Thomas and Friends

There was a time when Thomas the Tank Engine was fun. The model work perfectly complemented the simplicity of the narratives, the characters were endearing and Ringo Starr proved that he was a much better storyteller than he ever was a singer. Sadly the more we hear about the worst railway in the British Isles (one assumes that the Fat Controller has a sign in his office that perpetually reads '0 DAYS SINCE LAST ACCIDENT') the more the show seems determined to drive itself into the ground: old favourites are a shadow of their former selves (the transformation of Edward is unforgivable), the songs are completely unnecessary, the animation is bland and insipid and the Sodor railway is now crammed to bursting point with a myriad new engines, most of whom are entirely unmemorable. That sound you can hear isn't the clank of locomotive wheels or the squeal of brakes; it's Wilbert Awdry, turning in his grave. — James

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