Thomas and the Storyteller

"But it's a wonderful idea for a story! I shall write all about your day, Thomas, and how you helped your friends."

- The Storyteller

Thomas and the Storyteller is the first episode of the eleventh series.

Plot
A famous storyteller is coming to Sodor to open a new library. Thomas is chosen to show her around the island to give her inspiration for a story she will read at the opening. Thomas collects her from Brendam and decides to take her to Pirate's Cove but stops when he sees James with a broken siderod. Thomas has to pull James and his passengers to Maithwaite.

Thomas decides to take the storyteller to the ruined castle instead, but meets Emily, who had a broken whistle while taking some flour to the bakery and it is not safe to work without one. Thomas pulls Emily to the bakery and tells the storyteller that he will take her to Misty Valley so she can make a story about magic. But then, he sees Percy stranded in an overflowing river and Thomas pushes him out. It is already time for the opening and Thomas only manages to get there with seconds to spare. Thomas told Sir Topham Hatt about what had happened about not showing any sites and about helping James, Emily, and Percy. However, the storyteller's adventures with Thomas that day gives her inspiration for her story. The red ribbon was cut, and the storyteller began her story of Thomas helping his friends.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * James
 * Percy
 * Emily
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Storyteller
 * Sodor Brass Band
 * The Mayor of Sodor
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Toby
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Blond-haired Assistant
 * The Dockyard Manager
 * Big Mickey

Locations

 * Abbey
 * The Library
 * Dryaw School
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Works
 * Tower Windmill
 * The Church Runby
 * Brendam Docks
 * Pirate's Cove
 * Maithwaite
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Ruined Castle Yard
 * Sodor Bakery
 * Misty Valley

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the ninth episode of the eleventh series.
 * This is the second episode where Emily speaks in the series premiere since her debut in the debut.
 * This episode marks the first of several things for this series:
 * Christopher Skala's first episode as executive producer.
 * The first to use the Engine Roll Call as the opening song.
 * The first episode:
 * Filmed in 1080p high definition.
 * Aired by Kids 1 in South Korea.
 * Narrated by Yu Dong-kyun in South Korea.
 * Directed by Shim Sang-bo and Choi Ok-joo in South Korea.
 * Produced, recorded and mixed in Korean by STORM Studios in South Korea.
 * Translated by Seo Seung-hee in South Korea.
 * To be video edited by Shin Seon in South Korea.
 * In some close-up shots of Thomas, the storyteller's close-up scale figure was digitally added into his cab.
 * A fade-effect was used when Thomas switched tracks to help James.
 * At one point, the storyteller is seen holding a miniature page of one of the episode's scripts.
 * The scene where Percy was stranded in the river after his fire in his firebox was being washed out is similar to the third series episode, Percy's Promise, except Percy is not pulling Annie and Clarabel with him this time.
 * Thomas' original plastic model is used in the scenes at Abbey.
 * The release of this episode and the next episode in the UK coincided with the publication of Thomas and Victoria, the forty-first Railway Series book.
 * James' broken coupling rod is similar to what happened to Edward in his Exploit, and Thomas in both Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry and Thomas and the Circus.

Goofs

 * Thomas pushes Percy out of the water, but he later states that he pulled Percy out. Also, the roof of Thomas' cab wobbles when he pushes Percy.
 * In a close-up of Thomas, his lamp irons are crooked.
 * When Thomas leaves the docks, his puffing sound plays before he starts moving.
 * James' eyes are misaligned, and his tender is tilted a bit.

Home Media Releases
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UK/AUS

 * The Complete Series 11

UK DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection

AUS DVD Boxsets

 * The Essential Collection

US

 * Fun on the Rails Playpack

NL

 * Spencer Super Train

SWE

 * Hide and Seek

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 11 Vol.2
 * Do Your Best Thomas Masterpiece Collection

KOR

 * Thomas the Little Engine and Friends Season 6 Vol. 2

ZA

 * Thomas and the Lighthouse

GER

 * Thomas and the Lighthouse

SPN

 * Thomas and the Lighthouse

MYS

 * Thomas and the Storyteller and Other Adventures

THA

 * Thomas and the Storyteller

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 37
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 23

TWN
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 23

Thomas y la Cuentacuentos תומס ומספרת הסיפורים Tomek i Gawędziarka Томас и писательница