Thomas the Tank Engine becomes PC!

[AMJ]

The daughter of the clergyman author who created Thomas the Tank Engine has criticised television producers for writing Christmas out of a new series.

 

See

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8816675/Christmas-removed-from-Thomas-the-Tank-Engine-to-be-politically-correct.html

 

I heard this on the radio news and was suprised.

 

There would even more uproar if the Charles Dickens classic was edited to remove the same word.

[backofanenvelope]

Link seems to have died..

[Jack]

Nothing new ... I believe "Henry the Green Engine" was edited for political correctness in the 1970's!

[Tony_S]

Nothing new ... I believe "Henry the Green Engine" was edited for political correctness in the 1970's!

Did he become Henry the Carbon Neutral Engine?

[Guest stuartp]

From the comments thread on the same story:

 

 

 

 

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM HIT ENTERTAINMENT

 

Any reports that HIT Entertainment, rights owner of 'Thomas & Friends', has been “writing Christmas out of a new series” are completely inaccurate. Nothing could be further from the truth. The episode that is being referenced is six years old and was contained in a four episode DVD that was not sold as either a “Christmas” or a “Holiday” themed release.

 

Thomas has a great deal of Christmas themed content and does not shy away from celebrating the occasion, as last year’s DVD ‘Thomas & Friends: Christmas Express’ makes clear. Currently we are working on another DVD 'Merry Christmas, Thomas'.

 

We take the legacy of The Rev. Awdry’s work very seriously in the creation of all of our new content and work closely with his family to best manage Thomas for future generations of children. Christmas was, and continues to be, celebrated on the island of Sodor, the home of 'Thomas & Friends'.

[Jack]

Did he become Henry the Carbon Neutral Engine?

 

No, but he did stop being 'black as a ...'

[JohnR]

You've got to laugh at the "Disgusted from Tunbridge Wells" types on that thread who blame the BBC!

[Ozexpatriate]

Did he become Henry the Carbon Neutral Engine?

Does he only burn 'clean coal'?

[MiDAS]

Thomas is always pulling Clarie and Annabelle.. go on show us your buffers

[Blandford1969]

About 10 years ago there was a non pc version of Thomas the tank engine which did the rounds on the SVR, I could not find it on with a quick web search.

[coachmann]

But instead of using the word Christmas, the programme talks of the “winter holidays” and a “holiday tree.”

I've heard this terminoligy used by cults that do not celebrate birthdays either.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Some years ago Birmingham City Council renamed their Christmas holiday "Winterval" so as not to upset the non-Christian communities.

[PhilJ W]

If only the supermarkets and chain stores took the same attitude.

[John_Hughes]

Some years ago Birmingham City Council renamed their Christmas holiday "Winterval" so as not to upset the non-Christian communities.

 

An old story, and a plain exaggeration of the facts; they simply used the phrase to refer conveniently en bloc to the various holidays - from various faiths - which occur at that time of year, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule and I don't know what else. Christmas was not, despite what was being widely said at the time, 'banned'.

 

Still, facts never did stop the Daily Mail and the other gutter-press people from having their usual moan!

[Coldgunner]

If only the supermarkets and chain stores took the same attitude.

I just wish the Supermarkets etc would keep christmas in December, adverts start trickling out early October normally.

[The Stationmaster]

I just wish the Supermarkets etc would keep christmas in December, adverts start trickling out early October normally.

My daughter works part time in the local branch of a well known national supermarket - they have had Christmas stock 'out back' since August; last year their stock area had the Easter Eggs on the shelves before Christmas.

[br2975]

Maybe so - but the predominant religion in the United Kingdom is Christianity, and whether one is a practising Christian or not, it becomes readily apparent that the PC attitudes of some factions in this country tend to force Christianity into a 'back seat' in order not to offend the followers of other faiths.

.

Now - my personal opinion is that many of the crackpot ideas that are regularly held up to ridicule by such paragons of morality as 'The Daily Mail' do not emanate from the minorities but are the ideas of the indigenous (British) white, chattering middle class Guardian readers - who take it upon themselves to 'ban Christmas' in order not to offend the followers of minority religions and faiths.

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More often than not, you wil find that the followers of the minority religions are not even consulted by those unelected intellectuals who 'think and act' on their behalf.

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I recall a few years ago that a 'midlands hospital' removed copies of the Gideon's Bible from all it';s bedsied cabinets, for fear of insulting patients who were followers of Islam.

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The local Imam when interviewed ridiculed the idea, and commented that patients in hospital needing spiritual comfort regardless of their religion, and he felt the Gideon's Bible should remain in the bedside cabinets. he added that being the local Imam, neither he, nor his congregation had been consulted on the matter, and would not have objected to the presence of a bible.

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Unfortunately, anyone who speaks out on such subjects in this country are immediately vilified by the 'chattering class' I referred to above as being 'intolerant' or even 'racist' - allegations easy to level, but difficult to defend !

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As for Sodor, yes the island has become PC, just take a look at some of the characters, especially the children whose events are regularly 'saved' by the engines.

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There are even 'female' engines in the shape of Emily, Mavis and Rosie and a 'foreigner' in the shape of 'Hiro' or 'Hero'.

.

Brian R

[coachmann]

Declaring England, Scotland and Wales as Multicultural swept away long fought for rights of the natives in these lands and left the door open for every culture and religion to do their own thing.

[S.A.C Martin]

I cannot help but think that Hilary Fortnam's strangely timed outburst against the supposed misuse of Christmas in the Thomas & Friends television series has been anything but a complete non-story.

 

Normally I will absolutely defend to the death the right of the Awdry family to have their say in what happens to the good Reverend's creation: but the fact of the matter is this:

 

1. The complaints are about an episode which is five years old.

2. The word "Christmas" has been used since in newer episodes, and

3. There are far more pressing problems with the current episodes in terms of their themes than the loss of the word Christmas!

 

I do wonder if this publicity is going to backfire rather sensationally for the members of the Awdry family. Anyone with half a brain can look up the episode guide on Wikipedia and the Thomas Wiki, or on the Sodor Island Forums and find at least a half dozen Christmas themed episodes and DVD titles which have been made since Keeping up with James was made in 2006.

 

Put simply, the accusations made against HiT Entertainment aren't true. Yes, they've tried to have their cake and eat it in some respects by doing wintry episodes featuring Christmas motifs, but it hasn't been written out of the series altogether.

 

And yes, everyone would have liked more of an emphasis on the Christmas theme in a more recent episode which included presents, a Christmas tree, the Fat Controller dressed up as "Santa Claus" (and sadly not "Father Christmas") - but the fact remains that the word was used, the theme was apparent, and the episode ("The Snowman") was without a doubt was a Christmas episode.

 

Overall the rather poorly thought out argument and frankly libellous comments which the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, and various others with regards the series and the involvement of Christmas, have made of this complete non-story, astonish me.

 

It is a complete and total airbrushing of the facts to suit a cause which simply has little going for it. Yes, by all means, complain that the series doesn't concentrate on Christmas enough, given its origins - I would wholeheartedly agree with that - but to put out a story which, in the long and the short of it, is a fabrication, is simply unreal.

 

Besides, there are much, much worse problems with the series' writing than the supposed writing out of Christmas!

 

There's the manifestation of anti-Diesel bullying, which is never resolved, there are sincerely poor and dangerous stunts which are imitable, including but not limited to, moving around when workmen are fixing you (Wonky Whistle), running out of water so you can't put fires out (Fiery Flynn), and so on and so forth...

 

In short: if you are going to have a media frenzy about problems with the writing, do so about the most important problems with the writing which will have the most significant and detrimental effects to the youngest and most influenced age group!

[Coldgunner]

The issue that has bugged me about the latest series is the complete lack of railway code. When reading the original books, Rev Awdry used actual railway working practices. The much lamented "Henry's Forest" episode being the start of it. I agree entirely with your point SAC, there's bigger fish to fry at the moment. Lets not forget the equal opportunities nonsense that was once brought up, with regard to engines being male, carriages female (even though there was already Mavis and Daisy).

 

The final issue for me again is the addition of unnecessary characters, especially when the likes of Wilbert and the small railway engines have never been used.*

 

*I've not seen the latest few series so whether they make an appearance or not I don't know.

[Tony_S]

 

Besides, there are much, much worse problems with the series' writing than the supposed writing out of Christmas!

 

There's the manifestation of anti-Diesel bullying, which is never resolved,

 

Even the Sodor Island Forum's blog page background seems to have turned the diesel characters in the stories into the railway equivalent of non-persons.

[Mod6]

Lots of irrelevant posts removed - keep to the topic please, this isn't an opportunity for general political ranting.

[S.A.C Martin]

 

Even the Sodor Island Forum's blog page background seems to have turned the diesel characters in the stories into the railway equivalent of non-persons.

 

That is actually my fault when re-designing the blog, Ryan and I scraped together as many different pictures as we could find to "checkerboard" it. The diesel characters appeared at the top and bottom, but when we cropped it for size, they were cut out. It is a very fair point and one I'll get on immediately.