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.
Mark Thomas
Prior to his most renowned vehicle, "The Mark Thomas Comedy Product", Thomas was a frequent guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 show "The Mary Whitehouse Experience", where he would do a routine about a specific topic of the week and involve studio audience members in the discussions. He would also occasionally play parts in sketches written by the show's main performers. He then became the resident stand-up comic on "Saturday Zoo", a Channel 4 comedy series first screened in 1993 and appeared on an episode of "Have I Got News for You". He co-presented the highly successful Radio 1 comedy talk show "Loose Talk" with Kevin Day, and is a founder member of the London Comedy Store's hard hitting "Cutting Edge" show.