P.A. Problems

*“Just because they're old doesn't mean they're not useful!”*
―Edward
**P.A. Problems** is the sixth episode of the twenty-first series. It is also the 500th episode of the television series.

## Plot

The Fat Controller bought a new TX-1000 public address system to replace the old ones at Knapford Station, which he sends Edward to take them to the scrapyard. There, Edward sees Reg, who is happily singing about scrap.

Back at the station, the engines and passengers struggle to hear the announcements after the new P.A. System begins malfunctioning, and they all end up very confused. Toby takes some Holidaymakers to the quarry, Thomas takes the quarry workers to the beach, and Percy takes a delivery of pigs to Lord Callan at Callan Castle. Eventually, The Fat Controller realises that his new P.A. system is not working properly, and ironically destroys it after attempting to fix it.

After much confusion and delay, it is Reg who saves the day. Rather than destroy it, Reg had put the P.A. system to good use by attaching it to himself and using it to play music. Reg happily hands it over, and the old P.A. system is returned to Knapford station. Everything went back to normal, except for the workmen who can't stand hearing Reg's singing as one of them covered his ears with two rubbish can lids taped around his head.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Edward
* Percy
* Toby
* Emily
* Reg
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Lord Callan
* The Knapford Stationmaster
* The Bird Watcher
* The Great Composer
* The Grumpy Passenger
* The Female Puppet Show Entertainer
* Some Workmen
* James (*cameo*)
* Diesel (*cameo*)
* Sidney (*cameo*)
* Philip (*cameo*)
* Annie and Clarabel (*cameo*)
* Henrietta (*cameo*)
* The Teacher (*cameo*)
* One of Dowager Hatt's Friends (*cameo*)
* The Lady with the Big Hat (*cameo*)
* Theo (*flywheel only*)

## Locations

* Knapford
* Knapford Station Yard
* Wellsworth Scrap Yard
* Ffarquhar Quarry
* Harwick
* Callan Castle
* Maithwaite (*portrait*)
* Black Loch (*portrait*)
* Vicarstown (*mentioned*)
* Bluff's Cove (*mentioned*)
* Brendam Docks (*mentioned*)
* Kellsthorpe Road (*mentioned*)
* Maron (*mentioned*)

## Cast

### UK

* John Hasler as Thomas
* Keith Wickham as Edward, the Fat Controller, Lord Callan, the Knapford Stationmaster, the Great Composer, the Grumpy Passenger and a Quarry Worker
* Nigel Pilkington as Percy
* Rob Rackstraw as Toby
* Teresa Gallagher as Emily, the Female Puppet Show Entertainer and Some Passengers
* Matt Wilkinson as the Bird Watcher and the Knapford Station Worker
* Tim Whitnall as Reg and a Quarry Worker

### US

* Joseph May as Thomas
* William Hope as Edward and Toby
* Christopher Ragland as Percy
* Jules de Jongh as Emily and the Children
* Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt, Lord Callan, the Grumpy Passenger, the Knapford Stationmaster and a Passenger
* Tim Whitnall as Reg and a Quarry Worker
* Teresa Gallagher as Some Passengers
* Matt Wilkinson as the Bird Watcher and the Knapford Station Worker

## Trivia

* Going by production order, this is the eleventh episode of the twenty-first series.
* The US version of the episode along with Hasty Hannah were released on the Nick Jr. website paired with the song, Let's Go! as a sneak preview prior to the series' network premiere.
* This is the first time the Knapford station "announcement chime" is heard.
* This episode marks Reg's only appearance in the twenty-first series and his first appearance since the nineteenth series episode, The Truth About Toby.
* In the scrapyard, a bike, a blue car, and the bus stop sign from Samson Sent for Scrap can be seen. One of Theo's flywheels can also be seen.
* Clips of this episode appeared in the series 5, episode 8 of "Dave Gorman: Modern Life is Goodish." In the episode, Gorman points out that this episode teaches a very good moral about materialism. Gorman then refers to the Fat Controller as "one of them people who wait for the new Apple phones."
* A shortened version of the episode, narrated by Joseph May as Thomas, can be found on the official YouTube channel and the Nick Jr website.

## Goofs

* Throughout the episode, all the teal 7-plank trucks appear to be glowing red on the bottom plank indicating that they were modified from the red trucks.
* When Edward pulls into Knapford Station with the old P.A. system, his siderods slide on the tracks, then starts moving again once he stops on the platform.
* Thomas is heading South instead of North towards Harwick whilst departing Knapford with the Quarry workers onboard.
* When Edward arrives at Crock's Scrap Yard for the third time, the tracks are empty on the left side of the screen. But when Edward blows his whistle to get Reg's attention, a truck full of scrap suddenly appears and it is the same truck Samson pulled in Samson Sent for Scrap, due to the Fat Controller's car being clearly visible inside it. Then it disappears when the workman switches off the speakers.

## Home Media Releases

### UK

* On the Go with Thomas
* The Complete Series 21