Big Mickey Bugs

***Big Mickey Bugs*** is the first episode of the fifth series.

## Plot

Diesel and Dennis enjoy working at the docks, but find themselves one day delayed when a new crane named Big Mickey starts pushing his weight around and calls them bugs. Diesel and Dennis inform D199 and Diesel 10 about Big Mickey and are surprised to know the big diesels agree with him; while Diesel 10 believes that cranes need a lot of attention like him, D199 tells Diesel and Dennis to think about how Big Mickey feels - he is high up in the air and has to cope with inclement weather, and then looks down on the two diesels annoying him.

Matters are made even worse when Big Mickey finds out Diesel 10 and D199 agree with his ways, causing him to be more bossy. He tells Dennis to shunt some trucks closer to him. Dennis is too upset to concentrate and he pushes the trucks too far, leading Big Mickey to drop a crate of sand on top of Dennis. Big Mickey then tricks Diesel by telling him to shunt his flatbeds to the outside line, so that it will be easier for Big Mickey to load up. As Diesel does so, Big Mickey leaves the loads beside the trucks, rather than in them. This series of setbacks causes confusion and delay, which makes the Fat Controller most upset with the aforementioned incidents. Unfortunately, he is unaware of Big Mickey's bad behaviour, so he assumes Diesel and Dennis are responsible, and sends the two diesel shunters to their sheds to consider how they will improve themselves the next day. Diesel and Dennis are both also upset, with Big Mickey.

That night, a terrible storm rages across Sodor. Class 40, Diesel 10, D199 and Class 08 have taken refuge in the harbour shed. Class 08 is sure that they will be safe, but a tramp steamer loses control, runs aground into the dockyard and destroys the shed, causing the roof to fall in, trapping Class 08 and the big diesels and knocking Big Mickey over in the process. When the storm is over, the Fat Controller tells Big Mickey that Diesel and Dennis are coming to help him so that he can help the other diesels. Big Mickey realises that he needs to apologise to the two diesel shunters and tells the Fat Controller to tell Diesel and Dennis how sorry he is for being rude to them. The Fat Controller realises that Big Mickey is the culprit for the incidents and that he owes the two diesel shunters an apology as well.

Diesel and Dennis come to the rescue, and Big Mickey is soon upright again and rescuing the diesels from what remains of the shed. Big Mickey then mistakenly calls his rescuers "mites" and Dennis - offended that Big Mickey has reverted to his insulting attitude - attempts to leave. Diesel warns him not to move as he's still attached to Big Mickey, but Dennis accidentally pulls him down again.

Big Mickey still looks down on Diesel and Dennis, but ever since that stormy night, he never causes trouble for them again, knowing they may bite back.

## Characters

* Diesel
* Class 40
* Diesel 10
* Diesel 199
* Dennis
* Class 08
* Big Mickey
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Cranky (*cameo*)

## Trivia

* The episode is based off the first episode of the fifth series from *Thomas & Friends*, Cranky Bugs.
* S.S. Vienna and Izzy Gomez from TUGS can be seen. The LT Warehouse that is first seen when Big Mickey leaves the loads beside Diesel's trucks was also seen in the TUGS episode *High Tide*, in the scene where Top Hat confronts the Z-Stacks at the Canal.
* This is the first episode of two things:
	+ Big Mickey's first appearance in the series.
	+ The first time that the Fat Controller's car is seen moving on-screen.
* In the first shot of Brendam, there is a truck that has the number eight written on it.
* The barrel the Fat Controller stands on near the end of the episode is the "Best Quality Steam Coal" barrel from the fourth series episode, Bowled Out.