Thomas on Televison
The Thomas and Friends television series is one of the longest running shows on TV today, at 11 seasons aired so far. A twelfth season is currently in production, and is scheduled to air in Fall 2008. The series, produced by Britt Allcroft, tells the stories of the engines on the Island of Sodor as they all strive to be really useful. Sound familiar? That's because the TV series is based on the Railway Series of books written by The Rev. Wilbert "W" Awdry! The show turns the classic stories into live action TV episodes. Every episode is narrated from start to finish by a wide variety of celebrites, including Ringo Starr, the late George Carlin, Alec Baldwin, Micheal Angelis, Micheal Brown, and, starting with season 12, James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan. The show used to be one of the most watched children shows on cable, at 8.5 million viewers per episode in its early seasons. The show's early seasons concentrated on the stories written by The Rev. W. Awdry, but as the seasons went on, more and more stories exclusive to the television series began to air, and soon, the show was completely original. Still, children and adults worldwide can't seem to get enough of the little blue tank engine, and it is still watched by many families worldwide.