Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas's on-screen appearances in the TV series were developed by Britt Allcroft. The first series of 26 stories premiered in October 1984 on the ITV Network in the UK, with former Beatles drummer/vocalist Ringo Starr as storyteller. The stories were featured as segments as part of Shining Time Station in the US beginning in 1989 with Starr as the show's Mr. Conductor character. From 1991 to 1993, George Carlin replaced Starr as both the storyteller and as Mr. Conductor for Shining Time Station. Carlin also told the Thomas stories for Shining Time Station in 1995.
Thomas &amp; Friends (franchise)
HIT also revealed that its theatrical division would be piloted by a ""Thomas"" film. Originally targeted for late-2010 release, in September 2009 this was revised to "Spring 2011". As of January 2011, the release date had been pushed back further to 2012 and the name of the production had still not been announced. The initial draft of the script was written by Josh Klausner (screenwriter for "Shrek Forever After"), who has also said that the film will be set around the times of World War II, Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi also helped write the script. On 8 June 2011, "Deadline" announced that 9 director Shane Acker will direct the live-action adaptation of "Thomas the Tank Engine", with Weta Digital designing the film's visual effects.