Sir Topham Hatt

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> My engines are much more important to me than any treasure. And you, Thomas, are my Number One.
>
> Sir Topham Hatt praising Thomas, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure

**Sir Bertram Topham Hatt**, or simply "**The Fat Controller**" in the UK, is the controller of the North Western Railway and formerly the Skarloey Railway.

## Biography

### *Thomas & Friends*

 File:TobyandtheStoutGentleman30.png
According to the Sodor Daily News newspaper (dated March 23, 1953) in *The Great Discovery*, it claims that he is 63 years old. This would mean he would of been born in 1890, and was most likely a reference to when his counterpart in *The Railway Series* was born in 1880, but incorrectly off by ten years. However, due to several continuity changes, this is most likely not the case. However, this could imply that his birthday is sometime between January and March.

In his youth, he was a boy scout and at one point had chicken pox. His grandfather would call him Little Topham Hatt. When he was a young man, every year, on his birthday he would ride around in his special carriage pulled by Edward.

According to the 1990's Official Website, and the Question Time with Sir Topham Hatt audio cassette, Sir Topham Hatt left school at 14 years old, and joined Swindon Engineering Works as an apprentice. 2 years later, after learning all there is to know about steam engines, he came back to the Island of Sodor, and worked as a railway engineer for one of the railway companies at the time. In time, his good work was noticed, and he eventually rose quickly in the company, being a director at an early age of a newly formed company called the "North Western Railway". His imposing appearance, no less than his firm but kindly handling of both engines and staff, earned him the affectionate nickname of "The Fat Director". Then, after nationalisation when he was awarded a knighthood for his services to the railway industry, he became Sir Topham Hatt - **The Fat Controller**.

Prior to him becoming Controller of the North Western Railway, Sir Topham Hatt owned a Sentinel steam lorry named Elizabeth, who notes that he was not the best driver. He also built the Coffee Pots some time prior to Thomas arriving on Sodor.

Sir Topham Hatt married Lady Hatt and is the grandfather of Stephen and Bridget Hatt. His mother is Dowager Hatt, and he also has a twin brother named Sir Lowham Hatt. According to the Official Website, "we have yet to meet his children". Furthermore the 2015 Trading Cards states Sir Topham Hatt "is not the first to run the the railway. He follows his father and grandfather".

As well as owning the railway, he owns a cat and a blue car and lives in a mansion somewhere on the outskirts of Wellsworth.

When Henry refused to come out of the tunnel, Sir Topham bricked him up and left him there. However when Gordon safety valve burst, Henry was aloud out of the tunnel again. When the big engines went on strike, he decided to bring a little saddle tank to the railway, he named him Percy. He would also go on holiday with his family where he came across an old steam tram named Toby who's line was closing down. Sir Topham arranged to bring him to the North Western Railway.

With the new harbour opening up, Percy was overworked and so he deiced to bring a great western engine named Duck to the railway. However when Percy falls into the sea, he decided to trial a diesel shunter named Diesel, however he would be sent away. With all the extra work, he decided to buy an engine from Scotland but was very surprised when two engines, named Donald and Douglas, showed up. When Thomas crashed into the stationmasters house, he brought on a diesel railcar named Daisy to fill in for Thomas, she would later stay on the railway. When Percy entered the station unannounced, he crashed into a trolley and ruined Sir Topham's trousers. When Douglas saved Oliver from scrap, Sir Topham Hatt had him and his brake van restored.

He became in charge of the Skarloey Railway, where he sent Rheneas off for repairs and shut Sir Handel up in the sheds. He also organised the search for Duke, the lost engine. Her majesty, the queen would visit Sodor where Sir Topham greeted her at Knapford station. Sir Topham tried tirelessly to get to Lady Hatt's birthday party, having to ride in Caroline, George and become Thomas' fireman just to meet her. He also tried to reopen Bolder Quarry but later regrets it.

He sent Salty to the Centre Island Quarry, but later sends him to the docks. He also brought a crane engine named Harvey to the railway. When Thomas breaks down, Thomas' crew discover Elizabeth the vintage lorry. Sir Topham and Elizabeth reunite and she is soon restored by Jem Cole. He brought lots of new engines to the railway such as Emily, Arthur and Murdoch. When Harold rotors won't start, he and Lady Hatt take a red balloon to the grand opening on the Skarloey Railway, however they would soon get stuck in a tree. Sometime after this, Sir Topham would step down as the controller of the Skarloey Railway and would be succeeded by Peregrine Percival.

In the eighth series, Sir Topham gave Emily a new route up to Castle Loch. In the ninth series, He brought Neville and Molly to the railway and gave Thomas and James new trucks. Sir Topham would later become sick and Percy was asked to temporally become the controller of the railway. When Thomas rediscovered the town of Great Waterton, Sir Topham brought a new engine called Stanley over from The Mainland to help with the restoration. He later gave a speech at the town's reopening on Sodor Day.

When Thomas discovers Hiro, he tries to keep him a secret from Sir Topham Hatt in fear that he'll be scrapped but Sir Topham infact doesn't want to scrap him and instead has Hiro restored at the Sodor Steamworks. Sir Lowham Hatt visits the railway much to Thomas' confusion. Sir Topham also crashed his car into mud, a bail of hay and a lake. When Allicia Botti comes to the Island, Thomas accidentally splashes her and Sir Topham in muddy rain water. When the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre is being built, Thomas is sent off to the mainalnd as a reward for saving Diesel. But when Thomas gets lost at sea, Sir Topham tries desperately to find him. When he sees Thomas' smoke signals on Misty Island, he orders James, Edward and Gordon to travel over to the Island where they reunite with Thomas. When the diesel's take over the Sodor Steamworks, Sir Topham reprimands Diesel 10 and orders the engines to work together. When Thomas takes Bertie on a tour around Sodor, Sir Topham Hatt and Dowager Hatt join them for the tour. When Flynn mistakes Gordon for being on fire, he soaks Sir Topham Hatt in water. Sir Topham obtains a new track inspection vehicle named Winston and ask Thomas to work at the Blue Mountain Quarry while Paxton is repaired. He later looses his hat during winter and asks Emily to find it for him. Thomas rediscovers Sir Topham Hatt's open top carriage he use to ride around in on his birthdays years ago.

When Ulfstead Castle is being reconstructed, Sir Topham asks Thomas, Percy and James to help out the Earl of Sodor. When the docks get busy, he sends Kevin to help out at the docks. When Sir Topham forgets to put Winston's break on, he has to chase after him across the Island. When Bill and Ben play a trick on Connor, Sir Topham has Bill repainted blue. When Diesel joins the back of Hiro's train, Hiro shunts the trucks very hard and causes milk churns to fly out and ruin Sir Topham's trousers. During the summer, Sir Topham loans the Slip Coaches from the mainland to help out. A Deputy Minister comes to give Sir Topham a reward for "Services for transport" but ends up in the Clay Pits by mistake. Two inspectors come to the railway but things don't go so well for Sir Topham Hatt. Bridget and Stephen Hatt visit Sir Topham when they have chicken pox. His office at Knapford is redecorated but Percy misinterprets this as him leaving Sodor. When Thomas causes a huge derailment at Knapford, Sir Topham sends him to work on the new branchline. When Marion discovers pirate treasure, Sir Topham keeps it in his safe in his office, however Sailor John blows up his office and escapes with it. When Skiff saves Duck and Oliver from a crash, Sir Topham decides to give him a reward. He also attended a puppet show inside of Daisy's window. Dowager Hatt gives Sir Topham a new white hat, but he doesn't like it. When Henry is mistakenly repainted in a luminous green paint, he scares Sir Topham. When Skiff thinks he spots a Mermaid, he and Sir Topham get lost at sea. Glynn the coffee pot is rediscovered and he and Sir Topham go up to the castle on Christmas Eve.

When a great railway show comes to the mainland, Sir Topham enters James, Emily, Henry, Percy and The Shooting Star into the great railway show. When he becomes very ill, Dowager Hatt temporally takes over as controller for the day. Sir Topham also decides to buy a new P.A system, however nobody has any idea which trains to get on. When Cranky starts creaking, he decides to go to the mainland and purchase a new crane named Carly. When Bertie breaks down, Sir Topham becomes suspicious of Thomas making unscheduled stops. When James crashes into the back of Tidmouth sheds, Edward goes to stay at Wellsworth with Philip, Sir Topham later allows him to stay their permanently. When Thomas takes James goods train to the mainland, Sir Topham becomes worried about Thomas when he doesn't return. When Thomas goes on a ship to Dakar, Senegal. Sir Topham Hatt goes on the S.S Roxstar and chases after him going to Tanzania, Brazil and America. When Thomas, Nia and Sir Topham are back on Sodor, a new tender engine named Rebecca comes to help Gordon out. He later gives Lady Hatt flowers and a cat on Valentines Day. When Salty and Porter have accidents at Brendam docks, Sir Topham has to arrange for the Steam Team to save the day. When a technology fair comes to Sodor, Sir Topham welcomes Sonny to the railway.

Thomas and Sir Topham later travel to London to meet the Queen. Along the way, Sir Topham gets covered in mud and his hat gets squashed but when Thomas' fireman is left back at the station, Sir Topham volunteers to be Thomas' fireman and helps bring Thomas all the way to London. In Victoria station, Queen Elizabeth II rewards Sir Topham for his services to the railway.

#### Other Media

##### Magazine Stories

In the Magazine Stories, Sir Topham Hatt appears faithful to his appearances on television. It is established that when he was younger, he used to go train-spotting everyday, after school. He used to be nicknamed **The Fat Director**, much like Sir Topham Hatt I in *The Railway Series*. He has a sister living in the town of Weymouth, Dorset, England. He sometimes visits her whilst on holiday, and while on holiday, he enjoys golfing. He is very fond of fresh green beans, especially when they are served alongside roast beef, potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. As well as being very fond of tinned sardines on toast, garnished with a sprig of fresh parsley. He enjoys eating Humbugs, a traditional hard boiled sweet. However, he has never eaten pizza before. One of his favourite films is "The Railway Children (1970)", and his favourite Thomas-related story is Thomas and Bertie. Oddly, in a question presented to him in Issue #197, Sir Topham Hatt keeps talking in the Third-Person.

## Personality

Sir Topham Hatt is strict but funny and fair. He can be strict, but with a good reason and he deeply cares about the engines and also shows a fatherly side to them. He is quite a strong character and will remind the engines that he is in charge if they start to rebel against his authority. He does not stand bullying and even though he is usually serious, he does enjoy a good jolly laugh.

Despite his kindness and fairness, however, there are times where Sir Topham Hatt berates the engines for situations beyond their control, although it is usually because he still feels like their carelessness or ignorance played a hand in it. Like any son, he does hold a slight bit of respect for his mother, Dowager Hatt. But like all parental relationships, there are some things he finds more personal than others.

At times, Sir Topham Hatt can be the comic relief character, having high levels of irony and occasional slapstick. He can also be overhasty and forgetful at times and misplace priorities. He also has a slight sweet tooth, having a particular taste for creme buns, ice cream and milkshakes.

That being said, he also shows a distinctly more fatherly side to his engines. When one of them goes missing, he is staunchly determined to find them, even if it means travelling entire countries to do so. He is also known to be very proud of his signature top hat, and often distresses about it should the hat come to harm. He does care about his engines much more though, as he threw it aside upon finding Thomas on Misty Island.

## Attire

Sir Topham Hatt is a short, chubby gentleman. He usually wears morning dress, consisting of grey trousers, a white shirt, a black tie, a cream, yellow, blue, purple or grey waistcoat, a black tailcoat and a black top hat. He is most often depicted as having thinned grey, black or brown hair and brown eyes, while in the television series, he is depicted as completely bald.

## Appearances

* Television Series
* Magazines
* Annuals
* Other Media

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## Trivia

* Unlike *The Railway Series*, Sir Topham Hatt is not three controllers but one mono entity of them all.
* Due to different societal norms, the Fat Controller is always referred to by his real name, "Sir Topham Hatt" in the US.
	+ In *Thomas and the Magic Railroad*, Diesel 10 calls him "Fat Hatt", a combination of his nickname and his surname.
* The Fat Controller's television series model from The Grand Opening appeared in the 2009 "Children in Need" charity single and was animated using stop-motion.
* Throughout the series, it has been shown that he's not a very good driver to both Elizabeth and Winston.
* The Fat Controller's office set was part of an exhibit at the Hangaram Art Museum in South Korea in 2010.
* Large scale and miniature models of Sir Topham Hatt are currently in the safe hands of the Top Props preservation group, after they were sold by The Prop Gallery. A large scale walking model of Sir Topham Hatt was also sold by The Prop Gallery and is now owned by Twitter user ThomasTankMerch.
* Sir Topham Hatt is often accompanied by two men in standard blue railway uniforms. They are presumed to be his assistants. In the sixteenth series episode, Percy and the Calliope, the narrator refers to them as "helpers".
* In the book, Thomas-saurus Rex, it states that Sir Topham Hatt used to be called "Little Topham Hatt" in his youth. His grandfather also appears in the book.
* Sir Topham Hatt's *Thomas & Friends* model had eyebrows inconsistently. Between the sixth and eleventh series, the model mainly did not have them at all, excluding the seventh series episode, The Grand Opening. It would not be until the CGI series that he would permanently have eyebrows.
* The alternative rock band Catherine Wheel released a song named after the Fat Controller called "*Here Comes The Fat Controller*" on their 1997 album, *Adam and Eve*.
* From the thirteenth to fifteenth series, Sir Topham Hatt was referred to as "**Bertram**" by Dowager Hatt. Thus, his first name is not revealed until 25 years after the show began.
* In most episodes and specials, Sir Topham Hatt is seen writing with his right hand. But in the nineteenth series episode, No Help At All, he is seen writing left-handed. This could likely be a mistake, but may also mean he is ambidextrous.
* A photo of the Fat Controller from the first series episode, Trouble in the Shed was shown on a web-exclusive video of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
* Sir Topham Hatt is the only named human character to appear and speak in every series of the television series.
* Between the thirteenth and fifteenth series, Hero of the Rails to Tale of the Brave, Sir Topham Hatt was the only character from the model series to still be voiced by the narrator in the CGI Series in the Finnish dub.
* In The Polish dub Sir Topham Hatt pointed out that his full name is "Tobiasz Szyneczka", and not "Bertram".
* On some subtitled Austrralian VHS releases, He is called "The Fat Boss".

## Quotes

> Hello, I'm The Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt. I'm the director of the railway. Nothing is more important to me and then my engines are being Really Useful and that means always being on time.
>
> Website audio

> Oh, it's you! Have you learned to drive properly yet?
>
> Elizabeth, Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry, sixth series

> Silence!/Quiet!
>
> Catchphrase

> Oh, bother that telephone!
>
> Catchphrase

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## References

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