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This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the Dutch DVD, the Polish VCD/DVD, the Hungarian DVD, the book, the Chinese book, or the audiobook.
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“Sharing your work makes things much easier, but sharing the fun is the best fun of all!”
― Thomas after sharing his load with James and Percy

Thomas and the Circus is the sixteenth episode of the eighth series.

Plot

The circus is coming to the Island of Sodor and all the engines are excited and want to take the circus train. The Fat Controller gives Thomas the job to take the circus train and tells him to share the load with another engine if the train gets too heavy. When Thomas leaves, James and Percy are hoping to pull the circus with Thomas soon.

When Thomas arrives at the docks, he is amazed by all the circus trucks he can see. When Thomas backs up to Annie and Clarabel, Salty rolls up and asks Thomas if he wants him to help. Thomas knows the train is heavy and remembers what the Fat Controller said, but he decides to pull the train by himself so that he can keep all the glory. Thomas puffs along the countryside and is having so much fun as the people at the station cheer for him. Thomas stops by a bridge where Percy is waiting and some children wave to Thomas. Percy asks Thomas if he needs help, but Thomas says no, as he wants to have the fun to himself and puffs on, leaving a disappointed Percy.

But Thomas starts to get tired as he notices how heavy the train is. Thomas then sees James, who offers to help, but Thomas still wants to pull it on his own. Soon, Thomas is not having fun anymore pulling the train by himself and it gets worse when Thomas' side rods break from the strain of pulling the heavy train, forcing him to stop.

While the driver calls for help, the performers try to cheer Thomas up by practicing, but he does not cheer up a bit, as Thomas began thinking about how he should have shared the heavy train with Percy and James earlier. James and Percy arrive with hay for the horses and Thomas' new side rods. Thomas says to them that he wished he asked them to share the train with him. James and Percy agree to help Thomas so that they can have fun together and they both watch the performers while Thomas is fitted with his new siderods. James and Percy are coupled up, and they help Thomas with the train. While they watch the circus tent being put up, Thomas thanks his friends and admits that sharing the fun is the best fun of all.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • Going by production order, this is the fourteenth episode of the eighth series.
  • This was the first in the second batch of thirteen eighth series episodes to air on CITV in July 2006, as they were broadcast in production order after the first batch aired in January 2005.
  • According to a prop listing sold on the Prop Gallery, Elsbridge was originally intended to appear in this episode, but that scene was later cut. Had it not been so, this would have marked the station's first appearance since the fourth series, the station's only appearance in the eighth series and the last appearance of the station, although it was mentioned in the nineteenth series episode, Wild Water Rescue.
  • Stock footage from Percy's Big Mistake is used.
  • This marks the second time of a two things:
  • This episode marks Mrs. Last's and Jeremiah Jobling’s final appearances.
  • This marks Caroline's first appearance since the fifth series episode, Toby's Discovery.
  • A faceless Toad model is the brake van for Thomas' train.
  • A poster of Papa Lazarou can be seen on a container.
  • Throughout the entire episode, an instrumental rendition of Ain't We Got Fun by Robert Hartshorne is heard.

Goofs

  • At the beginning of the episode, Thomas passes through Wellsworth, but in the next shot he is going through Maron instead.
  • In the overhead shot of Thomas passing through Maron, the line ahead is leading to bushes.
  • Bridget and Stephen Hatt are seen as two of the children on the bridge waving to Thomas, but they were just seen at Maron station in the previous scene.
  • A wire is visible underneath Thomas when he is repaired and puffs away.
  • The sound of Thomas' traction rods breaking happens long before they do on screen.
  • Toad's faceless model is slightly off the rails when James is pushing him.

Merchandise

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Chinese Mandarin 托马斯和马戏团
Croatian Tomica i cirkus
Czech Tomáš a cirkus
Danish Cirkus
Dutch Thomas en het circus
Finnish Tuomas ja sirkus
German Geteilter Spaß ist doppelter Spaß
Greek Το τσίρκο
Hungarian Thomas és a cirkusz
Italian Thomas e il circo
Japanese トーマスとサーカス
Korean 토마스와 서커스단
Norwegian Thomas og sirkuset
Polish Tomek i cyrk
Portuguese Thomas e o circo
Romanian Thomas și circul
Russian Томас и цирк
Scottish Gaelic Tòmas agus an siorcas
Spanish Thomas y el circo
Swedish Thomas och cirkusen

Home Media Releases

UK

UK DVD Packs

AUS

  • Peep! Peep! Hurray! Three Cheers for Thomas (Direct-to-Home Video)
  • Series Eight
  • 3 Great Adventures
  • HiT Favourites: It's Party Time!

AUS DVD Packs

US/CAN

US/CAN DVD Boxsets

ZA

ZA DVD Boxset

MYS

IDN

SPN

SPN DVD Pack

ROM

ROM DVD Packs

NL

GER

NOR/DK/SWE/FIN

CZ

POL

HUN

HUN DVD Boxset

GRC

THA

JPN

KOR

TWN

HK


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