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in: T&FMUSS Seasons, Seasons, Future Releases

Changes: Series 4 (Our version)

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*[[Bill and Ben]] (cameo)
  
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*[[Paxton]] (cameo)
 
*[[Henrietta]] (cameo)
  
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*[[Isabel and Dulcie]] (cameo)
  
*[[Isabel and Dulcie]] (cameo)

Revision as of 04:12, 14 November 2020

The fourth series of Thomas & Friends Made Up Story Series Style first aired on television in October 1995 in the UK. It aired between 1995 and 1996 on Shining Time Station and Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales in the US. All thirty-one episodes were narrated by Michael Angelis in the UK and George Carlin in the US.

Production

The fourth series saw the introduction of the smaller narrow gauge engines. For ease of filming, the fifth series would introduce larger-scale versions of the characters and from the sixth-twelfth series, these larger models were used almost exclusively.

Half of the third series consisted of stories written by the show's staff, but only one original story, Rusty to the Rescue was written by Allcroft and Mitton for the fourth series. The episodes which used The Railway Series did take some liberties with the source material, in order to fill the runtime and make the stories more accessible. From the fifth series onwards, all stories would be staff-written, without using the Awdrys' books as a source until the twentieth series which would later finally introduce the Arlesdale Railway. The characters would then be led by their television personas and no longer by their storybook roots.

Stepney, a character based on a real-life engine and used to highlight the preservation movement in the books, was given an entirely different background when he was introduced. This decision carried on into later series, in which he was seen on either a fictionalised Bluebell Railway or as a visitor helping out on the Fat Controller's railway.

Episodes

(Note: * means that an episode was shown in the Shining Time Station Family Specials).

(Note: ** means that an episode was shown in the Shining Time Station spinoff, Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales).

(Note: *** means that an episode was shown on both). title Episode number #

Thomas tells the story of Duke, a narrow gauge engine who worked with Stuart and Falcon. However, when their railway closed, the young engines were sold and the old engine was left abandoned in a shed.

  • Sleeping Beauty #2

After many years had passed, some rescuers began a journey to find Duke and reunite him with his old friends. Bulldog #3 Falcon was sent to take the Mountain Road with Duke. However, he was impatient and did not pay attention to Duke's advice. He eventually winded up dangling from a cliff.

  • You Can't Win #4

One evening, Duke is too ill to manage by himself. Stuart teases him about this, but Duke gets his own back and he proves that he still has a lot of life left in him.

  • Four Little Engines #5

Sir Handel is pushed off the rails by some angry coaches called Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima, and the caboose Beatrice. Skarloey is the only engine available and is determined to get his passengers home, even when one of his front springs breaks.

  • A Bad Day for Sir Handel #6

Sir Handel and Peter Sam are brought in to help Skarloey and Rheneas. Sir Handel is in a bad mood and deliberately derails himself to get out of work.

  • Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady #7

One day, Henry threatens to leave without Peter Sam's passengers. In a haste to meet his connection, he leaves the Refreshment Lady behind.

  • Trucks/Rusty Helps Peter Sam #8

Gordon advises Sir Handel to get out of work by pretending to be ill, leaving Peter Sam and Rusty to take over. However, some cars mistake Peter Sam for Sir Handel and crash into him at the incline.

  • Home at Last #9

Peter Sam informs Skarloey of the newest arrival, a careless and bad-tempered engine named Duncan. Soon, Skarloey is sent to Duncan's aid when he is stuck under a decrepit tunnel.

  • Rock 'n' Roll #10

Rusty is concerned about Duncan, who ignores his warning about a broken section of track. After Duncan derails, Rusty grudgingly comes to the rescue.

  • Little Old Twins #11

The little engines are sad to conclude that they're going to be sold when they see visitors coming to see the railway, until they learn that they are to be featured on television. Sir Handel, however, wants no part of it.

  • Special Funnel #12

Peter Sam's funnel is knocked off by an icicle and is temporarily replaced by a drainpipe. However, Peter Sam gives the other engines a run for their money once his new funnel arrives.

  • Steam Roller #13

Skarloey tells Sir Handel of an anti-railway steamroller named George, whom Sir Handel vows to pay back, only to find that both he and George are too evenly hot-headed.

  • Passengers and Polish #14

Duncan complains about not getting polished. His rudeness reaches its peak when he stops on the viaduct and refuses to move.

  • Gallant Old Engine #17

Skarloey tells the story of how Rheneas saved the railway from closure, even after suffering a serious breakdown.

When Rusty hears that an engine is needed to help run the Bluebell Railway, he ventures out to find one and meets a steam engine named Stepney.

  • Thomas and Stepney #19

Stepney has been invited to visit Sir Topham Hatt's railway. Thomas is jealous when the visiting engine is talked about more than he is and is shunted for Stepney to pass with a special train that night.

  • Train Stops Play #20

Stepney does not realise that a cricket ball has landed in one of his freight cars. Caroline the car sets off with the players in pursuit of Stepney along Duck's branch line.

  • Bowled Out #21

A stuck-up diesel 261 makes a fool of himself when he sucks an inspector's bowler hat through his air-intake vent. Duck and Stepney volunteer in taking his train.

  • Henry and the Elephant #22

A circus comes to Sodor but Henry and some workmen are called to investigate a blockage in a tunnel, where he unhappily comes across an elephant.

  • Toad Stands By #23

Toad advises Oliver on how to regain the cars' respect. Oliver struggles to pull a goods train, but he is so determined that he accidentally pulls S.C. Ruffey apart.

  • Bulls Eyes #24

Daisy claims that she would simply have to "toot" to scare animals off. However, when she comes across a bull, she realises that it will need more than a command to move it away.

  • Paint Pots and Queens/Gordon and Thomas Meet the Queen #25

Henry misses the chance of pulling the Queen's royal train after a paint accident, giving Gordon and Thomas a special opportunity.

  • Mavis and the Lorry/Mavis and the Truck #26

Mavis the Quarry Engine encounters a careless lorry driver.

Toby tells the story of his trip to the seaside as a "Special Attraction" ends up a massive disappointment.

Percy and the cars deal with a difficult barge named Bulstrode.

  • Toby Takes the Road #29

Toby finds that the rails are far better suited to him than the roads.

  • Fish #30

Extra vans are added to the Flying Kipper and as a result, Henry needs a back engine to help him up Gordon's Hill. Duck offers to help but a badly attached tail lamp causes problems.

Tom Tipper, a postal-worker, is unhappy when his post van Pat is replaced by a bicycle. Percy manages to help him out, but not in the way he intended.

Songs

  • Let's Have a Race
  • Gone Fishing
  • Toby
  • Don't Judge a Book By its Cover
  • The Island Song
  • Really Useful Engine
  • That's What Friends Are for
  • Rules and Regulations

Characters

Characters Introduced

Trivia

  • This was the first series of several things:
    • The first series to feature the Skarloey and Mid Sodor Railways.
    • The first series to feature Callan and The Misty Valley Branch Line.
    • The first series not to end with a Christmas-themed episode and the first not to feature a Christmas-themed episode.
    • The first series to add Proteus 1 Pop/Rock to compose the music. This was the acousitc guitar sample (Patch #5) when Daisy encounters Champion in the episode Bulls Eyes.
    • The first series to have episodes released on more than one VHS before airing on television.
    • The first series where Bertie does not speak in any of his appearances.
    • The first series to feature a television series-exclusive engine, with that being Smudger.
    • The first series to premiere on Cartoon Network in the UK.
    • The first series where Bill and Ben, Diesel, Harold, Terence, Trevor and Farmer Finney all appear in only one episode each.
    • The first series to have braking or hissing sound effects used for when diesel engines stop or start.
    • The first series dubbed by Mike Erander.
    • The first series not to feature Bridget Hatt.
  • This series marks the only of a few things:.
    • The only series to date where Terence appears, but only cameos.
    • The only series to date to feature Duke physically, not counting his portrait cameos in the fifth series and his stock footage cameo in the seventh series.
    • The only series until the tenth series to feature Sir Handel.
    • The only series not to have an episode featuring James as the main character.
    • The only series until the eighth series to feature Thomas' upset face mask.
  • This was also the final series of a few things:
    • The last production to feature stories based on The Railway Series until The Adventure Begins and therefore the last to have Wilbert Awdry as a technical consultant.
    • The last series up until the twentieth series to feature episodes based on the stories from The Railway Series.
    • George Carlin's last series as narrator due to him moving onto continue on his comedy career before passing away a decade later in June 2008. Alec Baldwin would assume the role from the fifth - sixth series.
    • The last production to introduce characters from the Railway Series into the television series until Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
    • The last series shown on Shining Time Station.
    • The last series released completely on VHS in New Zealand.
    • The last series dubbed in Ukrainian until the seventeenth series.
    • The last series to feature Daisy in an episode until the nineteenth series.
    • The last series released on DVD in Finland until, the eighth series.
    • The last series to release some of its episodes early in the United States until the eighth series. But this time, on VHS/DVD instead of television.
    • The last series to reuse music from the Clearwater Features era with the Roland Jupiter 6 synthesizer. This only happens during Daisy's theme in the episode Bulls Eyes.
  • With a number of twenty-four out of twenty-six episodes, series four holds the most episodes released directly to home video before television, with the exceptions of Rusty to the Rescue and Thomas and Stepney as they aired on television in the US on 7th January 1995 on the Shining Time Station special Once Upon a Time before being released on VHS. The only two episodes that aired on television in the UK before they were released on VHS were Four Little Engines and Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady.
  • Two episodes of this series have aired in the United States before being released on VHS or broadcast in the United Kingdom in 1995; Rusty to the Rescue and Thomas and Stepney.
  • 19 out of all 26 episodes were ever released on VHS in the United Kingdom with their original opening credits. The two episodes, Train Stops Play and Bowled Out, were made available on the compilation VHS Thomas' Train and 17 other stories.
  • The first eleven episodes of this series, from Granpuff to Special Funnel have Michael Angelis' narration recorded in Dobey.
  • The last fifteen episodes of this series, from Steam Roller to Mind that Bike have Michael Angelis' narration recorded back to normal.
  • This is the only series dubbed by The Family Channel Studios.
  • To date, this series introduced the most new characters out of any other series to date.
  • Thomas appears in twenty-three episodes in this series, more than any other series in the Classic Series, but still less than most of the series outside the Classic Series.
  • Oddly, a significant amount of sound effects and music are missing in the US versions of most fourth series episodes, a notable example being Rusty Helps Peter Sam, which misses almost all the music in the first half of the episode. The episode also excludes most of Peter Sam's whistles and adds an unusually high pitched whistle when he cries for help after his accident.
  • This series is unique as the first fifteen episodes focused primarily on the Skarloey Railway engines.
  • All Chinese narrations from this series credit George Carlin as the narrator and all Norwegian/Hindi narrations credit Michael Angelis, even though the episodes were redubbed.
  • In the Ukrainian narration, Michael Angelis' voice can still be heard in the background.

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