A Surprise for Dennis

***A Surprise For Dennis*** is the ninth episode of the fifth series.

## Plot

Dennis had been working at the coal mines and was fed up with the work. His driver tells him they need to make the best of a bad situation, and Dennis agrees to try. But the next morning, the trucks start teasing Dennis about being small, useless and slow, which angers Dennis and he bumps some trucks hard. He then takes some trucks to be loaded with coal, then he glumly takes them up the hill to the yards. On his way back down, he had to stop at a crossing where Bulgy was waiting. Dennis explains his situation to Bulgy, and Bulgy tells him that excitement is surprising; he never knows when it will happen, otherwise it would not be exciting. As Bertie leaves, Percy thinks about how things would be exciting if something surprising happened.

Later that day, Dennis stops at the fuel tower where Salty was waiting. Dennis says that things were boring. Salty tries to cheer him up by suggesting he have a few fast spins on the turntable, but Dennis does not agree; he thinks it'll just make him dizzy. As he leaves, Salty tells him that he will soon know more about trucks than any other engine, and that would be exciting. When he returns to fetch more coal trucks, there were more trucks than ever, and they all begin complaining that Dennis was too small to pull all of them uphill, calling him slow. Dennis crossly biffs them, making the trucks giggle at his temper.

Dennis was soon coupled up to a line of trucks and pulls them backwards towards the hill. The trucks continue joking about Dennis being slow and taking all night and into the next day to get up the hill, but Dennis finally snaps and demands them to be quiet. At that moment, just as he reaches the top, his coupling breaks and the trucks race backwards down the hill. They speed backwards through the level crossing where Bulgy was waiting, and Dennis hurried down to the signal box. His driver tells the signalman, and the yard foreman tells the Fat Controller that the trucks were heading for the big hill. The hill will slow them down, but they may roll back into the village. The Fat Controller declares that they'll just have to stop the trucks themselves.

In no time, the workmen board Bulgy, and he and the Fat Controller chase the trucks down the road while Dennis follows them on the track. As the Fat Controller and Bulgy reach the hill, they overtake the trucks. They come to a stop near the top of the hill just as the trucks begin to climb it themselves. The trucks slow to a stop, and the workmen manage to put chocks under the trucks' wheels to keep them from rolling away again. Just then, Dennis arrives, and Bulgy asks him what he thought of a chase. Dennis admits that the chase was exciting and surprising. He decides that Bulgy was right: a Really Useful Engine should never be surprised by surprise.

## Characters

* Dennis
* Salty
* Troublesome Trucks
* Bulgy
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Jeremiah Jobling (*cameo*)
* Farmer Trotter (*cameo*)
* Diesel (*deleted scene*)

## Trivia

* This episode is based off the twenty-first episode, A Surprise For Percy of the fifth series from *Thomas & Friends*.
* Stock footage from Put Upon Dennis is used in the beginning.
* Much of the footage during the runaway is sped up.
* The load that Big Mickey drops on Dennis from Big Mickey Bugs is seen on the ground to the right of the screen when the trucks at the coal mine sing.
* This marks the only appearance of the Miner's Halt station in the television series.
* A brown building, the three berth garage and the steel rig outer frame from TUGS appear at the coaling plant.
* The boat repairs building from Lakeside and Norramby Fishing Village can be seen at the miner's village.
* A rare image implies that Diesel was to play a role in this episode.
* This is the first appearance of Bulgy's unused shocked face from the second series.