Thomas and the Tuba

"Hmm. Look and listen. If he's a tuba player, he might be playing the tuba."

- Harvey

Thomas and the Tuba is the first episode of the eighth series.

Plot
It is Lady Hatt's birthday, and a big party is being held. A brass band is going to be playing and the Fat Controller asks Thomas to collect them, much to the annoyance of James and Gordon. When Thomas arrives at Knapford with Annie and Clarabel, he is very excited. Unfortunately, he is so excited that he accidentally leaves the tuba player behind, and it is only when he arrives at Maithwaite that the band leader realises this. Embarrassed about what happened, Thomas goes to find him, unaware that the tuba player is already at the bus stop under the railway bridge. Bertie takes the tuba player as far as he can.

Thomas makes it back to Knapford, only to discover that the tuba player is not there anymore. So, he looks for him somewhere else. Bertie drops him off at another bus stop, and then Elizabeth gives him a lift. Thomas is in such a rush looking for the tuba player that when he flies through the crossing, he does not see Elizabeth with the tuba player, or hears the tuba player playing hi tuba. Elizabeth takes the tuba player to the windmill, where Trevor gives him a ride. Once again, Thomas is rushing about looking between trucks and coaches, and does not see or hear the tuba player aboard Trevor when he passes them.

Thomas is looking around Knapford Yards when he sees Percy shunting trucks of bunting. He applies his brakes, but it is too late. He crashes into Percy and sends bunting in the air. After Harvey arrives and Thomas tells him what happened, Harvey advises him to look and listen. So, taking Harvey's advice, Thomas searches more carefully until he hears the tuba player aboard Trevor and then takes him to Lady Hatt's birthday party.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Harvey
 * Bertie
 * Elizabeth
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Sodor Brass Band
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Trevor
 * Lady Hatt
 * George
 * Butch
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Jem Cole
 * Refreshment Lady
 * The Storyteller

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * Maithwaite
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Yards
 * Bulgy's Bridge
 * Road and Rail Runby and Road Bridge
 * Tower Windmill
 * Ffarquhar
 * The Mainland

Trivia

 * This episode marks the official start of the HiT Entertainment model era, an era of the show that lasted from the eighth series in 2004 up until the twelfth series 2008.
 * While the seventh series and Jack and the Sodor Construction Company were plastered with many elements from this era for many releases (particularly in North American countries), such as this era's music style, it was not until this episode that the episodes were originally made with these elements.
 * Going by production order, this is the twentieth episode of the eighth series.
 * This was the first episode of several things:
 * The first episode since the fifth series episode, Cranky Bugs, where Percy speaks in the series premiere.
 * The first episode directed by Steve Asquith since the sixth series and Jack and the Sodor Construction Company (in production order).
 * The first episode produced by Simon Spencer.
 * The first episode to have Sam Barlow as a script executive.
 * The first episode to have Paul Larson and Abi Grant as script editors.
 * The first episode to only have music composed by Robert Hartshorne in the UK, as the seventh series episodes were scored by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell before being re-scored by him.
 * The first episode of the main show not to have Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, Robert Gauld-Galliers, Mike O'Donnell, Junior Campbell, Phil Fehrle, Peter Urie, Jan Page, Mike Erander, The Maidstone Studios and Gullane Entertainment involved in production after they stopped working on the main series.
 * The first episode filmed with BetaCam video, either in 50FPS or 60FPS.
 * The first episode narrated by Sky du Mont in Germany, Daniel Vulcu in Romania, Ian MacAmhlaigh in Scotland, Salomé Larrucea in Spain, Tomislav Stojković in Croatia, Ron Druyan in Israel, Claes Ljungmark in Sweden, Kim Seung-jun in South Korea, Muhammad Nur in Indonesia, Dário de Castro in Brazil since Thomas' Christmas Party and Kalle Øby in Norway. This is also the first episode narrated by Povl Dissing in Denmark since the fourth series as well as the first episode dubbed since the seventh series in Croatian.
 * The first episode since Snow to be dubbed in German, not counting Jack and the Sodor Construction Company.
 * The first episode dubbed in European Spanish, Indonesian and Thai.
 * The first episode in which the time length is increased to about seven minutes.
 * The first episode with the new intro sequence and Welcome to the Island of Sodor opening.
 * The first episode to have the Engine Roll Call at the end of the episode before the credits.
 * The first episode written by Dave Ingham.
 * The first appearance of Thomas' upset face since the fourth series episode, Paint Pots and Queens and would frequently be used throughout the entire HiT Entertainment model era.
 * The first appearance of Thomas' astonished face.
 * The first appearance of Ffarquhar since the fifth series episode, Make Someone Happy, it's last appearance until The Adventure Begins, it's last appearance in an episode until nineteenth series episode, Thomas the Babysitter, and thus, it's last appearance in the model era, not counting deleted footage from Calling All Engines!
 * In the All Aboard with the Steam Team DVD release, Bertie's eye movements are animated differently, the background of the photograph of the Brass Band is different and the band member close to Thomas at Maithwaite has different hair colour as in later versions it was edited to brown.
 * This episode has similarities to Lady Hatt's Birthday Party and Thomas, Percy and the Squeak.
 * Trevor's large scale model made for Jack and the Sodor Construction Company is used in a close up shot.
 * The tuba player's instrument is a euphonium. In addition, there is no actual tuba music in the mix; to be specific when the tuba player is heard playing, the sound is that of a bass trombone.
 * The sign at the level crossing is the same one from the sixth series episode, Gordon Takes a Tumble.
 * This is the second episode in which Thomas leaves somebody behind, with the first being Thomas and the Guard. It is also the third episode where Thomas leaves passengers behind, the first being Thomas' Train.
 * In the US, the seventh series episode, Peace and Quiet aired between this and Percy's New Whistle due to that season being paired with this series in that country.

Goofs

 * The narrator says that the Fat Controller arrived at Tidmouth Sheds, but Thomas, Gordon and James are at the Works.
 * The narrator calls Elizabeth's container a wagon, then later a flatbed.
 * The narrator says that Thomas and the trucks of bunting were derailed, but Thomas is still on the track.
 * Elizabeth does not make the sounds of a steam-powered vehicle, instead sounding like a conventional petrol-driven engine.
 * In some close-ups of Elizabeth, her eye mechanism is visible in her cab.
 * Trevor's eyes are misaligned when Thomas leaves for Maithwaite.
 * Thomas travels through the same factory complex twice; once when he looks inside the Express Coaches, and once when he passes George.
 * In the US dub, the narrator mispronounces the word tuba as "tuber" when the Tuba player is on Elizabeth's container.

Merchandise

 * Books - God! Passenger Lost

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * All Aboard with the Steam Team
 * The Complete Series 8
 * Funtastic Children's Collection

DVD Boxsets

 * 5 Adventurous DVDs
 * Classic Collection
 * Triple Pack
 * The Ultimate Collection
 * Children's Favourites Triple Pack
 * Children's Favourites Exclusive Bumper Double Pack

AUS

 * All Aboard with the Steam Team
 * The Complete Series 8

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Complete Series 1-10
 * The Essential Collection
 * The Great Adventures of Thomas and Friends
 * 3 DVDs
 * Series Seven and Series Eight Double Pack

US/CAN

 * Songs from the Station
 * Great Destinations!

DVD Boxsets

 * 4-Disc DVD Box Set
 * 60th Anniversary DVD
 * Train Loads of Stories

ZA

 * Full Steam Ahead
 * 5 DVD Boxset

DVD Boxsets

 * 4 Disc Collection

NL

 * A New Look for James

NOR/SWE/DK

 * Ready to Go!

FIN

 * All Aboard!

GER

 * Powerful Locomotives Traveling

MYS

 * Don't Tell Thomas and Other Adventures
 * Emily's New Route and Other Adventures

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 38

POL

 * Thomas Comes to the Rescue

HUN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4 - Gordon, the Role Model

DVD Boxsets

 * Thomas the Tank Engine & Gift Keys extension box

CZ

 * New Stories

ROM

 * Steam Locomotives
 * Thomas and Friends - Vol. 4

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 2
 * Six DVD Set

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 8 Vol.4

SPN

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 1

DVD Boxsets

 * First Season

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 22
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 19

TWN

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 10

KOR
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 * Thomas the Little Engine and Friends Season 3 Vol. 3

Videos
Thomas y la Tuba תומס והטובה Tomek i Tuba Томас и трубач