Thomas and Friends (Series 7)

The seventh series of Thomas & Friends was first broadcast in October 2003, the same day it was first released on DVD and VHS. All twenty-six episodes were narrated by Michael Brandon and have at least a version with new music.
Written and storyboarded prior to and filmed soon after HiT Entertainment's acquisition of Gullane Entertainment, this was the final of only two series produced by Gullane (replaced by HiT Entertainment starting with the eighth series up until the twenty-fourth and final series, the company itself is currently known as Mattel Television). On Nick Jr. and PBS Kids airings, an episode was paired with the eighth and ninth series airings with rescored background music provided by Robert Hartshorne.
==Production==
After the acquisition of HiT Entertainment had been completed and during production of the series, Britt Allcroft not only became a non-executive director but also started to focus on outside business necessities in her second hometown of Santa Monica, California, USA. Acting as creative consultant, this would end up being her final involvement with Thomas & Friends.
David Mitton quietly followed suit after filming completed in early 2003, opting to enter retirement following almost two decades of involvement with the franchise. HiT Entertainment likewise substantially reduced Mitton's creative freedom during filming, presumably catalyzing his departure further. Mitton's involvement in the show's writing would similarly dwindle during this series, leading him to contribute the premise for only one episode. This was similarly the final series to feature involvement by longtime set and character designer Robert Gauld-Galliers, who was likewise frustrated by HiT's perception of the series and original composers Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell. The specific cause of O'Donnell and Campbell's departures is unclear: various comments and accounts suggest that the pair 'could not agree' to the terms of a new contract offered by HiT, that HiT ultimately opted to not rehire them as per their intention to revamp the series aesthetically, or that the pair departed after becoming embroiled in a legal dispute with HiT over music royalties shortly following production of this series.
When the eighth series first aired in 2004 on Nick Jr. in the UK and PBS Kids in the US, a seventh series episode that is thematically similar to the two eighth series episodes in the airing would be shown between them. As there were thirteen of these airings, thirteen episodes of the seventh series were recomposed by Robert Hartshorne for these airings. Additionally, the UK version of Rheneas and the Roller Coaster with the new music was released on Bumper Party Collection! in May 2005.
This continued in late 2005 with the ninth series but this time, six episodes from the sixth series were used for the airings, thus six episodes from the seventh series were not, one of which was "Rheneas and the Roller Coaster". However, they have all been released on home video in the US. The other five episodes that were not broadcast for TV are The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop, Bad Day at Castle Loch, Snow Engine, The Runaway Elephant and The Grand Opening and they are the only episodes of the series to not have a known UK version with the new music.
Conversely, there are only seven episodes of the series known to have a US version with the original music. On the 2004 US VHS/DVD New Friends for Thomas, the episodes Gordon and Spencer, Emily's New Coaches, The Spotless Record and Peace and Quiet are re-narrated by Michael Angelis for American audiences and they retain the original music. On another 2004 US VHS/DVD, Thomas and the Jet Engine, the episodes Harold and the Flying Horse, Bulgy Rides Again and Salty's Stormy Tale are narrated by Michael Brandon as usual yet still retain their original compositions by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell.
This series also uses more stock footage than any other series, possibly due to the time and budgetary constraints imposed by the simultaneous filming of Jack and the Sodor Construction Company.
==Episodes==
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Production Order=
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|-|US=
|-|JPN= 
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==Songs==
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|-|US=
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==Characters==
*Thomas
*Edward
*Henry
*Gordon
*James
*Percy
*Toby
*Duck
*Donald and Douglas
*Oliver
*Bill and Ben
*Harvey
*Diesel
*Mavis
*Salty
*Skarloey
*Rheneas
*Peter Sam
*Rusty
*Duncan
*Troublesome Vans
*Annie and Clarabel
*Toad
*Bertie
*Bulgy
*Elizabeth
*Harold
*Cranky
*Sir Topham Hatt
*Lady Hatt
*Refreshment Lady
*The Little Boys
*The Tailor
*Harold's Pilots
*Tiger Moth's Pilot
*The Lighthouse Keeper
*The Fisherman
*The Dockyard Manager
*The Captain
*'Arry and Bert 
*Stephen Hatt 
*Bridget Hatt 
*The Storyteller 
*One Railway Board Member 
*Troublesome Trucks 
*Terence 
*Trevor 
*Jem Cole 
*The Vicar of Wellsworth 
*The Coaling Plant Manager 
*Farmer Trotter 
*Farmer Collett 
*Big Mickey 
*Stepney 
*Henrietta 
*George 
*Butch 
*Tiger Moth 
*Mrs. Kyndley 
*Jeremiah Jobling 
*Farmer Finney 
*Nancy 
*Tom Tipper 
*Cyril the Fogman 
*Jenny Packard 
*Farmer McColl 
*One of the Stone-Dropping Boys 
*The Bowler Hat Inspector 
*The Second Butler 
*The Mid Sodor Railway Manager 
*The Fire Brigade 
*The Injured Sailor 
*The Portly Man 
*The Smelter's Yard Manager 
*Headmaster Hastings 
*Three Railway Board Members 
*Duke 
*The Crovan's Gate Policeman 
*The Dryaw Policeman 
*City of Truro 
*Lorry 2 
*Daisy 
*BoCo 
*Class 40 
*S.C. Ruffey 
*Bulstrode 
*The Elsbridge Cricket Club 
*The Quarry-Master 
===Characters Introduced===
*Emily
*Fergus
*Arthur
*Murdoch
*Spencer
*Sodor Brass Band
*Lord Callan
*Dusty Miller
*The Teacher
*The Photographer 
*The Duke and Duchess of Boxford 
*Mrs. Collett 
*The Mayor of Sodor 
==Locations==
*Island of Sodor
**Brendam Docks
***Sodor Shipping Company
***Brendam Warehouse
***Brendam Canal
**Bulgy's Bridge
***Bulgy's Field
**Collett's Farm
**Dryaw
***Dryaw Airfield
**Elephant Park
**Elevated Town Runby
**Ffarquhar Quarry
**Gordon's Hill
**Henry's Tunnel
**Knapford
***Knapford Sheds
**Maithwaite
***Maithwaite Quarry Mine
**Maron
**Misty Valley
***Black Loch
***Castle Loch Causeway
***Callan Castle
**Narrow Gauge Iron Bridge
**Oliver's Shed
**Passing Loop and Water Tower Runby
**Rheneas Viaduct
**Rocky Ridge Line
**Rumblin Bridge
**Skarloey Railway Yard
**Sir Topham Hatt's Office
**Sodor Castle
**Sodor Cement Works
**Sodor Ironworks
***Heavy Industrial Area
**Sodor Pudding Factory
**Sports Field Halt
**Suddery Castle
**Tea Room Station
**The Coaling Plant
**The Craggy Track
**The Depot
**The First Three-Track Station
**The Fishing Village
***The Old Pier Rail
**The Goods Station
**The Intersection
**The Mountain Village
**The Old Trestle Bridge
**The Old Wooden Bridge
**The Runby Bridge
**The Sheep Field
**The Single-Track Halt
**The Watermill
**Tidmouth Bay
**Tidmouth Beach
**Tidmouth Sheds
***Tidmouth Engine Works
***Tidmouth Goods Station
**Tidmouth Tunnel
**Toby's Shed
**Toby's Windmill
**Tower Windmill
**Valley View
**Wellsworth
***Wellsworth Crossing
***Wellsworth Yards
***Topham Hall
**West Lakeside Junction
**Whispering Waterfall
**Bluebell Valley 
**Crovan's Gate 
**Dryaw Canal Runby 
**Knapford Harbour 
**Lakeside 
***Neptune Refreshments 
**Skarloey 
***Skarloey Bridge 
***Skarloey Slate Quarry 
**Strawberry Grove 
**The Hay Farm 
**The Seaside Village 
**The Second Seaside Station 
**The Viaduct 
**Ulfstead 
*The Mainland 
**Scotland 
*Marseille 
== Cast ==
* Edward Glen as Thomas
* Sean Astin as Edward
* Kevin Frank as Henry, Bertie, Rheneas and Harold
* Neil Crone as Gordon and Skarloey
* Susan Roman as James
* Linda Ballantyne as Percy
*Colm Feore as Toby and Duck
*David Tennant as Donald and Douglas
*Joe Mills as Oliver
*Lacey Chabert as Emily
*Ian James Corlett as Bill
*Lee Tockar as Ben
*Bill Fagerbakke as Harvey
*Tim Curry as Diesel
*Nicole Sullivan as Mavis
*Clancy Brown as Salty
*Kevin Schon as Arry and Bert
*Scott McNeil as Fergus
*Dave Foley as Arthur
*Maurice LaMarche as Murdoch
*Lewis MacLeod as Spencer
*Dee Bradley Baker as Peter Sam
*Jeff Bennett as Rusty
*Nathan Lane as Duncan
*Corey Burton as Troublesome Vans
*Shelley Elizabeth-Skinner as Annie and Clarabel
*Eli Gabay as Toad
*Blu Mankuma as Bulgy
*Tress MacNeille as Elizabeth
*Cranky