Who's Geoffrey?


 * “Geoffrey? Geoffrey? What's all this talk about Geoffrey? I'd like to know what this strange engine is doing on my railway. But you, Thomas, seem to be the only one who's seen him.”
 * ―Sir Topham Hatt

Who's Geoffrey? is the first episode of the nineteenth season.

Plot
It is a very busy day on the Island of Sodor and Thomas is late delivering his goods train to Brendam Docks. When he arrives, Thomas causes trouble by carelessly bashing into some trucks which causes Cranky to drop a shipment of bouncy balls which bounce all over the dockyard. The trucks say someone pushed them and Salty and Porter declare that it was not them, which could only mean Thomas bumped into them. Instead of owning up to his mistake, Thomas lies that the accident was caused by a new engine, that he made-up, called Geoffrey. Everyone wants to know about Geoffrey so Thomas, taking inspiration from things around him, describes Geoffrey as being a big steam engine who came over from the Mainland. After that, Thomas races away quickly before any more questions are asked.

At the Sodor Steamworks, Annie and Clarabel are being repainted when Thomas arrives to collect them. Victor has heard all about Geoffrey and tells Thomas that if the new engine ever needs a fresh coat of paint, he is to come and see him at the Steamworks. Victor asks for Geoffrey's colour and Thomas tells him that Geoffrey is red.

At Knapford Station, James and Gordon are discussing the elusive new engine. Gordon says that Geoffrey cannot be very fast, but Percy corrects him by saying he was so fast that no one at the docks could get a glimpse of him. Then, the Fat Controller wanders up and is confused by all the talk about Geoffrey and wants to know what the big, red steam engine is doing on his railway. Thomas arrives and tells the Fat Controller that Geoffrey is very shy and is currently hiding in Henry's Tunnel. The Fat Controller orders Thomas to take him there at once, but Thomas races away. The Fat Controller climbs aboard Percy and chases after Thomas.

Due to a level crossing, Thomas arrives at Henry's Tunnel first and hides inside. Percy and the Fat Controller arrive shortly afterwards. The Fat Controller calls into the tunnel to ask Thomas if Geoffrey is there. Thomas says he is and the Fat Controller then asks to speak to Geoffrey. Thomas quickly disguises his voice and talks to the Fat Controller as Geoffrey who promises to have no more accidents. The Fat Controller walks away and Thomas thinks he has gotten away with it, until he hears a whistle coming from behind him. It is Spencer's whistle, but Spencer does not know that Thomas is in the tunnel. Thomas starts quickly and manages to get out of the tunnel as Spencer brakes hard. Out in the open, the Fat Controller is concerned about Geoffrey. Spencer tells the Fat Controller that there was no-one else in the tunnel and Thomas is forced to own up. He apologises and admits to inventing Geoffrey to take the blame for the accident he caused at Brendam Docks. The Fat Controller tells Thomas that it is always best to own up to your mistakes and learn from them. Thomas puffs away and unfortunately collides with some more bouncy balls, but this time, he admits it was him while Spencer unamusingly sighs.

Characters
A man on a bridge speaks. He is voiced by Kerry Shale in both narrations.
 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Spencer
 * Porter
 * Salty
 * Victor
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Bertie
 * Cranky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Dock Manager
 * The Bird Watcher
 * Some Dock Workers
 * Henry (does not speak)
 * Edward (cameo)
 * Emily (cameo)
 * Big Mickey (cameo)
 * One of Dowager Hatt's Friends (cameo)
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher (cameo)
 * The Great Railway Show Judge (cameo)
 * Lady Hatt (mentioned)

Locations

 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Wellsworth
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Station Yard
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * Vicarstown Bridge
 * Neptune Refreshments

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Gordon, James, Salty, Bertie, the Fat Controller, the Dock Manager and some Dock Workers
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy
 * Matt Wilkinson as Spencer and Cranky
 * Steven Kynman as Porter and the Bird Watcher
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel
 * Christopher Ragland as the Troublesome Trucks
 * Kerry Shale as the Man on the Bridge (uncredited)

US

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Kerry Shale as Gordon and the Man on the Bridge
 * Rob Rackstraw as James
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Glenn Wrage as Spencer and Cranky
 * David Menkin as Porter
 * Keith Wickham as Salty, Bertie, Sir Topham Hatt, the Dock Manager and some Dock Workers
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel
 * Steven Kynman as the Bird Watcher

Trivia

 * This is the first episode of several things:
 * The first episode to have John Hasler and Joseph May as the voice of Thomas in the UK and US dubs, Rob Rackstraw and Keith Wickham as the voice of James and Sir Topham Hatt in the US dub and Nigel Pilkington and Christopher Ragland as the voice of Percy in the UK and US dubs respectively. It is also the first to have Nigel Pilkington as part of the UK cast.
 * The first episode not to have Ben Small and Martin Sherman since they joined the voice cast.
 * The first episode to use the new theme and credits, however, on the DVD Whale of a Tale and Other Sodor Adventures, the original version of the Engine Roll Call is used.
 * The first episode to be written by Lee Pressman since the seventeenth season episode, Wayward Winston.
 * The first episode narrated by Francesco Facchinetti in Italy.
 * In the UK after Thomas makes up Geoffrey, both Salty and Porter exclaim, "Geoffrey?" In the US, only Porter says it.
 * This episode aired in Norwegin on Boxing Day 2016.
 * On the PBS Kids airing and on Season 19 (Digital Download), this episode is paired with The Truth About Toby, while on the Nick Jr. airing, it is paired with The Other Side of the Mountain.

Goofs

 * The position of the hill Thomas is on when the Docks are seen in the distance does not appear to match the Island of Sodor's coastline. Then, the hill cannot be seen from the Docks, once Thomas is there.
 * At Brendam Docks, in one scene the Troublesome Trucks appear to have been moved forward when Percy arrives but no engine is seen moving them.
 * Rob Rackstraw is credited in the UK credits, despite none of his characters speaking in that dub. Additionally, Kerry Shale is not credited in said dub despite voicing the man on the bridge.
 * In the US version, Salty does not exclaim "Geoffrey?" with Porter, yet Salty's mouth still moves.
 * When Salty shouts, "Shiver me axles!" his mouth does not match what he is saying.
 * A ball lands on Salty's handrail but every scene after that, the ball is not there.
 * When Spencer exits the tunnel, he is shown to have stopped, but in the next shot he is still moving.

Merchandise

 * Magazine Stories - Who's Geoffrey? (magazine story)
 * Engine Adventures - Thomas' New Friend