The Fat Controller
| The Fat Controller | |
|---|---|
| Thomas and Friends character | |
| First appearance |
The Three Railway Engines (as The Fat Director) (The Railway Series) |
| Voiced by |
Keith Wickham (UK; 2009-present, Hero of the Rails onwards, US; 2015-present, The Adventure Begins onwards) Kerry Shale (US; 2009-2015, Hero of the Rails – Season 18) |
The Three Railway Engines (as The Fat Director) (The Railway Series)
James the Red Engine (as The Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt) (The Railway Series)
The Fat Controller (real name Sir Topham Hatt) is the head of the railway in The Railway Series of books written by the Rev. W. V. Awdry. In the first two books in the series (The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine) he is known as the Fat Director. In the third book (James the Red Engine) he becomes The Fat Controller, as the railway has been nationalised. His full name is revealed in the foreword to the book Henry the Green Engine.
Sir Topham Hatt also appears in many episodes of the television series Thomas & Friends, adapted from the books. In this he was usually portrayed in the form of a static figure, but from Series 12 onwards was portrayed using CGI.
The name or term "fat controller" has since been adopted in various contexts in the English language, beyond the sphere of the original stories.
The character is first seen in "The Sad Story of Henry" in the first book in the Railway Series, The Three Railway Engines. When Henry refused to leave a tunnel, the story says "a Fat Director who was on the train told the guard to get a rope". The character is referred to as the Fat Director/Controller for the remainder of the Railway Series, both in the narrative and by the other characters. The name Sir Topham Hatt is first mentioned in the Foreword to Henry the Green Engine and also appears on his luggage trunk in the same book in the story "Percy and the Trousers". The first use of the name Sir Topham Hatt in the narrative comes in the episode 'Come Out Henry!' when Ringo Starr introduces him to the audience.
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Wikipedia