Meet the Characters!

Meet the Characters!, also known as Meet Thomas' Friends, are a series of promotional videos that tie into Big World! Big Adventures! and Season 22. The videos are narrated by John Hasler and Joseph May as Thomas in their respective dubs and focus on a specific character, their personality and country of origin, with some specific scenes using specially-shot footage if there is not footage in the archives. They are available as DVD extras and are uploaded to the Thomas & Friends US and UK channels. The first video was released on August 24, 2018.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Nia
 * Rebecca
 * Marion
 * Shane
 * Yong Bao
 * Rajiv
 * Beau
 * Hong-Mei
 * Tamika
 * An An and Yin-Long
 * Aubrey and Aiden
 * Shankar
 * Ace
 * Noor Jehan (does not speak)
 * Tiger Hunters (do not speak)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Emily (cameo)
 * Flying Scotsman (cameo)
 * Carlos (cameo)
 * Salty (cameo)
 * Sidney (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Lei (cameo)
 * Winston (cameo)
 * Cranky (cameo)
 * Carly (cameo)
 * Big Mickey (cameo)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (cameo)
 * Cowboys and Cowgirls (cameo)
 * Charubala (cameo)
 * The Indian Actor (cameo)
 * Dr. Claire (not named, does not speak)

UK and AUS

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Yvonne Grundy as Nia
 * Rachael Miller as Rebecca and Isla
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Tim Bain as Shane and Aiden
 * Dan Li as Yong Bao
 * Nikhil Parmar as Rajiv
 * Kerry Shale as Beau
 * Chipo Chung as Hong-Mei
 * Rose Robinson as Tamika
 * Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar
 * Siu-see Hung as An An
 * Windson Liong as Yin-Long
 * Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
 * Peter Andre as Ace

US and CAN

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Yvonne Grundy as Nia
 * Rachael Miller as Rebecca and Isla
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Tim Bain as Shane and Aiden
 * Dan Li as Yong Bao
 * Nikhil Parmar as Rajiv
 * Kerry Shale as Beau
 * Chipo Chung as Hong-Mei
 * Rose Robinson as Tamika
 * Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar
 * Siu-see Hung as An An
 * Windson Liong as Yin-Long
 * Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
 * Peter Andre as Ace

Meet Ace of Australia
"Today I’d like to introduce you to a very cool friend of mine, Ace! Ace is from the other side of the world, Australia! Ace is a super-cool, super-fast racing car! I first met Ace when he came to Sodor. He was about to start a cross-country rally around the world! It was Ace who encouraged me to go on my big adventure! Ace can do all sorts of exciting things, like jumps, and spinning around in a circle. Ace loves to race, and is a free spirit. He won’t let anything get between him and the open road… unless if it’s a little orange monkey. I hope that one day, Ace shows me around Australia!"

Meet Nia of Kenya
"Today, I'd like to introduce you to my good friend, Nia! Nia is a steam engine from Kenya, who now works with me on the railway on Sodor. I first met Nia when I went on my big world adventure. Nia helped me find my way across Africa, but first I didn't want any help, but Nia taught me that two engines are better than one! Nia was right, everyone needs help sometimes. Now, Nia works with me on the Island of Sodor, where she helps to shunt trucks and pull passenger coaches. She's one of the cleverest engines on Sodor, and she's great at solving problems! We're so lucky Nia has joined the Steam Team on Sodor, and I can't wait to learn more about Kenya too!"

Meet Beau of America
"Today, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Beau, all the way from the United States of America! Yee-haa! Beau is a really cool mining engine, that works in the Wild West. The railway where Beau works is very different to the Island of Sodor. They don’t use breakdown cranes to rescue engines, they use horsepower! Beau taught me that there’s always another way of doing things. He’s a really useful engine. The American Railway is an amazing place. I can’t wait to see more of it with Beau!"

Meet Hong-Mei of China
"Today, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Hong-Mei, all the way from China! Hong-Mei is a steam engine who works on the Chinese Railway. Hong-Mei is a blue tank engine, just like me, and she has a number 1 painted on the side of her tank, just like me! Well, almost. It didn't quite look like a number 1. Hong-Mei often pulls two cheeky passenger coaches called An An and Yin-Long. Together, they know all the shortcuts on the Chinese Railway, which is particularly useful, as they love to race! But I bet they won't beat me when I continue my adventures in China!"

Meet Yong Bao of China
"Today, I'd like to introduce you to my good friend Yong Bao, from China! Yong Bao is a large tender engine, and the pride of the Chinese Railway. There are many steam engines in China, but none are as beautiful and majestic as Yong Bao. Yong Bao competed in the Best Decorated Engine competition at the Great Railway Show. He's especially known for the golden tiger painted on his tender. Yong Bao is really brave but he's also a very wise engine. He has taught me so much about China, and what it's like working on the railway. I can't wait to see what else my good friend Yong Bao has to teach me about China!"

Meet Noor Jehan of India
''“Today, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Noor Jehan, all the way from India! Noor Jehan is a diesel-electric locomotive who pulls luxurious passenger coaches. Noor Jehan is so elegant and glamorous, that even Rajiv looks up to her. Noor Jehan has many jobs on the Indian Railway, but her favourite is taking passengers on jungle tours in her luxury coaches. If you’re lucky enough to ride on one of Noor Jehan’s jungle tours, you may even spot a beautiful tiger in the wild. Just like Noor Jehan, India is full of wonder and mystery!”''

Meet Rajiv of India
"Today, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Rajiv, from India! Rajiv is a steam engine who works on the Indian Railway, which he's told me is the biggest and busiest railway in the world. He brings a bit of glamour to the railway. He once won the Best Decorated Engine competition, which he loves to remind everyone about! Rajiv likes to think he's a royal engine, though not everyone agrees. He thinks of himself as a real star, and would like nothing more than to feature in a movie! Rajiv has certainly got the confidence to be a good star, and I can't wait to visit him in India and see if he can achieve his dream!"

Meet Shane of Australia
"Today, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Shane, all the way from Down Under! Shane is a large and powerful steam engine who works on the railways of Australia. G'day mate! Shane is always up for having fun, and he always loves to tell a good story, but they're not always true. Shane often pulls two cheeky passenger coaches called Aubrey and Aiden. They've taught me all sorts of fun facts about working on the Australian Railway. My Australian friends are great! I can't wait for you to see what we got up to together!"

Meet Rebecca of England
"Today, I'd like to introduce you to my new friend, Rebecca of England! Rebecca is a steam engine who's recently come here, to work on the Island of Sodor. When Rebecca first arrived, she was so nervous. She made some clumsy mistakes and was worried she wouldn't fit in. Rebecca is a very special engine. She's as big as Gordon, and she's just as fast! Rebecca has become very popular on Sodor. Rebecca's now joined us at Tidmouth Sheds, and we all love having her around. Welcome to Sodor, Rebecca!"

Meet Shankar of India
"Today, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Shankar, all the way from India! Shankar is a diesel engine and although he's not the most glamorous engine, he's very hardworking! He works on the Indian Railway, which is usually quite busy. He takes a lot of pride in making sure he delivers his trucks on time! Shankar really cares about protecting the environment. He taught me all about looking after animals! One time we had a big adventure. We came up with a clever plan to stop some pesky poachers catching tigers from the jungles in India. Shankar is a really useful engine!"

Meet Tamika of Australia
"Today, I'd like to introduce you to Tamika, my friend from the other side of the world. Tamika is a historic steam engine from Australia. She works in the Kuranda Rainforest, taking passengers on tours. There are so many wonderful animals in the rainforest. Tamika taught me all about them, and how important it is to protect them. I'm so glad I met Tamika in Australia. I can't wait for her to show me what other animals live in the rainforest!"

Meet Isla of Australia
''“Today, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Isla, all the way from Australia! Isla is a brave Flying Doctor’s plane. She carries doctors to places which are too far away from hospitals for people to get to. She’s a real life hero! High in the sky, Isla can fly much faster than an engine can travel on tracks, so she’s always quick to help in an emergency. She’s even helped me out a few times! I’m so glad that I met Isla in Australia. She’s great at being really useful and helping people!“''

Meet Ashima of India
Coming soon