Thomas & Friends is a British children's television series developed by Britt Allcroft. Based on The Railway Series children's books by Wilbert and Christopher Awdry, it centers on Thomas the Tank Engine, as well as various anthropomorphic steam locomotives and other vehicles living on the fictional Island of Sodor.
Allcroft discovered The Railway Series in 1978 and quickly became interested in adapting it to television. It was initially filmed in live action on model sets from the mid 1980s to the late 2000s, before later using computer animation. Over 500 episodes were produced over the course of 24 series. It featured narration from multiple celebrities and actors, beginning with Ringo Starr.
Thomas & Friends premiered on ITV on 9 October 1984 and was broadcast on several other television networks until 20 January 2021. It received mixed critical reception and spawned a franchise of the same name. A film adaptation written and directed by Allcroft, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, was released in theatres in 2000, but underperformed at the box office. A second film is in development and will be directed by Marc Forster. Thomas & Friends was followed by two reboots; the first was Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, which premiered in 2021 and ended in 2025, and the second is scheduled for late 2026.
