Series 23

The twenty-third season of Thomas & Friends will begin airing sometime in 2019.

## Production

Mattel has greenlit a new season and several specials for *Thomas & Friends*that will premiere in 2019. Production has begun on the 23rd season that will consist of 20 x 11-minute episodes as well as three x 22-minute specials following the recent revamp of the series.

The season 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 will also visit two new countries, Italy and Brazil.

## Episodes

1. Free the Roads- Bulgy thinks that people should travel by bus instead of rail, until he learns that having so many passengers is not easy for the buses on their own.
2. Crowning Around- Rajiv learns that he can be really useful with or without his crown.
3. Chucklesome Trucks- Rebecca defies expectations when she works with the Troublesome Trucks and has a very amusing day.
4. The Other Big Engine- Thomas meets another big blue engine in Brazil that reminds him of Gordon.
5. Heart of Gold- Toby doesn't feel useful working at Ulfstead Castle but soon proves some rude passengers wrong when he saves the crown.
6. Batucada- Thomas finds a way to take part in the Brazilian carnival music.
7. Gordon Gets The Giggles- Gordon becomes worried when he gets a serious case of the giggles.
8. Thomas Makes a Mistake- Thomas causes confusion and delay by not seeking help when he makes a mistake.
9. Diesel Do Right- Diesel plays a trick on Rebecca to try to get the other engines in trouble for a change.
10. Grudge Match- Raul wants to beat Thomas in a game, but his competitive nature soon gets him into trouble.

### Unknown Order

1. Diesel Glows Away- When Diesel hides from the other engines, his plans backfire and he gets a surprise.
2. Laid Back Shane- Shane has too much fun to stop and refuel until he runs out of coal and is stranded in the desert.
3. Wish You Were Here- Thomas misses his best friend, Percy, while working on the Chinese railway.
4. First Day on Sodor!- Darcy makes some mistakes on her first day, but she soon makes up for it when everyone sees what she can really do.
5. Rangers of the Rails- Emily takes the Sodor Rangers camping but gets derailed.
6. Lorenzo's Solo- Lorenzo takes a larger coach in order to pull the opera singer Dame Bella, but soon finds himself lost without his good friend Beppe.
7. Deep Trouble- Max and Monty's antics on a construction site can get them into trouble.
8. Too Loud, Thomas!- Thomas wants to perform opera like Lorenzo and Beppe, but finds it a lot more difficult than he first thought.
9. Out of Site- Brenda learns that it's important to work as a team and not just care about her own jobs.
10. Panicky Percy- Percy causes confusion and delay by panicking over nothing.

1. All Tracks Lead to Rome- Thomas is keen to prove to his new friend Gina that he is an expert in all things Italian, until he gets lost down an old mine.
2. Mines of Mystery- Thomas wants to impress his friends by finding an amazing discovery; it's not long before his wish is granted, although not in the way he had expected.
3. Steam Team to the Rescue- TBA

## Characters

* Thomas
* Edward
* Henry
* Gordon
* James
* Percy
* Toby
* Duck
* Emily
* Stanley
* Belle
* Caitlin
* Porter
* Glynn
* Ashima
* Rajiv
* Raul
* Shane
* Yong Bao
* Gina
* Nia
* Hong-Mei
* Rebecca
* Diesel
* Salty
* Den
* Dart
* Sidney
* Paxton
* Norman
* Philip
* Fernando
* Shankar
* Noor Jehan
* Winston
* Skarloey
* Peter Sam
* Victor
* Millie
* Troublesome Trucks
* Annie and Clarabel
* An An and Yin-Long
* Aubrey and Aiden
* Bertie
* Terence
* Bulgy
* Flynn
* Captain
* Jack
* Alfie
* Oliver (excavator)
* Max and Monty
* Kevin
* Harold
* Emerson
* Cranky
* Owen
* Big Mickey
* Carly
* Cassia
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Jenny Packard
* Sir Robert Norramby
* Charubala
* The Teacher
* The Bird Watcher
* The Ginger-haired Boy
* The Search and Rescue Manager
* The Grumpy Passenger
* Albert's Wife
* The Great Railway Show Judge
* The Batucada Players
* The Film Crew Leader
* The Knapford Stationmaster
* The Divers (fantasy)
* The Experts (not named)
* Flying Scotsman (photo; does not speak)
* Dame Bella's Orchestra (do not speak)
* Rocky (does not speak)
* Butch (does not speak)
* Farmer McColl (does not speak)
* Rosie (cameo)
* Ryan (cameo)
* The White Tank Engine (cameo)
* The Maroon Tank Engine (cameo)
* The Grey Tender Engine (cameo)
* The Brown Tender Engine (cameo)
* 'Arry and Bert (cameo)
* A Diesel Shunter (cameo)
* Sir Handel (cameo)
* Duncan (cameo)
* Luke (cameo)
* Judy and Jerome (cameo)
* The Indian Breakdown Cranes (one only; cameo)
* Merrick (cameo)
* Farmer Finney (cameo)
* Willie (cameo)
* The Bird Watcher (cameo)
* The Dock Manager (cameo)
* Sodor United Football Team (cameo)
* The Bakers (cameo)
* The Blond-haired Boy (cameo)
* One of Dowager Hatt's Friends (cameo)
* The Welsh Bird Watcher (cameo)
* The Lady with the Big Hat (cameo)
* The Blue Mountain Quarry Manager (cameo)
* The Female Puppet Show Entertainer (cameo)
* The Great Railway Show Flagman (cameo)
* 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 cameo)
* Stephen (mentioned)
* Tamika (mentioned)
* King Godred (mentioned)
* Byron (indirectly mentioned)

### Characters Introduced

* Gabriela
* Lorenzo
* Gustavo
* Beppe
* Brenda
* Darcy
* Ester
* Stefano
* The Crown Thieves
* The Grumpy Indian Stationmaster
* The Friendly Indian Stationmaster
* The Indian Fashion Designer
* Mia
* Sodor Rangers

## Cast

### UK

* John Hasler as Thomas
* Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, Glynn, Salty, Den, Norman, Skarloey, Bertie, Harold, Captain, Sir Topham Hatt and the Grumpy Passenger
* Rob Rackstraw as James, Toby, Flynn, Owen, Big Mickey, a Crown Thief, the Troublesome Trucks and Monty (Free the Roads only)
* Nigel Pilkington as Percy
* Steven Kynman as Duck, Porter, Dart, Paxton, Peter Sam and Jack
* Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Belle, Annie, Clarabel and Brenda
* Matt Wilkinson as Stanley, Winston Kevin and Cranky
* Jules de Jongh as Caitlin
* Tina Desai as Ashima and the Fashion Designer
* Nikhil Parmaras Rajiv
* 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, the Troublesome Trucks and Max (Free the Roads only)
* Rasmus Hardiker as Philip and Monty (excluding Free the Roads)
* Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar
* Sheena Bhattessa as Noor Jehan and Charubala
* David Bedella as Victor
* Miranda Raison as Millie
* Siu-see Hung as An An
* Windson Liong as Yin-Long
* Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
* Tim Bain as Aiden
* Tim Whitnall as Oliver the Excavator and Max (excluding Free the Roads)
* Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
* Federico Trujillo as Raul
* Tom Stourton as Terence and Alfie
* Colin McFarlane as Bulgy
* Monica Lopera as Gabriela
* Gabriel Porras as Emerson and Fernando
* Francisco Labbe as Gustavo
* Laura Cucurullo as Cassia
* Christopher Ragland as the Troublesome Trucks
* Anna Francolini as Gina, some children, and some passenger
* Vincenzo Nicoli as a worker
* Antonio Magro as Stefano
* Montserrat Lombard as Mia and some passengers

### US

* Joseph May as Thomas
* William Hope as Edward and Toby
* Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, Diesel, Harold, Max, Kevin and the Troublesome Trucks
* Rob Rackstraw as James, Stanley, Flynn, Monty, Owen, Big Mickey, a Crown Thief and the Troublesome Trucks
* Christopher Ragland as Percy and the Troublesome Trucks
* Steven Kynman as Duck, Dart, Paxton and Peter Sam
* Jules de Jongh as Emily and Caitlin
* Teresa Gallagher as Belle, Annie, Clarabel and Brenda
* David Menkin as Porter and Jack
* Keith Wickham as Glynn, Salty, Den, Norman, Skarloey, Bertie, Captain and Sir Topham Hatt
* Tina Desai as Ashima and the Fashion Designer
* Nikhil Parmar as Rajiv
* Shane Jacobson as Shane
* Dan Li as Yong Bao
* Yvonne Grundy as Nia
* Chipo Chung as Hong-Mei
* Rachael Miller as Rebecca
* Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
* Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shankar
* Sheena Bhattessa as Noor Jehan and Charubala
* David Bedella as Victor
* Miranda Raison as Millie
* Siu-see Hung as An An
* Windson Liong as Yin-Long
* Genevieve McCarthy as Aubrey
* Tim Bain as Aiden
* Tom Stourton as Terence and Alfie
* Colin McFarlane as Bulgy
* Tim Whitnall as Oliver the Excavator
* Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
* Federico Trujillo as Raul
* Monica Lopera as Gabriela
* Gabriel Porras as Emerson and Fernando
* Francisco Labbe as Gustavo
* Laura Cucurullo as Cassia
* Anna Francolini as Gina, some children and some passengers
* Vincenzo Nicoli as a worker
* Antonio Magro as Stefano
* Montserrat Lombard as Mia and some passengers

### Brazil

* Daniel Figueira as Thomas
* Celso Alves as Edward
* Henrique Reis as Henry
* João Carlos Guerra as Gordon
* Luiz Carlos de Morais as Sir Topham Hatt
* Bruno Marçal as Percy
* Lucas Gama as James
* Fadulli Costa as Toby
* Kate Kelly as Emily
* Mariana Zink as Annie
* Claudia Victoria as Clarabel
* Lia Mello as Nia
* Luiza Porto as Rebecca
* Anibal Munhoz as Diesel
* Sérgio Rufino as Sir Robert Norramby
* Patt Souza as Ashima
* Andre Sauer as Rajiv
* Layra Campos as Henrietta
* Bruno Mello as the Troublesome Trucks
* Caio Guarnieri as the Troublesome Trucks

### Denmark

* Caspar Philipson as Thomas, Henry and the Troublesome Trucks
* Tillie Bech as Millie
* Torbjørn Hummel as Sir Robert Norramby
* Troells Toya as James, Percy and Sir Topham Hatt

### The Netherlands

* Jürgen Theuns as Thomas and Toby
* Reinder van der Naalt as Edward, Henry, Bertie, Percy and Diesel
* Leo Richardson as Gordon
* Maarten Wansink as Sir Topham Hatt
* Jeremy Luton as James
* Marjolein Algera as Emily, Annie and Clarabel
* Stan Limburg as Sir Robert Norramby

### Finland

* Juha Varis as Thomas
* Petteri Hynönen as Edward
* Jarmo Koski as Henry
* Pasi Ruohonen as Gordon
* Aku Laitinen as Sir Topham Hatt
* Taisto Oksanen as Percy
* Petri Hanttu as James, Toby, Diesel, Bertie and Sir Robert Norramby
* Susa Saukko as Emily, Rosie, Millie, Annie and Clarabel
* Juha Paananen as the Troublesome Trucks
* Antti L. J. Pääkkönen as Ace

### France

* Fabrice Trojani as Thomas, Edward, Henry, James and Diesel
* Bernard Demory as Gordon, Toby, the Troublesome Trucks and Sir Topham Hatt
* Laurence Sacquet as Henrietta
* Tony Marot as Percy
* Blanche Ravalec as Emily, Rosie, Millie, Annie and Clarabel
* Thibault Lacour as Glynn

### Germany

* Christian Stark as Thomas
* Christos Topulos as Edward
* Michael Bideller as Henry
* Tetje Mierendorf as Gordon
* Helgo Liebig as Bertie
* Eberhard Haar as Sir Topham Hatt
* Robin Brosch as Percy
* Tobias Schmidt as James
* Volker Hanisch as Toby
* Kristina von Weltzien as Emily
* Julia Holmes as Annie
* Marion von Stengel as Clarabel
* Franziska Trunte as Nia
* Manuela Bäcker as Rebecca
* Martin May as Diesel
* Natascha Pavia as Rosie
* Bernd Stephan as Sir Robert Norramby
* Sonja Stein as Millie
* Franziska Lessing as Ashima
* Joachim Kretzer as Raul
* Mark Bremer as Rajiv
* Jörn Linnenbröker as Yong Bao
* Holger Umbreit as Shane
* Marion Gretchen Schmitz as Henrietta
* Muriel Bielenberg as Aubrey
* Flemming Stein as Aiden
* Johannes Semm as the Troublesome Trucks
* Marcus Just as the Troublesome Trucks

### Israel

* Talya Barkay as Rosie, Millie, Clarabel and Henrietta
* Mia Kadosh as Emily and Annie
* Noa Kashpitzki as Nia
* Orly Tagar as Rebecca
* Gadi Levy as James and Toby
* Nir Ron as Gordon and Sir Topham Hatt
* Dan Schatzberg as Edward and Yong Bao
* Yehonatan Magon as Percy
* Doriel Zohar as Thomas

### Japan

* Kumiko Higa as Thomas
* Nozomu Sasaki as Edward
* Jun'ichi Kanemaru as Henry
* Kenta Miyake as Gordon
* Tōru Akiyoshi as Glynn and Aiden
* Mitsuhiro Sakamaki as Bertie
* Kan Tanaka as Sir Topham Hatt
* Chie Kōjiro as Percy
* Masashi Ebara as James
* Tomohiro Tsuboi as Toby
* Erina Yamazaki as Emily
* Sakura Yoshioka as Annie and Clarabel
* Yoshino Aoyama as Nia
* Maki Uchiyama as Rebecca and Aubrey
* Ken Sanders as Diesel
* Hisayo Mochizuki as Rosie
* Hayato Fujii as Max and Monty
* Kiyonobu Suzuki as Sir Robert Norramby
* Minako Saito as Millie
* Misa Ishii as Ashima
* Hiroaki Tajiri as Raul
* Yuta Odagaki as Rajiv
* Hiroo Sasaki as Yong Bao
* Ryōsuke Morita as Shane
* Keiko Nemoto as Henrietta
* Hinata Tadokoro as Bulgy

### Norway

* Martin Lange as Thomas
* Paul Ottar Haga as James
* Ingve Connolly Gran as Percy
* Fredrik Steen as Sir Topham Hatt

### Poland

* Janusz Zadura as Thomas
* Wojciech Chorąży as Edward
* Cezary Kwieciński as Henry
* Sławomir Pacek as Gordon
* Maciej Kosmala as Glynn
* Elżbieta Kijowska as Bertie
* Mikołaj Klimek as Sir Topham Hatt
* Jarosław Domin as the Grumpy Passenger
* Grzegorz Drojewski as Percy
* Waldemar Barwiński as James
* Mieczysław Morański as Toby
* Joanna Pach as Emily
* Agnieszka Kunikowska as Annie
* Lidia Sadowa as Clarabel
* Beata Wyrąbkiewicz as Rebecca
* Janusz Wituch as Diesel
* Aleksandra Radwan as Rosie
* Krzysztof Szczepaniak as Max
* Miłogost Reczek as Sir Robert Norramby
* Beata Jankowska-Tzimas as Millie
* Julia Kołakowska-Bytner as Ashima
* Tomasz Borkowski as Rajiv
* Grzegorz Kwiecień as Yong Bao
* Jacek Król as Shane
* Marta Dylewska as Henrietta and Aubrey
* Artur Pontek as Aiden
* Maciej Kosmala as Bulgy

### Russia

* Denis Bespaliy as Gordon and Toby
* Prokhor Chekhovskoy as Thomas
* Olga Kuznetsova as Percy, Emily and Annie
* Anton Savenkov as Edward

### Latin America

* Héctor Ireta de Alba as Thomas and Percy
* Daniel Abundis as Edward and Toby
* Arturo Mercado Jr. as Henry
* Dafnis Fernández as Gordon
* Mario Castañeda as James
* Stephanie Gándara as Nia
* Vanessa Olea as Rebecca
* Guillermo Rojas as Glynn
* Edson Matus as Bertie
* Blas García as Sir Topham Hatt
* Roberto Mendiola as the Grumpy Passenger
* Diana Pérez as Emily
* Ana Teresa Ávila as Annie
* Ruth Toscano as Clarabel
* Jorge Ornelas as Diesel
* Mildred Barrera as Rosie
* Raúl Anaya as Sir Robert Norramby
* Annie Rojas as Millie and Ashima
* Salvador Reyes as Raul
* Diego Becerril as Rajiv
* Manuel David as Yong Bao
* Isabel Romo as Henrietta
* Ricardo Bautista as Ace

### Sweden

* Adam Fietzas Percy
* Nick Atkinsonas Thomas
* Roger Stormas James

## Trivia

* This series marks the first of many things:
	+ The first series to have episodes written by Camille Ucan and Rose Johnson.
	+ The first series to have the voice cast in the episode credits listed with the character(s) they voiced.
	+ Gina, Raul, Emerson, Cassia and Fernando’s first appearances in an episode and their first appearances since The Great Race and Big World! Big Adventures! respectively.
	+ This is the first time that Thomas, Gordon, James, Percy and Emily are seen in their new CGI models. They all gain additional rivets and handrails, while Gordon gains a second permanent lamp and Thomas gains a step on the front of his tanks. Emily also gains an additional handrail above her smokebox.
	+ Jenny Packard’s first appearance since the The Great Discovery, and her first appearance in full CGI.
	+ The first season to have two head writers for an episode since the nineteenth series.
	+ Norman’s first speaking role since The Great Race, and the first series since the seventeenth series in which he speaks in more than one episode.
	+ Peter Sam's first speaking role since the twentieth series episode, Saving Time.
	+ Rex, Bert, Mike and Harold's first appearances and speaking roles since the twenty-first series episode, Daisy's Perfect Christmas.
	+ Mike's first speaking role since the twentieth series episode, Useful Railway.
	+ Oliver the Excavator and Alfie's first speaking roles since the twentieth series episode, Mucking About. This is also the first series in which Alfie is voiced by Tom Stourton, who takes over the role from Nathan Clarke.
	+ Terence’s first appearance and speaking role since the twenty-first series episode, Terence Breaks the Ice.
	+ Owen’s first speaking role since the eighteenth series episode, Long Lost Friend. This is also the first series in which he is voiced by Rob Rackstraw, who takes over the role from Ben Small.
	+ Fergus Duncan and Willie's first appearances since the twentieth series episode, Useful Railway.
	+ The first series to not have James as a lead character in any episode.
	+ The first series to date since his introduction in the first series in which Edward appears, but does not speak.
	+ The first series to date since her introduction in the twenty-first series in which Carly appears, but does not speak.
	+ The first series to date in which Henry speaks in only one episode.
	+ The first series since the thirteenth to not have any Christmas-themed episodes.
* This series is Andrew Brenner's final series as head writer to date. This is also his second series in which he hasn’t written any episodes since becoming head writer, the first being Series 21. Michael Rosenwill take over as head-writer starting in the twenty-fourth series onwards.
* Ferderico Trujillo, Francisco Labbe, Monica Lopera, Laura Cucurullo, Anna Francolini, Vincenzo Nicoli, Antonio Magro, Flaminia Cinque, Harriet Kershaw and Monsterrat Lombard join the voice cast.
* Colin McFarlane, Miranda Raison, Mike Grady and Gabriel Porras return to the voice cast.
* Ian McCue is reinstated as producer, after having served as Creative Executive since Series 21. He is re-appointed as producer to replace Micaela Winter, who left the series in 2018 to take up a position with Blue Zoo Animation.
* James and Nia are the only members of the current Steam Team to not get a starring role in this series.
* Starting in this series, Rachael Miller is credited by her full name, **Rachael Louise Miller**.