Thomas & Friends series 3: Difference between revisions

 

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| network = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] ([[Thames Television]]) (via [[CITV|Children’s ITV]])

| network = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] ([[Thames Television]]) (via [[CITV|Children’s ITV]])

| first_aired = {{Start date|1991|2|25|df=y}}

| first_aired = {{Start date|1991|2|25|df=y}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1991|7|14|df=y}}

| last_aired = {{End date||7|14|df=y}}

| num_episodes = 26

| num_episodes = 26

| episode_list = List of Thomas & Friends episodes

| episode_list = List of Thomas & Friends episodes

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| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| Aux2 = ”Enterprising Engines” by Rev. W. Awdry<hr />Based on ”Tenders for Henry”

| Aux2 = ”Enterprising Engines” by Rev. W. Awdry<hr />Based on ”Tenders for Henry”

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes|1991|6|2}}

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes||6|2}}

| ShortSummary = A double-tendered visitor unknowingly being the Flying Scotsman causes trouble. Although Gordon overcomes his problem about doubting steam engines’ usefulness, Henry wants more than one tender, and his dream comes true in a very bizarre fashion.

| ShortSummary = A double-tendered visitor unknowingly being the Flying Scotsman causes trouble. Although Gordon overcomes his problem about doubting steam engines’ usefulness, Henry wants more than one tender, and his dream comes true in a very bizarre fashion.

| LineColor = FFD300

| LineColor = FFD300

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| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| Aux2 = ”Enterprising Engines” by Rev. W. Awdry<hr />Based on the story of the same name and ”Little Western”

| Aux2 = ”Enterprising Engines” by Rev. W. Awdry<hr />Based on the story of the same name and ”Little Western”

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes|1991|6|9}}

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes||6|9}}

| ShortSummary = Edward tells Douglas about the time he saved Trevor from scrap. That night, as Douglas delivers a goods train to the scrapyard, he does the same by rescuing another Great Western tank engine called Oliver and his sidekick brake van, Toad.

| ShortSummary = Edward tells Douglas about the time he saved Trevor from scrap. That night, as Douglas delivers a goods train to the scrapyard, he does the same by rescuing another Great Western tank engine called Oliver and his sidekick brake van, Toad.

| LineColor = FFD300

| LineColor = FFD300

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| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| Aux2 = ”Oliver the Western Engine” by Rev. W. Awdry<hr />Based on ”Resource and Sagacity”

| Aux2 = ”Oliver the Western Engine” by Rev. W. Awdry<hr />Based on ”Resource and Sagacity”

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes|1991|6|16}}

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes||6|16}}

| ShortSummary = Oliver is new to Sodor, and all the engines complimenting his courage is making him conceited. He ignores Duck’s warning about the troublesome trucks and they push him down into the turntable well.

| ShortSummary = Oliver is new to Sodor, and all the engines complimenting his courage is making him conceited. He ignores Duck’s warning about the troublesome trucks and they push him down into the turntable well.

| LineColor = FFD300

| LineColor = FFD300

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| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| Aux2 = ”Oliver the Western Engine” by Rev. W. Awdry

| Aux2 = ”Oliver the Western Engine” by Rev. W. Awdry

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes|1991|6|23}}

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes||6|23}}

| ShortSummary = Duck and Oliver encounter the infamous Bulgy, a double-decker bus who does not like rails. He tries to take Duck’s passengers away by pretending to be a “railway bus” and taking them on an attempted shortcut. Duck finds him later, stuck under a collapsed bridge, and rescues his passengers, whilst Bulgy is turned into a henhouse.

| ShortSummary = Duck and Oliver encounter the infamous Bulgy, a double-decker bus who does not like rails. He tries to take Duck’s passengers away by pretending to be a “railway bus” and taking them on an attempted shortcut. Duck finds him later, stuck under a collapsed bridge, and rescues his passengers, whilst Bulgy is turned into a henhouse.

| LineColor = FFD300

| LineColor = FFD300

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| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| Aux2 = ”Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” magazine story by Andrew Brenner

| Aux2 = ”Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” magazine story by Andrew Brenner

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes|1991|6|30}}

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes||6|30}}

| ShortSummary = The Troublesome Trucks at the harbour cause trouble for Bill and Ben, but while working at the quarry the next day, they save the workers from a dangerous rockslide that destroys most of the quarry.

| ShortSummary = The Troublesome Trucks at the harbour cause trouble for Bill and Ben, but while working at the quarry the next day, they save the workers from a dangerous rockslide that destroys most of the quarry.

| LineColor = FFD300

| LineColor = FFD300

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| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| Aux2 = ”Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” magazine story by Andrew Brenner

| Aux2 = ”Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” magazine story by Andrew Brenner

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes|1991|7|7}}

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes||7|7}}

| ShortSummary = James is collecting some fruit from the harbour. But when he breaks down during his trip, Percy is forced to take it himself, but he goes so fast that he winds up squashing it all.

| ShortSummary = James is collecting some fruit from the harbour. But when he breaks down during his trip, Percy is forced to take it himself, but he goes so fast that he winds up squashing it all.

| LineColor = FFD300

| LineColor = FFD300

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| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| DirectedBy = David Mitton

| Aux2 = Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton

| Aux2 = Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes|1991|7|14}}<ref name=”Youtube2″>{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR3Ckcdsat0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/HR3Ckcdsat0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live| title=Thomas the Tank Engine – CITV Trust Thomas Video Promo, 14th July 1992 |date=26 April 2010 | access-date=10 November 2014 | publisher = Youtube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|df=yes||7|14}}<ref name=”Youtube2″>{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR3Ckcdsat0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/HR3Ckcdsat0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live| title=Thomas the Tank Engine – CITV Trust Thomas Video Promo, 14th July 1992 |date=26 April 2010 | access-date=10 November 2014 | publisher = Youtube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

| ShortSummary = Thomas looks forward to delivering his mail to the people of the mountain village, but a blizzard delays the journeys, which means that he and Percy (along with Terence and Harold) must work together.

| ShortSummary = Thomas looks forward to delivering his mail to the people of the mountain village, but a blizzard delays the journeys, which means that he and Percy (along with Terence and Harold) must work together.

| LineColor = FFD300

| LineColor = FFD300

Season of television series

Season of television series

Thomas the Tank Engine & 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 Wilbert Awdry.

This article lists and details episodes from the third series of the show, which was first broadcast in the UK between 25 February and 14 July 1992, and in the United States as part of Shining Time Station in November 1991 (shortly after being released direct-to-video in the UK). In 1993, the last ten episodes were released in the United States on Shining Time Station.

This series was narrated by Michael Angelis for UK audiences, taking over from Ringo Starr from the previous two series, while George Carlin narrated the episodes for US audiences. In episodes 1–16, the UK narration uses a different take on the TV broadcast compared to the original VHS releases.^[1][2]

This was the first series produced by Gullane Entertainment (then known as The Britt Allcroft Company).

In the US, this season was aired from 18 November 1991 to 7 June 1993 on Shining Time Station.

Series 3 was produced by The Britt Allcroft Company in association with Japanese television station Fuji Television. It was divided into two parts, one part having 16 episodes and the other having ten. The series was filmed and produced in 1991. 16 episodes were released direct-to-video on November 11, 1991, in the UK, and aired in the United States from November 18 to December 27, 1991, as part of Shining Time Station. They remained unaired in the UK until February 25, 1992, when the full series aired there. The last ten episodes aired on Shining Time Station in 1993. It was made at a cost of £1,300,000.^[3]
Before production of series 3, Clearwater Features closed down, with The Britt Allcroft Company becoming the sole producer. Producer Robert D. Cardona left before series 3, and Britt Allcroft took his place as co-producer alongside David Mitton.

The series was a combination of episodes derived from The Railway Series, stories in the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends magazines (written by an uncredited Andrew Brenner, who would later become the show’s head writer from 2013 to 2018), and a couple of original stories by Allcroft and Mitton. One of the primary reasons for diverging from the original books was that many of the stories not yet used featured large numbers of new characters, which would be expensive to produce. Another was that the producers wanted more stories about Thomas, the nominal main character. Awdry complained that the new stories would be unrealistic.^[3]

Awdry’s complaints were directed at two aspects of the episode “Henry’s Forest” in particular. One was that it was unrealistic to have a railway running through a forest, and that sparks from an engine’s funnel could cause a wildfire. Britt Allcroft countered this aspect by claiming that she had seen a number of lines do the same thing.

The other aspect was that Henry stops to admire the view without alerting the signalman, which was in direct contravention of British Railways’ Rule 55. This (Awdry argued) would never be allowed to happen in real life, and would be highly unsafe.^{[citation needed]}

The first two-thirds of Series 3 debuted on VHS by The Video Collection in November 1991, as two volumes titled “Time for Trouble and Other Stories” and “Trust Thomas and Other Stories”. The other third of the series was released on VHS in 1992 following the TV airings, titled “Escape and Other Stories”.

Video Collection International released a complete series VHS set in 2000, available as either a single-VHS or double-VHS release. It was soon released on DVD in 2004 as part of the “Classic Collection Boxset” before being released on its own in 2006. The 2012 re-release by HIT Entertainment utilised the 2003 restoration of the series.

Episodes from the series have also made it to various compilation releases with other series.