Season 23

**Series 23** of *Thomas & Friends* began airing on 18th May 2019 in the US and 2nd September 2019 in the UK.

## Contents

* Production
* Episodes
* Double-length episodes
* Songs
* Characters
	+ Characters Introduced
* Cast
	+ UK, AUS and NZ
	+ US and CAN
* Trivia
* Source

## Production

Mattel green-lit a new series and several specials for *Thomas & Friends* that premiered in 2019. Production began on the twenty-third series which consisted of 20 x 11-minute episodes as well as two stories split between three 22-minute specials (one stand-alone and the other a two-parter) following the recent revamp of the series.

The series is once again split into two halves: one half with Thomas travelling around the world and one half taking place on the Island of Sodor. Along with more episodes set in the previously visited China, India, and Australia, Thomas also visited two more countries, Italy and Brazil.

At the end of 2019, Mattel ended the new deal with Nickelodeon for the show's airing rights in America,

and the series was then streamed on Netflix the following year for the franchise's foreseeable future.

## Double-length episodes

US title (bottom)
 Thomas wants to impress his friends by finding an amazing discovery. It is not long before his wish is granted, although not in the way he had expected.

## Songs

Chris Renshaw
 It was a long time ago
Carl Taylor
Noah Berg

## Characters

* Thomas
* Edward
* Henry
* Gordon
* James
* Percy
* Toby
* Duck
* Emily
* Nia
* Rebecca
* Stanley
* Belle
* Caitlin
* Porter
* Glynn
* Ashima
* Gina
* Raul
* Yong Bao
* Shane
* Rajiv
* Hong-Mei
* Diesel
* Salty
* Den
* Dart
* Paxton
* Norman
* Sidney
* Philip
* Fernando
* Shankar
* Noor Jehan
* Flynn
* Winston
* Skarloey
* Peter Sam
* Victor
* Millie
* Annie and Clarabel
* Troublesome Trucks
* An An and Yin-Long
* Aubrey and Aiden
* Terence
* Bertie
* Bulgy
* Jack
* Alfie
* Oliver
* Max and Monty
* Kevin
* Harold
* Emerson
* Captain
* Cranky
* Big Mickey
* Owen
* Carly
* Cassia
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Stephen Hatt
* Bridget Hatt
* Miss Jenny
* Sir Robert Norramby
* The Grumpy Passenger
* Charubala
* The Teacher
* The Bird Watcher
* The Ginger-haired Boy
* Albert's Wife
* The Great Railway Show Judge
* The Man with the Green Waistcoat and Grey Hair
* The Batucada Players
* The Indian Fashion Designer
* Mr. Bubbles (*fantasy*)
* A Clown (*fantasy*)
* The Divers (*fantasy*)
* Rocky (*does not speak*)
* Butch (*does not speak*)
* Farmer McColl (*does not speak*)
* Dame Bella's Orchestra (*do not speak*)
* Rosie (*cameo*)
* Ryan (*cameo*)
* The White Tank Engine(s) (*cameo*)
* The Red Tank Engine(s) (*cameo*)
* The Grey Tender Engine(s) (*cameo*)
* The Brown Tender Engine(s) (*cameo*)
* 'Arry and Bert (*cameos*)
* Sir Handel (*cameo*)
* Duncan (*cameo*)
* Luke (*cameo*)
* Judy and Jerome (*cameos*)
* Merrick (*cameo*)
* Farmer Finney (*cameo*)
* Willie (*cameo*)
* The Bakers (*cameos*)
* Sodor United Football Team (*cameos*)
* The Search and Rescue Manager (*cameo*)
* The Blond-haired Boy (*cameo*)
* Dowager Hatt's Friends (*cameos*)
* The Welsh Bird Watcher (*cameo*)
* The Great Railway Show Flagman (*cameo*)
* The Lady with the Big Hat (*cameo*)
* The Indian Police (*cameo*)
* The Dock Manager (*cameo*)
* The Blue Mountain Quarry Manager (*cameo*)
* Flying Scotsman (*photo only*)
* Ace (*fantasy, cameo*)
* Ferdinand (*portrait cameo, fantasy*)
* Axel (*stock footage cameo*)
* Carlos (*stock footage cameo*)
* Frieda (*stock footage cameo*)
* Ivan (*stock footage cameo*)
* Three Mainland Diesels (*stock footage cameos*)
* Stephen (*mentioned*)
* Tamika (*mentioned*)
* The Chinese Dragon (*mentioned*)
* King Godred (*mentioned*)
* Byron (*indirectly mentioned*)

### Characters Introduced

* Gabriela
* Lorenzo
* Gustavo
* Beppe
* Brenda
* Darcy
* Ester
* Stefano
* Mia
* Dame Bella Canto
* The Crown Thieves
* The Grumpy Indian Stationmaster
* The Friendly Indian Stationmaster
* Sodor Rangers
* The Road Finisher (*fantasy*)
* The Archeologists (*one speaks, others, do not speak*)

## Cast

### UK, AUS and NZ

* John Hasler as Thomas
* Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, Glynn, Salty, Den, Norman, Skarloey, Bertie, Harold, Captain, the Fat Controller, the Grumpy Passenger, the Children, a Passenger and Mr. Bubbles
* Nigel Pilkington as Percy
* Rob Rackstraw as James, Toby, Stanley, Flynn, Owen, Big Mickey, the Troublesome Trucks, the Road Finisher, the Knapford Stationmaster and a Thief
* Steven Kynman as Duck, Porter, Dart, Paxton, Peter Sam and Jack
* Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Belle, Annie, Clarabel, Brenda, Stephen Hatt, Bridget Hatt, the Teacher and Albert's Wife
* Jules de Jongh as Caitlin
* Tina Desai as Ashima and the Fashion Designer
* Nikhil Parmar as Rajiv, the Indian Troublesome Trucks and the Grumpy and Friendly Stationmasters
* Shane Jacobson as Shane
* Dan Li as Yong Bao
* Yvonne Grundy as Nia
* Chipo Chung as Hong-Mei
* Rachael Miller as Rebecca
* Kerry Shale as Diesel, Kevin and the Troublesome Trucks
* Bob Golding as Sidney
* Rasmus Hardiker as Philip and Monty
* Gabriel Porras as Fernando, Emerson and the Crowd
* Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar
* Sheena Bhattessa as Noor Jehan and Charubala
* Matt Wilkinson as Winston, Cranky and the Wellsworth Stationmaster
* David Bedella as Victor
* Miranda Raison as Millie
* Siu-see Hung as An An and a Passenger
* Windson Liong as Yin-Long and a Passenger
* Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
* Tim Bain as Aiden, Some Passengers and the Australian Railway Workmen
* Tom Stourton as Terence and Alfie
* Colin McFarlane as Bulgy
* Tim Whitnall as Oliver the Excavator and Max
* Lucy Montgomery as Carly
* Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
* Federico Trujillo as Raul, a Batucada Player and a Workman
* Monica Lopera as Gabriela
* Francisco Labbe as Gustavo and a Batucada Player
* Laura Cucurullo as Cassia
* Christopher Ragland as the Troublesome Trucks and a Passenger
* Anna Francolini as Gina, the Children, and the Passengers
* Harriet Kershaw as Darcy, Jenny Packard, and a Kangaroo
* Vincenzo Nicoli as Lorenzo, Beppe, a Workman, Some Passengers and an Italian Farmer
* Flaminia Cinque as Ester and Dame Bella Canto
* Antonio Magro as Stefano, a Stationmaster and the Passengers
* Montserrat Lombard as Mia and the Passengers
* Ian McCue as a Thief

### US and CAN

* Joseph May as Thomas
* William Hope as Edward and Toby
* Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, Diesel, Harold, Max and Kevin
* Rob Rackstraw as James, Stanley, Flynn, Owen, Monty, Big Mickey, the Road Finisher, the Knapford Stationmaster and a Thief
* Christopher Ragland as Percy, the Troublesome Trucks and a Passenger
* Steven Kynman as Duck, Dart, Paxton, Peter Sam and a Boy
* Jules de Jongh as Emily and Caitlin
* Teresa Gallagher as Belle, Annie, Clarabel, Brenda, Stephen Hatt, Bridget Hatt, the Teacher and Albert's Wife
* David Menkin as Porter and Jack
* Keith Wickham as Glynn, Salty, Den, Norman, Skarloey, Bertie, Captain, the Grumpy Passenger, a Passenger, a Boy, Sir Topham Hatt and Mr. Bubbles
* Tina Desai as Ashima and the Fashion Designer
* Nikhil Parmar as Rajiv, the Indian Troublesome Trucks and the Grumpy and Friendly Stationmasters
* Shane Jacobson as Shane
* Dan Li as Yong Bao
* Yvonne Grundy as Nia
* Chipo Chung as Hong-Mei
* Rachael Miller as Rebecca
* Bob Golding as Sidney
* Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
* Gabriel Porras as Fernando, Emerson and the Crowd
* Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar
* Sheena Bhattessa as Noor Jehan and Charubala
* Matt Wilkinson as Winston and the Wellsworth Stationmaster
* David Bedella as Victor
* Miranda Raison as Millie
* Siu-see Hung as An An and a Passenger
* Windson Liong as Yin-Long and a Passenger
* Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
* Tim Bain as Aiden, Some Passengers and the Australian Railway Workmen
* Tom Stourton as Terence and Alfie
* Colin McFarlane as Bulgy
* Tim Whitnall as Oliver the Excavator
* Glenn Wrage as Cranky
* Lucy Montgomery as Carly
* Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
* Federico Trujillo as Raul, a Batucada Player and a Workman
* Monica Lopera as Gabriela
* Francisco Labbe as Gustavo and a Batucada Player
* Laura Cucurullo as Cassia
* Anna Francolini as Gina, the Children and the Passengers
* Harriet Kershaw as Darcy, Jenny Packard and a Kangaroo
* Vincenzo Nicoli as Lorenzo, Beppe, a Workman, Some Passengers and an Italian Farmer
* Antonio Magro as Stefano, a Stationmaster and the Passengers
* Montserrat Lombard as Mia and the Passengers
* Flaminia Cinque as Ester and Dame Bella Canto
* Ian McCue as a Thief

## Trivia

* This is the penultimate series.
* This series marks the last occurrences of a few things:
	+ Andrew Brenner's final series as head writer and the second time he has not written any episodes for the series since he became head writer, the first time being of the twenty-first series.
	+ The last series to air on Nick Jr. in the US and the first series released on Netflix as of 15 March 2020.
	+ The last series produced by Mattel Creations under their original name before their rename to Mattel Television starting with the double-length episodes making also the first series produced under the new aforementioned name.
	+ The last series released in the 2010s.
	+ The last series since the Big World! Big Adventures! upgrade to have a fantasy sequence in every episode.
* This series marks the first occurrences of several things:
	+ The first series where Thomas, Gordon, James, Percy, Emily, Bertie and Bulgy all gain new, realistic details.
	+ The first series in which where Porter, Philip and Carly only speak in one episode each.
	+ The first series since the eleventh series not to have a special/film released before it.
	+ The first series since the seventh series where Edward speaks in only one episode.
	+ The first series where Henry is not seen as part of the Steam Team in any way.
	+ The first series in which The Chinese Diesel, Hannah, Dexter and Isla do not appear since their introductions.
	+ The first series where Keith Wickham plays Mr. Bubbles in the US after Michael Brandon's departure.
	+ The first series in which Victor appears in only one episode.
	+ Jenny Packard's first appearance in full CGI.
	+ The first series since his full body is shown in The Great Race where Flying Scotsman does not make a physical appearance.
	+ Gator's first appearance in a series since the eighteenth series, albeit in a life lesson.
	+ The first series where Paxton speaks in all of his appearances.
	+ The first series since his introduction in the nineteenth series where Philip does not get an episode featuring him.
	+ The first series to have specials since the nineteenth series two-part episode, Diesel's Ghostly Christmas.
	+ Raul, Gina, Ace, Emerson and Cassia's first appearances in an episode, not counting the stock footage appearances of other international engines and The Mainland Diesels in the twenty-third series episode, Grudge Match.
	+ The first series since the sixteenth series to have twenty episodes (not counting the double-length episodes).
	+ Fernando's first speaking role in an episode and the first time he is referred to by name.
	+ The first series in which Ryan appears, but does not speak since his introduction in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
	+ The first series since the nineteenth series where Rosie appears but does not speak, making this the first series since she joined the voice cast in the twenty-first series to not feature Nicola Stapleton.
	+ The first series where Tom Stourton takes over for Alfie, as well for Rob Rackstraw taking over for Owen, replacing Nathan Clarke and Ben Small, respectively.
	+ The first series where Thomas' friends from Sodor join him on his worldwide adventure: Percy in Thomas' fantasy sequence in *Wish You Were Here* and Jack, Alfie, Oliver, Max, Monty and Brenda in *Mines of Mystery*.
	+ The first series where Edward and Henry do not get individual speaking roles, despite singing.
	+ The first series since the CGI switchover, and the third series overall to not feature Spencer.
	+ The first series since the thirteenth series not to have a Christmas episode and to have only one winter episode.
	+ Excluding The Pack spinoff series, this is the first time in the main series since the sixth in which at least two episodes are dedicated to members of the Sodor Construction Crew (with a total of three).
	+ The first series since he became the narrator in King of the Railway not to feature Mark Moraghan in any way.
	+ The first series that has an episode with David Stoten as the head writer.
	+ The first series to have songs sung by the characters.
	+ The first series released in the 2020s in the US and the UK.
	+ The first time the characters' names are credited with the voice actors to show who voiced which character and where the title "Featuring the voices of" is shown above the actors and character names.
* This series marks the only occurrences of a few things:
	+ The only series to date where Henrietta does not appear.
	+ The only series to date where Judy and Jerome appear, but do not speak since their introductions in The Adventure Begins.
	+ The only series to date in which Duck and Kevin both appear in one episode each.
	+ The only series to date where Stephen, Daisy, Skiff and Tamika do not appear since their respective introductions, or reintroduction in Daisy's case.
	+ The only series since gaining a new livery where Rosie appears, but does not speak.
	+ The only series where the writer and director are shown at the same time, albeit the first to feature the ´´written by`` card in uppercase letters.
	+ The only series in which Thomas does not have any lead roles in episodes taking place on Sodor.
* This series marks both Edward and Emily's least number of appearances in a series to date, with Edward only appearing in two episodes and Emily only appearing in four.
* James is the only current Steam Team member not to gain a starring role this series.
* Harriet Kershaw, Federico Trujillo, Monica Lopera, Francisco Labbe, Laura Cucurullo, Anna Francolini, Vincenzo Nicoli, Antonio Magro, Flaminia Cinque and Montserrat Lombard join the voice cast.
* Every male engine character from Brazil appears and speaks in only one episode of this series with the exception of Fernando, who appears in two but still only has one speaking appearance.
* Following the series' revamp, this is the first series to include double-length special episodes, such as the *Digs and Discoveries* two-part story arc episodes and *Steam Team to the Rescue*, along with the regular length episodes as a replacement for the hour-long specials.
* As a rare move, a good majority of the episodes premiered in the US before reaching a UK broadcast.
* There are three episodes set in Brazil, two episodes and mini-specials set in Italy, two episodes in India and one episode each set in China and Australia, with the remaining eleven episodes and one mini-special taking place on Sodor.
* In Japan, so far, only ten episodes were dubbed and aired in Japanese from 5th April 2020 to 3rd May 2020, but after 3rd, May 2020, there hasn't been another episode from this series dubbed in Japanese until 8th, November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning the series was on hiatus from being dubbed on Japanese television in a total of 6 months and 5 days.
* This is the third series not to have all episodes dubbed in Dutch, that being Steam Team to the Rescue, the first series being Series 17 and the second being Series 20.