This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the German VHS, the Turkish VCD/DVD or the magazine story. |
- “Oh, thank you, sir! Being called heroes, well, it's–it's–"
"It's a really nice surprise!” - ― Bill and Ben
Heroes is the twenty-fourth episode of the third series. It is based on the magazine stories In a Muddle and the story of the same name written by Andrew Brenner.
Plot
Bill and Ben are working at the quarry and are bored of doing the same thing. Ben asks Bill if he can hear something different, to which Bill replies that he cannot. Ben then states that it is because everything sounds and looks the same and that they need a surprise. Bill is puzzled but before Ben can say more, the Quarry-master comes with a message from the Fat Controller that they are to go to the harbour.
Bill and Ben hurry to the harbour worried that they did something wrong. When they arrive, the Fat Controller instructs them to shunt trucks at the station while Edward is taking the children on a trip. Next, Bill and Ben meet Gordon, who tells them to behave since they are on the main line. Ben jokingly says the sight of Gordon made them think that the harbour was the scrapyard. Gordon is furious and orders the twins to make sure that the express is ready by that night.
The twins start shunting, thinking they know all about trucks, when they really do not. The trucks claim that they want to help Bill and Ben in organising the yard; the twins accept the offer, unaware that the trucks are playing a trick on them. As a result, when evening falls, the yard has become a mess, causing the twins to be late in bringing Gordon's coaches to the station.
The next day, the twins are back in the quarry when they hear a rumble. Ben's driver realises that it is a rockslide. The alarm is raised and the quarry master alerts everyone to evacuate. Bill and Ben wait as the workmen board their trucks. As Bill leaves with his load, the quarry master having been left behind shouts for help. Ben waits until he is safely aboard his train, and the quarry yard is evacuated in time for the devastation to take its course. Seeing the wreckage shortly afterward, Bill and Ben hope that the Fat Controller will understand that it was not their fault. The next day, the Fat Controller arrives on board Edward and praises the twins as heroes for saving the workmen. Bill and Ben think that being called "heroes" is quite a nice surprise.
Characters
- Gordon
- Bill and Ben
- Troublesome Trucks
- Troublesome Vans
- Sir Topham Hatt
- The Quarry-Master
- Edward (does not speak)
- Jem Cole (cameo)
- Farmer Trotter (cameo)
Locations
- Sodor China Clay Company
- Brendam
- The Main Line (mentioned)
- The Scrapyard (mentioned)
Trivia
- In the original magazine story, In a Muddle, only the Fat Controller telling Bill and Ben what to do took place at Brendam. For some reason, the episode adaptation has the rest of that portion of the story still take place at Brendam, despite Gordon saying that they are on the main line.
- The fanfare heard in the climax of the episode is almost identical to the one heard in TUGS.
- The roof of the building is made of cardboard, as seen when it absorbs the water from the water tower.
- A fishing boat, the large brown building, a double berth garage, a scrap steam shovel, the three-berth garage, the steel rig, a small factory, some gears and the coal hopper from TUGS appear at both the harbour and the quarry.
- This episode marks:
- Bill and Ben's last episode with leading roles until the fifth series episode, Double Teething Troubles.
- The first time Gordon is seen pulling the red express coaches, excluding promotional images from Gordon and the Famous Visitor and Thomas, Percy and the Dragon.
- The last appearance of the Sodor China Clay Company, as well as Bill and Ben's last episode with a leading role until the fifth series episode, Double Teething Troubles.
- The last appearance of Brendam, not counting being mentioned on the timetable in Toby Had a Little Lamb and a mentioned appearance in Thomas and the Royal Engine.
- On CITV, a day before this episode aired, presenter Tommy Boyd mentioned that Thomas would be having trouble with the trucks, when the main characters were actually Bill and Ben.
- A reference to the second series episode Wrong Road is made.
Goofs
- In the second shot of Bill and Ben shunting trucks at the harbour, a truck with half a load of coal is visible. When the twins shunt this truck the load shifts, revealing it to be a solid prop made to look like coal.
- When the quarry master comes to tell the twins to go to the harbour, the coat on his small scale model is a different colour than the one on his large scale model.
- The restored Japanese version from The Engine Twins DVD reveals Thomas in the English end credits before swiping into the character gallery.
- One of the trucks has its face fitted on its back end. Additionally, its eyes are also scratched.
- The narrator says that Bill was the one who heard a strange noise, when it was actually Ben.
- When the one shed gets destroyed during the rock slide, the entire set bounces up, even the hillside behind it.
- When Gordon tells the twins to get his express coaches ready for his evening train, his buffers are crooked.
Quotes
- Gordon: [as the twins show up] You must behave here. You're on the Main Line now.
- Ben: Actually, Gordon, when we saw you, we thought this was the scrap yard.
- Gordon: [crossly] Just make sure that my coaches are ready for my evening train!
- [the twins are shunting]
- Trucks: No need for that! We'll show you around, we want to help.
- Bill & Ben: Thank you very much!
- [the twins hear a rumbling sound]
- Ben: That's a strange noise. I've never heard a noise like that before.
- Driver: I have. It sounds like a rock slide to me!
- [last lines, after the twins rescue all of the workmen from the rockslide]
- The Fat Controller: Bill and Ben, you still have a lot to learn about trucks, don't you? But you acted quickly and bravely in an emergency, so three cheers for Bill and Ben, our heroes! Hip hip hooray, hooray, hooray!
- Bill: Thank you, sir! Being called heroes, well it's...it's...!
- Ben: It's a really nice surprise!
Merchandise
- My Thomas Story Library - Bill and Ben (discontinued)
In Other Languages
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Home Media Releases
Episode
#01 A Scarf for Percy | #10 The Trouble with Mud | #19 One Good Turn |
#02 Percy's Promise | #11 No Joke for James | #20 Tender Engines |
#03 Time for Trouble | #12 Thomas, Percy and the Post Train | #21 Escape |
#04 Gordon and the Famous Visitor | #13 Trust Thomas | #22 Oliver Owns Up |
#05 Donald's Duck | #14 Mavis | #23 Bulgy |
#06 Thomas Gets Bumped | #15 Toby's Tightrope | #24 Heroes |
#07 Thomas, Percy and the Dragon | #16 Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party | #25 Percy, James and the Fruitful Day |
#08 Diesel Does It Again | #17 Buzz, Buzz | #26 Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure |
#09 Henry's Forest | #18 All at Sea | |