets frightened that they might be taken to the Mainland forever. | ||||||
| 417 | 3 | "Flatbeds of Fear" | David Stoten | Laura Beaumont and Paul Larson | 26 August 2014 | 1102a |
| A delivery of pipes is being unloaded at Brendam Docks. But when Thomas starts to hear spooky noises, Salty spins him a yarn and has both Thomas and Henry convinced that it is the sound of the 'Flatbeds of Fear'. Emily insists that there must be a sensible explanation, until she hears the sound herself and gets frightened. | ||||||
| 418 | 4 | "Disappearing Diesels" | David Stoten | Andrew Brenner | 26 August 2014 | 1102b |
| Diesel gives Paxton a terrible fright when he makes him think that all the other diesels have disappeared. But when Diesel runs out of fuel, it is Paxton who takes him by surprise by giving him a taste of what friendship might be like. | ||||||
| 419 | 5 | "Signals Crossed" | David Stoten | Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler | 27 August 2014 | 1103a |
| Toby is always nervous when he has to go through Knapford Junction with the big signal gantries over the track with Henrietta. One day Toby waits nervously for his signal to change, but it stays on red. He waits and waits, holding up the other engines, but the signal does not change. The Fat Controller is very cross until everybody finally realizes the signal is broken. | ||||||
| 420 | 6 | "Toad's Adventure" | David Stoten | Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler | 27 August 2014 | 1103b |
| Oliver is always telling his brake van Toad about his adventures and Toad longs to have an adventure of his own. So when the chance comes to work with James, Toad is very excited. But James does not like pulling trucks and goes too fast. Then a coupling snaps and Toad gets a much bigger adventure than he bargained for! | ||||||
| 421 | 7 | "Duck in the Water" | David Stoten | Andrew Brenner | 28 August 2014 | 1104a |
| When Duck gets stuck on some flooded track, James is sent to fetch Rocky to rescue him. But James does not wait for Rocky to secure his crane arm and they end up knocking down a signal before they arrive at the accident site! Without a signal to warn them, the other engines do not stop, and what began as a small accident soon escalates into a much bigger one involving several engines! | ||||||
| 422 | 8 | "Duck & the Slip Coaches" | David Stoten | Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler | 28 August 2014 | 1104b |
| It is high summer, when many tourists visit Sodor and The Fat Controller is concerned about getting them all to their destinations on time. Duck tells the other engines about the Slip Coaches they used on the Great Western Railway that can be uncoupled at stations without stopping. James then tells the Fat Controller and claims it as his idea. But James has never used Slip Coaches before and he soon runs into trouble, leaving Duck to save the day. | ||||||
| 423 | 9 | "Thomas the Quarry Engine" | David Stoten | Andrew Brenner | 29 August 2014 | 1105a |
| When Thomas and Diesel are sent to collect the Troublesome Trucks from Farquhar Quarry, they argue about who should be the back engine. Then Diesel suggests he take the Troublesome Trucks with Mavis, who wants to see more of Sodor, and leave Thomas to look after the quarry until they get back. But when they do not come back, Thomas gets fed up from waiting and decides to take another load of the Troublesome Trucks on his own and then there is real trouble. | ||||||
| 424 | 10 | "Thomas & the Emergency Cable" | David Stoten | Andrew Brenner | 29 August 2014 | 1105b |
| Thomas is on his branch line with Annie and Clarabel when a passenger pulls the emergency cable and he has to stop quickly. But it turns out not to be an emergency at all, but a bird watcher who has spotted a rare bird. To make matters worse, Annie has a wheel flat after being dragged along with her brakes on. So the next time Thomas sees the bird watcher he refuses to stop to collect him, but he soon learns that that is not the right thing to do. | ||||||
| 425 | 11 | "Duncan & the Grumpy Passenger" | Don Spencer | Davey Moore | 1 September 2014 | 1106a |
| Duncan, the grumpiest engine on the narrow gauge railway, gets a taste of his own medicine when he receives a very grumpy passenger. He tries his hardest to help the passenger so that they will stop complaining, but soon learns that it is impossible to please everybody. | ||||||
| 426 | 12 | "Marion & the Pipe" | Don Spencer | Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler | 1 September 2014 | 1106b |
| Marion uncovers what she thinks is the mast of a Viking ship while doing some repairs on an embankment. Thomas suspects that she may have hit a water pipe, but Marion is not so sure. The following day, when Thomas notices flooding near the bank, she has to reassess her opinion. | ||||||
| 427 | 13 | "Missing Gator" | Don Spencer | Andrew Brenner | 2 September 2014 | 1107a |
| Percy misses his old friend Gator and ends up rushing around as he takes Cranky's advice and tries to keep his mind occupied from thinking about him. He is so busy that he loses control of the Troublesome Trucks, which roll into an old mine. At first, Percy is afraid to go after them, but then he remembers what Gator taught him about being brave. | ||||||
| 428 | 14 | "No Steam Without Coal" | Don Spencer | Davey Moore | 2 September 2014 | 1107b |
| Bill and Ben run out of coal during a shortage at Clay Pits and have to rely on Timothy, who runs on oil, to help them out. It was Ben's fault to not get the coal as planned, and he told Marion that it was probably enough coal in the hopper. But Marion was concerned about this, and it later became something out of chaos. Eventually Timothy gets the coal, and Bill and Ben agree that oil going engines have their uses, especially when they're out of "coal". | ||||||
| 429 | 15 | "Spencer's VIP" | Don Spencer | Andrew Brenner | 3 September 2014 | 1108a |
| Spencer brings a VIP back from the mainland, but is so intent on doing a good job that he does not notice that he has been sent down the wrong track. By the time he arrives, they are so late that the passenger refuses to travel back with him and the other engines all compete for the privilege. | ||||||
| 430 | 16 | "Toad's Bright Idea" | Don Spencer | Davey Moore | 3 September 2014 | 1108b |
| It is a slow day for Gator when he finds himself sitting around with nothing to do. However when Oliver breaks down, Gator is more than happy to help. He collects Oliver's trucks and promises him he will bring them back in the morning. There is another problem when Gator's lamp keeps going out. He knows he will be late so he decides not to stop. Toad however argues that it is not safe. Toad has a light bulb moment, and he comes up with an idea that will help deliver the trucks safely and on time. | ||||||
| 431 | 17 | "Long Lost Friend" | Don Spencer | Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler | 23 December 2014 | 1109a |
| Gator returns to the Island of Sodor after being away for a long time. He is looking forward to seeing his old friend Percy. When Percy hears that Gator is back, he is very excited and immediately heads off to see him. But the two engines keep missing each other. They both have doubts they will see each other, but finally they connect and have a wonderful reunion. | ||||||
| 432 | 18 | "Last Train for Christmas" | Don Spencer | Andrew Brenner | 23 December 2014 | 1109b |
| It's Christmas Eve and a lot of passengers are coming home to Sodor for the holiday. Connor can't carry all the passengers who are trying to get on his train. He promises to come back and pick them up, but the snow keeps falling and the engines are struggling to keep the tracks clear. It becomes a race against time, and the engines have to work together to clear the tracks and get the passengers home in time for Christmas. | ||||||
| 433 | 19 | "Duncan the Humbug" | Don Spencer | Davey Moore | 24 December 2014 | 1110a |
| Everyone is happy at Christmas time except for Duncan, the Scottish narrow gauge engine, who seems to be grumbling even more than usual. Victor offers Duncan a new coat of paint if he can refrain from grumbling for one whole day. Duncan rises to the challenge, but it is not so easy for an engine who likes to grumble to give up a lifetime habit. | ||||||
| 434 | 20 | "The Perfect Gift" | Don Spencer | Davey Moore | 24 December 2014 | 1110b |
| The whole island is celebrating Christmas and there are decorations everywhere. But it doesn't look very much like Christmas at the scrap yard. Percy starts to worry that Reg is missing out and he tries to find something to give Reg to cheer him up. But Reg only seems happy about scrap. Percy discovers that Reg is celebrating Christmas in his own way and has been making decorations from the scrap. | ||||||
| 435 | 21 | "Emily Saves the World" | Don Spencer | Laura Beaumont and Paul Larson | 27 July 2015 | 1111a |
| Emily gets overly excited whilst taking a special to the Animal Park and loses a giant model of the world on her way to the Sodor Zoo. The giant world globe rolls down the railway tracks, and eventually stops, and Emily gets it back on the flatbed and delivers it as planned to the Sodor Zoo. | ||||||
| 436 | 22 | "Timothy & the Rainbow Truck"
"Timothy & the Rainbow Car" |
Don Spencer | Davey Moore | 27 July 2015 | 1111b |
| Bill & Ben trick Timothy into going on an island-wide search for a multi-colored truck. But when the oil-burning engine realizes he's been duped, Salty helps him find a clever way of making the twin's trickery come back to bite them. | ||||||
| 437 | 23 | "Marion & the Dinosaurs" | Don Spencer | Andrew Brenner | 28 July 2015 | 1112a |
| Marion thinks she saw dinosaurs in the middle of the night, but passes it off as a dream. She then gets a real shock when they seem to be real. | ||||||
| 438 | 24 | "Samson at Your Service" | Don Spencer | Davey Moore | 28 July 2015 | 1112b |
| After losing his way on his first day, new engine Samson has become a laughing stock among the engines. The strong little tank engine is determined to get through his day without making any mistakes, but has no such luck. | ||||||
| 439 | 25 | "Samson Sent for Scrap" | Don Spencer | Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler | 29 July 2015 | 1113a |
| When Scruff breaks down, Samson is sent to help Harvey collect scrap from the lineside, but Samson takes his instructions a little too literally. | ||||||
| 440 | 26 | "Millie & the Volcano" | Don Spencer | Andrew Brenner | 29 July 2015 | 1113b |
| When Millie is startled by the head of a model dinosaur, Samson makes fun of her and the French narrow gauge engine is determined to get her own back. | ||||||
Voices
Joe Mills (Oliver and Toad), Tom Stourton (Duncan), Maggie Ollerenshaw (Henrietta) and Robert Wilfort (Samson) joined the cast, along with Tim Whitnall (Timothy and Reg), Olivia Colman (Marion) and Clive Mantle (Gator) (from that season's special) officially.
| Actor/Actress | Region | Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Moraghan | UK/US | Narrator |
| Ben Small | UK | Thomas and Toby |
| UK | Stanley and Charlie | |
| UK | Rheneas, Owen and the Troublesome Trucks | |
| Keith Wickham | UK | Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, the Fat Controller, the Thin Controller, the Wellsworth Stationmaster, Some Workmen, the Fat Controller's Assistant, some passengers, Gator's Driver and The Steamworks Worker |
| UK/US | Harvey, Salty, Den, Stafford, Skarloey, Bertie, Captain, Dowager Hatt, Thomas' Guard, Bill and Ben's Drivers, The Grumpy Passenger, Some Passengers, Father Christmas, The Groundsman, The Postman and the Bird Watcher | |
| Kerry Shale | UK | Diesel |
| US | Henry, Gordon, James, Sir Topham Hatt | |
| AUS | Mr. Percival/The Thin Controller (Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger only) | |
| NZ | ||
| Teresa Gallagher | UK | Emily and The Blond-haired Boy |
| UK/US | Mavis, Annie, Clarabel, The Teacher (The Perfect Gift only), The Lady with the Big Hat, Station Speakers, Some Passengers and Some Children | |
| Matt Wilkinson | UK | Spencer, Stanley, Charlie, Scruff, Rocky, Cranky, The Dock Manager and the Man with the Hat |
| UK/US | Rusty and Some Workmen | |
| David Menkin | US | Porter |
| Steven Kynman | UK | |
| UK/US | Duck, Dart, Paxton, Peter Sam and A Slip Coach | |
| Jonathan Broadbent | UK/US | Bill, Ben and a Slip Coach |
| Jonathan Forbes | Connor | |
| Rebecca O'Mara | Caitlin and a Second Slip Coach | |
| Tom Stourton | Duncan | |
| Olivia Colman | Marion | |
| Clive Mantle | Gator | |
| Robert Wilfort | Samson | |
| Miranda Raison | Millie | |
| Bob Golding | Stephen | |
| Tim Whitnall | Timothy, Reg and The Deputy Minister |