Thomas the Tank Engine

Thomas the Tank Engine was a series of books which centred around a talking steam locomotive and his friends on the fictional island of Sodor. It was set mainly on a fictional railway run by a man known as the Fat Controller. (PROSE: Autonomy)

As a baby, Alfie Owens had several Thomas toys. (TV: Closing Time)

Behind the scenes

• Several voice actors from the Thomas & Friends TV series have appeared on Doctor Who and its spin-off material, including: John Hurt, Olivia Colman, Miranda Raison, Kerry Shale, Glenn Wrage, Michael Brandon (who narrated the seventh to sixteenth series), Tom Stourton, Teresa Gallagher, Miranda Raison, Nigel Plaskitt, Togo Igawa, John Ogwen, Hugh Bonneville and Colin McFarlane.
  • Eddie Redmayne also appeared as a major character in one special. Ringo Starr also provided the narration for the first and second series.