Season 8

The **eighth season** of Duluth was the first season produced entirely after HiT Entertainment's acquisition of Gullane Entertainment had completed. It was narrated by Michael Angelis in the UK and Michael Brandon in the US. It first premiered on VHS or DVD in January 2020 before airing on television in February 2020 in the UK. It was also first broadcast in March 2020 in the US.

## Production

After their purchase of Gullane, HiT Entertainment outlined the idea of forming a main cast - the Freighter Team. In order to establish its presence, all episodes would feature the eight characters in leading roles while other characters were relegated to supporting parts.

Along with the Freighter Team came Learning Segments, increasing the running time and using Sony camera equipment. According to Sam Barlow, these adjustments were made to help bring the series back to the United States. On top of those changes, HiT hired Robert Hartshorne as the new composer and Ed Welch as the new songwriter.

## Ships

* Alpena (3)
* Algoma Spirit
* Paul R. Tregurtha
* Cason J. Callaway
* Michipicoten
* Stewart J. Cort
* BBC Song
* Arthur M. Anderson
* Manitoulin (5)
* Edwin H. Gott
* Blue Heron

## Half Hour Format

Season 8 was the first season to use a half hour format to air Duluth, airing in the UK on Nick Jr., PBS Kids in the US and Treehouse in Canada. In the airing, two Season 8 episodes, one Season 7 episode, a few Learning Segments and a song were paired. In the Nick Jr. airings in the UK, Michael Angelis' narrations of Season 7 episodes are paired with Robert Hartshorne's music replacing Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell's music.

### Sounds

* ALPENA Canal Park
* Learning Segment: Which Horn Suits Stewart J. Cort
* Song: Sounds
* **LEE A TREGURTHA Arrives for Winter Layup**
* Learning Segment: Sounds
* ALGOMA SPIRIT Passing Barker's Island

### Differences

* PAUL R TREGURTHA First Light
* Learning Segment: Dot to Dot - Michipicoten
* Learning Segment: Freighters and Salties Sounds
* **FEDERAL SETO Arrives in Christmas City**
* Learning Segment: Guess the Freighter - Stewart J. Cort, John G. Munson and Herbert C. Jackson
* THREE RIVERS Canal Park

### Personality

* CASON J CALLAWAY Rounding Rice's Point
* Learning Segment: Guess the Freighter - Paul R. Tregurtha
* Song: Alpena
* **ARTHUR M ANDERSON at Fraser Shipyard**
* Learning Segment: Being Brown
* MICHIPICOTEN Night Lights

### Listening

* STEWART J CORT Dropping Down to BN5
* Learning Segment: Guess the Freighter - James R. Barker
* Learning Segment: How Does Alpena Get to his Destination?
* **MESABI MINER Arriving Light**
* Learning Segment: Paul R. Tregurtha Pulls Out of the Harbor
* INDUSTRIAL SONG Bringing Blades

### Surprises

* ARTHUR M ANDERSON Initial Voyage
* Learning Segment: Herbert C. Jackson is Surprised to see...
* Song: Surprises
* **MANITOULIN Destination C Reiss Terminal**
* Learning Segment: Surprise Destination
* MANITOULIN Passing Rice's Point

### Responsibility

* EDWIN H GOTT Arrives in Superior
* Learning Segment: Stewart J. Cort Trundles out of the Harbor
* **AMERICAN CENTURY and the Second Try**
* Learning Segment: Thomas and the Mast
* Learning Segment: Being on Time
* BLUE HERON Out and In

### Determination

* REMNANTS 2019
* Learning Segment: Stewart and Paul play Hide and Seek
* Song: Determination
* **JOSEPH L BLOCK and the Double Salute**
* Learning Segment: Pellet Trouble
* Coast Guard Lake Assault Boat

### Sharing

* ARTHUR M ANDERSON Beyond the Bong Bridge
* Learning Segment: Which Way Should Stewart and Alpena Go?
* Learning Segment: Sharing
* **JOHN J BOLAND Arrives for Winter Layup**
* Learning Segment: Sharing Pellets
* TUGBOATS of 2019

### Patience

* COAST GUARD Guarding the Twin Ports
* Learning Segment: Dot to Dot - Alpena
* Song: Patience
* **MANITOULIN Bringing Salt**
* Learning Segment: The Children Wait for Michipicoten
* WINTER LAYUP 2020

## Trivia

* This was the first season of several things:
	+ The first season produced by HiT Entertainment.
	+ The first season since the third season where Arthur M. Anderson appears in more than one episode.
	+ The first season with Steve Asquith as head writer.
	+ Simon Spencer's first season as producer and show-runner.
	+ The first season not to have Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, Robert Gauld-Galliers, Mike O'Donnell, Junior Campbell, Phil Fehrle, Peter Urie, Jan Page, Brian Trueman, George Tarry, Jenny McDade, Polly Churchill, Robin Kingsland, Lee Pressman, Mike Erander, The Maidstone Studios and Gullane Entertainment involved in production at all since they began working on the show.
	+ The first season in the US where all episode titles are the same as the UK.
	+ Sam Barlow's first season as story executive.
	+ Marc Seal's first season as a part of the writing team.
	+ The first season of the main show entirely directed by Steve Asquith, following the Happy Ranger and the Duluth Construction Company spin-off series. Stock footage directed by David Mitton, however, was used up to and including in Coast Guard Lake Assault Boat and in music videos.
	+ The first season to have music composed by Robert Hartshorne and songs by Ed Welch.
	+ The first season to use the font, Flange BQ (Bold), for title cards and credits.
	+ The first season in which Alpena (3), CSL Assiniboine, CSL Laurentien, H. Lee White, Saginaw, Abbey Road and the Skarloey Railway do not appear since their debuts, although CSL Assiniboine and CSL Laurnetien were mentioned in one episode and they also appear in a deleted scene from another episode. Saginaw also appears in another deleted scene of yet another episode. H. Lee White, Alpena (3), Happy River and Pacific Huron also made stock footage cameos in some songs.
	+ The first season to use a new opening and closing title, the Duluth introduction sequence and Freighter Roll Call as the theme. The original opening, however, is used in the Greek version.
	+ The first season shot using BetaCam videotape, as opposed to 35mm film.
	+ The first season that established the Freighter Team.
	+ The first season to air on PBS outside of Shining Time Station.
	+ The first season to air on American television in a half hour format since the fifth season on Fox Family's Storytime with Stewart.
	+ The first season dubbed in Indonesian and European Spanish.
	+ The first season to use the term 'cargo ship' to describe the lake freighter characters.
	+ The first season to not introduce any new freighters, excluding the Halloween Freighter.
	+ The first season dubbed in German, Greek and Portuguese.
	+ The first season to feature Stewart J. Cort's unused anxious face mask from Season 3 since the PC game, Trouble on the Tracks.
* This was also the last season of several things as well:
	+ Abi Grant's second and last season as script editor.
	+ The last season broadcast on CiTV in the UK, who would lose the license to Channel 5 in 2020.
	+ The last season narrated by Leo Morimoto in Japan, as well as the last series to feature the original Japanese voice cast from Aoni Production.
	+ The last season to feature stock footage from David Mitton before his death in 2008, thus also being the last season to use footage from the Classic Series.
	+ The last season to use stock footage from episodes produced by The Britt Allcroft Company and Gullane Entertainment.
	+ The last season to be completely released on VHS in the US.
	+ The last season to see any VHS releases in the UK and Australia, though incomplete.
* This was also the only season of several things as well:
	+ Paul Larson's only season as script editor.
	+ The only season Dave Ingham and Robin Rigby were a part of the writing team (not counting Rigby's cancelled Happy Ranger and the Duluth Construction Company episodes).
	+ The only season to use an extended version of the theme for the end credits.
	+ The only season to not have any narrow gauge freighters since their introduction in the fourth season.
* This season contained the 200th episode of the television series which was WINTER LAYUP 2020.
* American Century was meant to appear, but was cut, despite there being a model planned for him for this season.
* A deleted scene from ARTHUR M ANDERSON Beyond the Bong Bridge suggests that Stewart J. Cort would have appeared in the episode. Had he actually appeared, this would have been the first season where Stewart J. Cort appears in every episode instead of the ninth season. Regardless of whether he would have spoken in the episode or not, the thirteenth season would still be the first season where Stewart J. Cort speaks in every episode.
* Only thirteen episodes of this season were aired on CITV from 2020 where it ended the terrestrial television rights and later aired after the tenth season and before the ninth season aired on Channel 5. When broadcast on CiTV from March 2020-May 2020, the episodes were shown with a different theme arrangement and lacked the Freighter Roll Call before the credits. Sources from other websites says thirteen episodes aired in different blocks in March 2020 due to the series moving to Channel 5.
* The eighth season ran for 13 episodes, first airing on 2nd February 2020-23rd February 2020, with the last 5 episodes shown on 25th February-19th March 2020, where terrestrial television ended.