The first episode (based on 'The Sad Story of Henry') was broadcast live on the evening of Sunday 14 June 1953 from Lime Grove Studios. 00 gauge Hornby Dublo models appeared on sets that reflected the style of the original illustrations. The first attempt to adapt Awdry's stories for television came in 1953, when the editor of the Railway Series books, Eric Marriott, was approached by the BBC, who wished to use live-action model trains to re-create two stories from Awdry's first book, The Three Railway Engines. 1.2 Early years and the series' success.The rights to the series are currently owned by HIT Entertainment (a subsidiary of Mattel), which acquired Gullane Entertainment in July 2002.Ī new 2D-animated series, Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, premiered on Septemon Cartoon Network.

In the United States, it was first broadcast along with the spin-off series Shining Time Station on PBS' PTV Park block in 1989. They work for the Fat Controller, who always wants his engines to be 'really useful engines'. The series follows the adventures of Thomas, an anthropomorphised blue steam locomotive on the fictional North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor, and several other anthropomorphised locomotives on the North Western Railway, including Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, and Toby. Awdry and his son Christopher, the series was developed for television by Britt Allcroft. Based on The Railway Series books by Rev. Thomas & Friends (originally known as Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends and later Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!) is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021.

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