Thomas & Friends (series 5) facts for kids

Thomas & Friends
DVD cover art
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original network	Cartoon Network
Original release	1 September (1998-09-01) – 30 October 1998 (1998-10-30)
List of Thomas & Friends episodes

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends is a popular children's television series. It is about engines and other characters who work on the railways of the Island of Sodor. The show is based on The Railway Series books, which were written by the Reverend W. Awdry.

This article tells you about the fifth series of the show. It first aired in 1998. Michael Angelis narrated the episodes for viewers in the United Kingdom. Alec Baldwin narrated the episodes for audiences in the United States.

In the United States, this season was shown in 1999 on Fox Family. It was the first season of the series not to air on PBS. This was also the first season to use digital filming. It was the last season made by Britt Allcroft Productions and Brittwood Productions.

Making the Show: Series 5

How the Stories Were Made

The people who made the show decided that most of the best stories from The Railway Series books had already been used. They felt the remaining stories needed too many new characters or were too much like older ones. So, for Series 5, they decided to write all new stories.

One reason for this was that the producer, Britt Allcroft, wanted to make a Thomas the Tank Engine movie for cinemas. She asked the director, David Mitton, to show off his model-making skills. Series 5 aired in 1998. The movie, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, came out two years later.

Some ideas for the new stories came from a former railway manager named David Maidment. In 1997, he met with Steven Wright about helping a charity called Railway Children. David Maidment shared stories about his real-life experiences working on railways. The show's creators liked this because the original books often used true events.

Maidment agreed to let his stories be used. He also checked each story to make sure the railway parts seemed real. Because of his help, David Maidment got credit for writing alongside Allcroft and Mitton. The Railway Children charity also received money for his work.

Here are some of the stories that came from his experiences:

• "A Better View for Gordon" – This was inspired by a train that crashed through a station wall.
• "Baa!" – This story came from a ram that went into a railway station. It also used the idea of a "Best Kept Station" competition.
• "James and the Trouble with Trees" – This was based on a tree that fell onto the tracks after heavy rain.
• "Double Teething Troubles" – This story came from a diesel engine that stalled while helping a train.
• "A Surprise for Percy" – This was inspired by a runaway train incident.
• "Busy Going Backwards" – This came from a few "hair-raising" runaway trains.
• "Gordon and the Gremlin" – This story was inspired by bathwater splashing in a luxury train car.

David Eves designed each new character. Then, David Mitton would approve the designs.

Filming the Episodes

David Mitton filmed 2,700 scenes for Series 5. This was the most he filmed for any Thomas series. The show also used theme music from Seasons 3 and 4.

How the Show Was Broadcast

Before Series 5, Thomas was only a small part of the TV show Shining Time Station in the US. But Series 5 aired in the US as part of a longer show called Storytime with Thomas. Each episode of Storytime with Thomas included a new Series 5 episode. It also had an episode of Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie. Plus, it showed a Series 4 episode narrated by George Carlin. There were also music videos and clips from Day Out with Thomas events.

Episodes

Characters in Series 5

New Characters Introduced

Regular Characters Who Appeared