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Thomas & Friends (series 8) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Thomas & Friends
Thomas and Friends DVD Cover - Series 8.jpg
DVD cover art
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 26
Release
Original network Nick Jr./CITV
Original release 1 August (2004-08-01) – 24 October 2004 (2004-10-24)
List of Thomas & Friends episodes

Thomas & Friends is a popular TV show for kids. It's all about talking trains and other characters who work on the railways of the Island of Sodor. The show is based on the famous "Railway Series" books by Reverend W. Awdry.

This article tells you all about the eighth season of the show. It first aired in 2004. Michael Angelis was the narrator for viewers in the United Kingdom. In the United States, Michael Brandon narrated the episodes.

This season was the first one made by HIT Entertainment.

Making the Show: Season 8

This season was a big deal for Thomas & Friends. It was the first time the show aired as a full TV program in the United States. Before this, parts of it were shown within another American TV show called Shining Time Station from 1989 to 1995.

For Season 8, some important changes happened behind the scenes:

  • Steve Asquith became the new director. He had worked on the show for 20 years! He took over from David Mitton, who had directed the show since it began.
  • Simon Spencer became the producer.
  • Robert Hartshorne and Ed Welch started writing the music and songs. Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell had done this before.
  • Paul Larson and Abi Grant helped edit the scripts.

This season also brought new opening and closing credits. Plus, before each episode, there was a short description of the Island of Sodor.

Another big change was the length of each episode. They became seven minutes long, up from the original four-and-a-half minutes.

The show started using digital cameras, which made it look a bit different. They also began adding small parts made with computer graphics (CGI). This was done by HOT Animation, a company owned by HiT Entertainment. But the filming still happened at Shepperton Studios.

For the United States, there were even more changes. They added CGI scenes between episodes. There were also cool transition effects and an intro that looked like a book opening.

This season also introduced "The Steam Team." This was a main group of eight characters. They included Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, and Emily.

30-Minute Episodes

Sometimes, two episodes from Season 8 were shown together. In the middle, they would play a short episode from Season 7. These longer shows also included fun learning parts and extra songs.

Season 8 Episodes

No.
overall		 No. in
series		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date TV Order
183 1 "Thomas and the Tuba" Steve Asquith Dave Ingham 1 August 2004 (2004-08-01) 101a
It's Lady Hatt's birthday party! Thomas is taking the brass band, but he accidentally leaves the tuba player behind. Thomas travels across the Island, and the tuba player tries to catch up.
184 2 "Percy's New Whistle" Steve Asquith James Mason 1 August 2004 (2004-08-01) 101b
Percy brags that his whistle is louder than 'Arry and Bert's horns. He shows off, causing trouble for others. A giant snowball hits him. The Fat Controller tells Percy that whistles are for emergencies only. Percy promises to use his whistle correctly. The next day, he finds a snow-slide blocking the tracks. Thomas is heading right for it! Percy sounds his whistle, and Thomas stops just in time. The Fat Controller praises Percy for being useful and safe.
185 3 "Thomas to the Rescue" Steve Asquith Abi Grant and Paul Larson 8 August 2004 (2004-08-08) 102a
Thomas and Diesel go to the Quarry to help Mavis. Diesel lies to Thomas, saying the Fat Controller will scrap the steam engines. The next morning, all the diesels get sick from bad fuel. Thomas must deliver clean fuel to them. The Fat Controller thanks Thomas, calling him a credit to the railway. Even Diesel agrees!
186 4 "Henry and the Wishing Tree" Steve Asquith Abi Grant and Paul Larson 8 August 2004 (2004-08-08) 102b
Henry wishes on a special tree to pull the Express, just like Gordon. But he soon learns that pulling the Express well is much harder than it looks.
187 5 "James Gets a New Coat" Steve Asquith Abi Grant 15 August 2004 (2004-08-15) 103a
James is very proud of his shiny red paint. He spends time looking at himself in the canal instead of helping Percy. To catch up, James takes too many trucks from the coaling plant. This long line of trucks soon ruins his beautiful coat.
188 6 "Thomas Saves the Day" Steve Asquith James Mason 15 August 2004 (2004-08-15) 103b
Thomas is excited for a new station to open. But he has to find a way through a tricky curve on the track. It gets even harder when Annie and Clarabel need repairs.
189 7 "Percy's Big Mistake" Steve Asquith Abi Grant 22 August 2004 (2004-08-22) 104a
Percy hears the Fat Controller say he must go to the Scrapyard. Percy thinks he's going to be scrapped for being late! He rushes his jobs, causing trouble. He makes Cranky the Crane go slower and forgets to tie down pipes. Then he crashes tar wagons into Gordon. Percy hides, but the Fat Controller explains he only meant Percy was taking trucks to the Scrapyard. Then Percy could deliver mail for a week as a break.
190 8 "Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough" Steve Asquith Abi Grant 22 August 2004 (2004-08-22) 104b
Emily warns Thomas about snow and tells him to use his snowplough. Thomas ignores her advice. He learns the hard way that it's best to listen to good advice.
191 9 "Don't Tell Thomas" Steve Asquith Paul Larson 29 August 2004 (2004-08-29) 105a
The engines want to thank Thomas by throwing him a surprise party. But they find it very hard to keep the secret from him!
192 10 "Emily's New Route" Steve Asquith James Mason 29 August 2004 (2004-08-29) 105b
Emily really wants to keep her flour delivery route. She heard that the Black Loch run has a monster in the lake! However, the trucks make her job very difficult.
193 11 "Thomas and the Firework Display" Steve Asquith Abi Grant and Paul Larson 5 September 2004 (2004-09-05) 106a
The Fat Controller chooses James to collect fireworks for the Harvest Festival. Thomas is angry and jealous because he wanted that job. James breaks down, and the display might be cancelled. James and Thomas learn they must work together.
194 12 "Gordon Takes Charge" Steve Asquith Paul Larson 5 September 2004 (2004-09-05) 106b
Gordon boasts to Percy about how well he pulls passengers. But he forgets about the dangers of the icy track as he shows off.
195 13 "Spic and Span" Steve Asquith Marc Seal 12 September 2004 (2004-09-12) 107a
A railway inspector is coming! Gordon, James, and Emily want to win the Cleanest Engine Award. Thomas and Percy find it hard to stay clean.
196 14 "Edward the Great" Steve Asquith Abi Grant 12 September 2004 (2004-09-12) 107b
Spencer returns to take the Duke and Duchess to their holiday home. Edward pulls their furniture. Spencer boasts that he is faster and challenges Edward to a race. Spencer dreams of winning, but Edward sneaks past him and wins the race.
197 15 "Squeak, Rattle and Roll" Steve Asquith Marc Seal 19 September 2004 (2004-09-19) 108a
Gordon worries he will be scrapped because he makes squeaking and rattling noises. He tries to hide this from the Fat Controller, but then he has to take him on a journey.
198 16 "Thomas and the Circus" Steve Asquith Abi Grant 19 September 2004 (2004-09-19) 108b
Thomas must collect the circus train. He's warned to share the work if there are too many trucks. Thomas wants all the fun, so he refuses help. He tries to pull the heavy train alone. He breaks down, stranded with the performers. Percy and James rescue him. Thomas happily shares the train. They all agree that sharing work and fun is the best!
199 17 "Thomas Gets It Right" Steve Asquith Robin Rigby 26 September 2004 (2004-09-26) 109a
A storm hits Sodor, and engines get jobs to clean up. Thomas is upset he has to go slowly with Farmer McColl's eggs. Other engines are making more trips. Thomas decides to go fast, but some eggs break. Thomas learns to go slowly. The Fat Controller praises Thomas for delivering most eggs safely. Farmer McColl even gave him the broken ones for tea!
200 18 "As Good as Gordon" Steve Asquith Abi Grant 26 September 2004 (2004-09-26) 109b

Emily wants to be as fast as Gordon. She tries to do as much work as him, but it's too much. She runs out of water.

  • This is the 200th episode of the series!
201 19 "Fish" Steve Asquith Paul Larson 3 October 2004 (2004-10-03) 110a
Thomas must help Arthur deliver a lot of fish to the docks. Thomas wants to finish quickly. He ignores Arthur's advice to take only 5 trucks. He tries to take all of them. The trucks make fish hit him, and he crashes into Salty, spilling fish. Thomas apologizes. Salty doesn't mind, as the smell reminds him of the sea. The Fat Controller scolds Thomas. Thomas then takes five trucks at a time, which is easier. He finishes the work, and the Fat Controller praises him. Thomas, Arthur, and Salty agree that getting clean is the best part of the day.
202 20 "Emily's Adventure" Steve Asquith Paul Larson 3 October 2004 (2004-10-03) 110b
Emily has to deliver wood to Farmer McColl, but there are obstacles from a storm. She is impatient and bosses everyone to speed up, but it doesn't work. Emily learns it's better to ask nicely when doing a job.
203 21 "Halloween" Steve Asquith Dave Ingham 10 October 2004 (2004-10-10) 111a
It's Halloween! Thomas and Emily are not scared to go to the smelters yard for an iron delivery. Percy warns them about ghosts, but Thomas and Emily say ghosts are make-believe. 'Arry and Bert try to scare them. A tarpaulin falls on Emily, and Thomas, 'Arry, and Bert think she's a ghost!
204 22 "You Can Do It, Toby!" Steve Asquith Paul Larson 10 October 2004 (2004-10-10) 111b
Gordon makes fun of Toby for being just a steam tram. Toby feels sad about not being a "proper" engine. But then Gordon gets stuck on his hill, and Toby is the only one who can help him.
205 23 "James Goes Too Far" Steve Asquith James Mason 17 October 2004 (2004-10-17) 112a
James is too proud of delivering an important load of coal. He ignores others who need help. Salty talks to him and teaches him about being kind.
206 24 "Chickens to School" Steve Asquith Paul Larson 17 October 2004 (2004-10-17) 112b
Thomas takes on three jobs, which makes him very tired. He refuses Emily's help and ends up mixing up all his deliveries.
207 25 "Too Hot for Thomas" Steve Asquith Paul Larson 24 October 2004 (2004-10-24) 113a
Thomas is disappointed to carry ice cream ingredients instead of children. He gets into trouble on the way. He doesn't realize this job is important too.
208 26 "Percy and the Magic Carpet" Steve Asquith Abi Grant 24 October 2004 (2004-10-24) 113b
It's a very windy day, and the engines are getting ready for the annual flower show. Percy must collect a red carpet from the docks. Salty tells Percy the carpet is magical. On his way, the carpet starts flying! Percy thinks Salty is right. Other engines, especially Gordon, believe the wind is making it fly. But when the carpet lands on the tracks, Percy says some magic words. The carpet flies back onto Percy's flatbed, surprising Gordon! Percy delivers the carpet just in time for the show.

Characters You'll See

  • Thomas the Tank Engine
  • Edward the Blue Engine
  • Henry the Green Engine
  • Gordon the Big Engine
  • James
  • Percy
  • Toby
  • Emily
  • Spencer the Grand
  • Arthur
  • Harvey the Crane Engine
  • Devious Diesel
  • Mavis the Quarry Diesel
  • 'Arry and Bert
  • Salty the Dockyard Diesel
  • Annie and Clarabel
  • Bertie the Bus
  • Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry
  • Harold the Helicopter
  • Cranky the Crane
  • Sir Topham Hatt
  • Farmer McColl
  • Murdoch (doesn't speak)
  • Trevor (not named)
  • Allicia Botti
  • The Duke and Duchess of Boxford
  • Henrietta (cameo)
  • Stephen Hatt
  • Bridget Hatt
  • Tiger Moth