Tickled Pink

> What are you doing, James? You're a big pink steamie!
>
> Diesel

**Tickled Pink** is the third episode of the thirteenth series.

## Plot

The Fat Controller sends James to the Sodor Steamworks for a new coat of paint. Emily has broken down while picking up Bridget Hatt to take her to a birthday party and as no other engine is available, the Fat Controller sends James, who is still painted in his pink undercoat. When Emily sees James, she laughs at him, so to prevent the others from doing the same, James decides to hide.

He sees Toby coming down the line and hides beneath a willow tree, but Gordon rushes past blowing the branches up, so Toby does see James and laughs.

Then he sees Diesel shunting trucks. James really does not want to be seen by Diesel, so he hides behind the waiting trucks. Eventually, Diesel shunts them all away and James and his pink paint are revealed. Now Diesel laughs at James.

Finally, James tries hiding from Gordon in Henry's Tunnel. Thomas and Percy arrive to see what is going on. Gordon insists for the engine in the tunnel to reveal itself so that the express can get through. So, James is left with no choice but to reveal himself and after James is laughed at, he realises he is running late. So he steams to Maithwaite, passing by Henry and Spencer who also laugh, but James does not care; he just wants to be a really useful engine.

James thinks Bridget and her friends will laugh at him too, but instead they smile, get excited and very happy. Bridget and her friends tell James that pink is their favourite colour, which makes James feel better.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Henry
* Gordon
* James
* Percy
* Toby
* Emily
* Spencer
* Diesel
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Bridget Hatt
* Bridget Hatt's Friends
* Edward Template:Cameo
* Henrietta Template:Cameo
* Lady Hatt Template:Cameo
* Sir Topham Hatt's Assistants Template:Cameos
* The Teacher Template:Cameo
* The Welsh Bird Watcher Template:Cameo
* The Female Puppet Show Entertainer Template:Cameo
* The Maithwaite Stationmaster Template:Cameo

## Locations

* Tidmouth Sheds
	+ The Works
* Sodor Steamworks
	+ Victor's Shed
* The Coal Hopper
* Henry's Tunnel
* Maithwaite
* Town Square
* Great Waterton Template:Note

## Cast

### UK

* Ben Small as Thomas and Toby
* Keith Wickham as Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and the Fat Controller
* Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Bridget Hatt and Bridget Hatt's Friends
* Matt Wilkinson as Spencer
* Kerry Shale as Diesel

### US

* Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy
* William Hope as Toby
* Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, James and Sir Topham Hatt
* Jules de Jongh as Emily, Bridget Hatt and Bridget Hatt's Friends
* Glenn Wrage as Spencer
* Michael Brandon as Diesel

## Trivia

* Kerry Shale officially joins the UK voice cast, as he was originally set to play Thomas and Spencer in the UK dub of Hero of the Rails, but he did not make the final draft.
* This marks Diesel's first speaking role in a full CGI production.
* Thomas is the only character not to say a quote while James is painted pink, despite being mentioned by the narrator that he was included looking and laughing at James.
* In real life, "Works grey" also served the function of being a primary "undercoat" of paint, allowing the locomotive to be used for test runs and checks to find any faults or required modifications before undergoing the expensive and often time-consuming process of being painted in a full livery.
* The plot is similar to Henry Sees Red from The Railway Series book, Henry and the Express.
* This episode marks the first of two things for Bridget Hatt:
	+ Her first appearance since The Great Discovery.
	+ Her first speaking role since the tenth series episode, Which Way Now?

## Goofs

* Diesel's bufferbeam is black in one scene.
* When Gordon races past Toby, the brake coach is at the back of the express, but in the next shot, the brake coach is at the front.
* When James puffs away from Spencer, his coaches have switched places.
* Maithwaite is painted in dark brown instead of beige.