159 Days: Countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom Premiere

 Perhaps one of the most commonly known aspects of the Thomas the Tank Engine series - all of the celebrities that have lent their voices to bringing the little blue engine and his friends to life.

Famously, Ringo Starr of The Beatles was the first narrator of the series. George Carlin took over next in the US. Alec Baldwin followed. Pierce Brosnan had a brief stint in 2008.

The mainstays over the years were Michael Brandon in the US and Michael Angelis in the UK - lesser known actors that were both well loved in their roles.

(At one point, actress Gwyneth Paltrow was in talks to narrate the show.)

Actor Mark Moraghan narrated in both territories for a few seasons, before the narrator was phased out in favor of the characters speaking for themselves.

Voice actors being cast for the individual characters opened up a world of possibilities for the guest appearances on the show, with John Hurt, Hugh Bonneville, Olivia Colman and Eddie Redmayne all joining the every growing list of Thomas voice actors.

You want to know something funny? I didn't realize that there was one narrator voicing all the characters until well into Baldwin's era on the show.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

If you're interested in attending the An Unlikely Fandom premiere, 

we have a few tickets left, click here. 

For more about An Unlikely Fandom visit: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram 

I'm blogging the countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom premiere, 

for the rest of these blogs - click here! 

I recently started a vlog about Thomas on my YouTube as well. 

Click here for that!

You can visit the Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki by clicking here.

Also be sure to check out the Sodor Island Fansite and Sodor Island Forums, 

if you're looking for more great Thomas the Tank Engine content and discussion.