The Three Railway Engines (lost live BBC broadcast adaptation of "The Railway Series" books; 1953): Difference between revisions

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{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku2jhwh1_Ak|320x240|right|The Thomas and Friends' adaption of "The Sad Story of Henry".|frame}}
{{InfoboxLost
''Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends'' is a children’s show adapted from the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry’s “The Railway Series” stories. While this is certainly the most famous adaption of Awdry’s stories, it was not the first. The first attempt was '''a live broadcast in 1953 by the BBC'''. However, the broadcast didn’t fare well and caused a full series never to be produced.
|title=<center>The Sad Story of Henry (1953 live broadcast)</center>
|image=The sad story of henry title card.png
|imagecaption= Title card from the 1984 remake of the episode.
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
}}
''Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends'' is by now one of the world's most iconic and beloved children’s TV shows. Originally adapted from the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry’s ''Railway Series'' stories, the TV series began airing in 1984 and has continued in some form or another through to the 2020s. While this is certainly the most famous adaptation of the Awdrys' anthropomorphic train tales, it was not the first, having been preceded by '''a live BBC broadcast in 1953'''. Unfortunately the technical difficulties associated with this adaptation would prevent a full series being commissioned for the intervening thirty years.


==Background==
==Background==
In 1953, the BBC approached the Railway Series editor Eric Marriott and inquired about the possibility of adapting at least two stories from the Railway Series to television in June of that same year. The proposition was agreed to by the author. The broadcast was to be done using 00 Gauge Hornby Models, while the sets were reminiscent of the books illustrations. This was to ensure that authenticity to the author and publishers' requests. The episode was broadcast live from Lime Grove Studios on Sunday, June 14, 1953.
In mid-1953, the BBC approached ''The Railway Series'' editor Eric Marriott and inquired about the possibility of adapting at least two stories to television. Marriott and Rev. Awdry approved the proposal on the condition that the the adaptation be as faithful as possible, in particular to the authentic technical details. Thus the broadcast was to be done using specially-modified 00 Gauge Hornby models of the actual engines pictured in the books, with a track layout and sets likewise designed to ensure maximum faithfulness to the original illustrations. The script however was 'freely adapted', in order to fit the ten-minute broadcast limit. It was to be broadcast live from Lime Grove Studios on Sunday, June 14th, 1953.


==Live Broadcast==
==Live Broadcast==
The story that the BBC chose to adapt was Wilbert's third story "The Sad Story of Henry". However, the director had to deal with the 00 Gauge Models, Superimposed rain, effects, music , and a narration by Julia Lang. The script was 'freely adapted' to ensure the broadcasts meet the ten-minute broadcast limit. The models were reported to jerk around as they moved. Other than that, the broadcast went fine until the engine derailed. This was caused by the mistake of not switching the points before the engine arrived at them. To the surprise of the viewers, a hand picked up the engine and put it back on the rails!
For this initial attempt, the BBC had chosen to adapt "The Sad Story of Henry", a suitably dramatic tale of the titular engine being bricked up in a tunnel after he refuses to leave it for fear of a rainstorm spoiling his new paint. The live adaptation had to be put together within a month, with the custom model train setup not arriving in-studio until the final rehearsals; not ideal for what was already a notably complex production for the time, also including superimposed rain and other effects overlaid by music and narration by Julia Lang. The models were said to be a bit jerky, but all started off well... until the lead engine derailed, the train set operator having missed switching the points before the engine arrived at them. To the great surprise of viewers - including Marriott and Rev. Awdry - a human hand picked up the engine and put it back on the rails instead.


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath/Preservation==
The incident made the front of several newspapers a week later. This caused the June 28 broadcast to be put on hold and later canceled and although numerous attempts were made to revive the series, but all were unsuccessful.
The broadcast went on without further incident, but the derailment and its unexpected resolution managed to attract notice from several national newspapers. Rev. Awdry is recorded therein as being disappointed with many aspects of the adaptation, including the script changes (which added characters not in the original) the jerky model movement and above all the 'elementary mistake' of the incorrectly set points. He demanded guarantees that a similar blunder would not happen in the second broadcast, scheduled for June 28th; however seriously the BBC took his complaints, the second broadcast was in fact put on hold, and later cancelled. Although numerous attempts were made to revive the series, all were unsuccessful until the current series began production three full decades later.


==Preservation==
As the show was broadcast live, and knowing the BBC's track record for preserving old content - let alone one with this kind of embarrassing technical issue - it can safely be considered completely lost, save in the highly unlikely event that anyone recorded it privately. Any claims or clips to the contrary floating about online are either re-creations or proven incorrect recollections.
As the show was broadcast live and knowing the BBC's track record for preserving old content, it is no surprise that the broadcast is lost. It is highly unlikely that anyone recorded the single broadcast. Nothing is known to be left of this project and will probably never surface.


==Gallery==
===Images===
<gallery mode=packed heights=350px>
Sadstorysnippet.PNG|A small mention of the broadcast in a 1953 edition of the ''Daily Herald''.
</gallery>
===Videos===
{{Video|perrow  =2
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =v=Jzb9xa0oN-I&t=12s
  |description1 =ClickClackTrack's video on the subject, including Marriott's and Awdry's reactions.
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =v=foPFm5OrS7I
  |description2 =Scribbles to Screen's video mentioning the 1953 adaptation (0:42-3:43).
}}
==See Also (BBC Wiped Programs Media)==
*[[1953 British Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One race; 1953)]]
*[[Adam Adamant Lives! (partially lost BBC children's TV series; 1966)]]
*[[Anne of Green Gables (lost TV mini-series; 1972)]]
*[[Dad's Army (partially lost episodes and sketches; 1968-1970)]]
*[[Doctor Who (partially lost episodes of British science-fiction TV series; 1963-1974)]]
*[[Jazz Goes to College (partially found BBC jazz concert series; 1966-1967)]]
*[[Late Night Line-Up (partially found Beatles "Abbey Road" special; 1969)]]
*[[Madhouse on Castle Street (partially found BBC television play; 1963)]]
*[[Out of the Unknown (partially found BBC sci-fi series; 1967-1971)]]
*[[Requiem for a Heavyweight (partially found BBC Sunday-Night Theatre TV play; 1957)]]
*[[The Complete and Utter History of Britain (partially found British sketch comedy TV series; 1969)]]
*[[The Quatermass Experiment (partially found BBC sci-fi serials; 1953)]]
*[[Top Of The Pops (partially lost British music series; 1964-2006)]]
*[[United! (lost British soap opera; 1965-1967)]]
==See Also (Thomas Series)==
===Thomas & Friends===
*[[Thomas & Friends "Jack Jumps In" (found Alec Baldwin narration of British children's TV series episode; 2002)]]
*[[Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels (lost original cut of direct-to-DVD film; existence unconfirmed; 2011)]]
*[[Thomas & Friends "Series 7" (partially found original music of American dub of British children's TV series; mid 2000s)]]
*[[Thomas & Friends "Series 12" (partially found Pierce Brosnan narrations of British children's animated series; 2008)]]
===Thomas the Tank Engine===
*[[Thomas the Tank Engine "Season 3" (found Michael Angelis narriation of British children's TV series episodes; 1991)]]
*[[Thomas the Tank Engine "Season 4" (found pre-recorded version of British children's TV series episodes; 1994)]]
*[[Thomas the Tank Engine "Down the Mine" (partially found unaired pitch pilot version of children's TV series; 1983)]]
*[[Thomas the Tank Engine "The Missing Coach" (partially found footage from unfinished episode of children's TV series; 1986)]]
*[[Thomas and the Magic Railroad (found deleted scenes of children's fantasy adventure film; 2000)]]
*[[Thomas the Tank Engine (lost pilot episode of unproduced 2D animated adaptation on "The Railway Series" books; 1976)]]
===Other===
*[[Thomas the Tank Engine (found original illustrated edition of book; 1946)]]
*[[Thomas and the U.K. Trip & Thomas Number 1 (found Japanese "Thomas the Tank Engine" crossover TV special and music video; 1993)]]
*[[Jack and the Sodor Construction Company (miscellaneous lost media of spinoff series; existence unconfirmed; 2002)]]
*[[The Three Railway Engines (found original edition of book; 1945)]]
*[[Barry the Rescue Engine (lost production material on cancelled "The Railway Series" book; 1980s)]]
*[[Thomas and the Magic Railroad (lost test footage of 3.5" character models for British children's TV series; 1995)]]


==External Links==
==External Links==
* http://www.sodor-island.net/thetvserieshistory.html
*[https://www.sodor-island.com/the-tv-series The Sodor Island series website.]


[[Category:Lost recordings of real incidents|Sad Story of Henry (1953 Live "The Railway Series" BBC Broadcast)]]
[[Category:Lost recordings of real incidents|Sad Story of Henry]]
[[Category:Lost TV|Sad Story of Henry (1953 Live "The Railway Series" BBC Broadcast)]]
[[Category:Lost TV|Sad Story of Henry]]
[[Category:Completely lost media|Sad Story of Henry]]

Revision as of 17:06, 13 May 2022

The sad story of henry title card.png

Title card from the 1984 remake of the episode.

Status: Lost

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends is by now one of the world's most iconic and beloved children’s TV shows. Originally adapted from the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry’s Railway Series stories, the TV series began airing in 1984 and has continued in some form or another through to the 2020s. While this is certainly the most famous adaptation of the Awdrys' anthropomorphic train tales, it was not the first, having been preceded by a live BBC broadcast in 1953. Unfortunately the technical difficulties associated with this adaptation would prevent a full series being commissioned for the intervening thirty years.

Background

In mid-1953, the BBC approached The Railway Series editor Eric Marriott and inquired about the possibility of adapting at least two stories to television. Marriott and Rev. Awdry approved the proposal on the condition that the the adaptation be as faithful as possible, in particular to the authentic technical details. Thus the broadcast was to be done using specially-modified 00 Gauge Hornby models of the actual engines pictured in the books, with a track layout and sets likewise designed to ensure maximum faithfulness to the original illustrations. The script however was 'freely adapted', in order to fit the ten-minute broadcast limit. It was to be broadcast live from Lime Grove Studios on Sunday, June 14th, 1953.

Live Broadcast

For this initial attempt, the BBC had chosen to adapt "The Sad Story of Henry", a suitably dramatic tale of the titular engine being bricked up in a tunnel after he refuses to leave it for fear of a rainstorm spoiling his new paint. The live adaptation had to be put together within a month, with the custom model train setup not arriving in-studio until the final rehearsals; not ideal for what was already a notably complex production for the time, also including superimposed rain and other effects overlaid by music and narration by Julia Lang. The models were said to be a bit jerky, but all started off well... until the lead engine derailed, the train set operator having missed switching the points before the engine arrived at them. To the great surprise of viewers - including Marriott and Rev. Awdry - a human hand picked up the engine and put it back on the rails instead.

Aftermath/Preservation

The broadcast went on without further incident, but the derailment and its unexpected resolution managed to attract notice from several national newspapers. Rev. Awdry is recorded therein as being disappointed with many aspects of the adaptation, including the script changes (which added characters not in the original) the jerky model movement and above all the 'elementary mistake' of the incorrectly set points. He demanded guarantees that a similar blunder would not happen in the second broadcast, scheduled for June 28th; however seriously the BBC took his complaints, the second broadcast was in fact put on hold, and later cancelled. Although numerous attempts were made to revive the series, all were unsuccessful until the current series began production three full decades later.

As the show was broadcast live, and knowing the BBC's track record for preserving old content - let alone one with this kind of embarrassing technical issue - it can safely be considered completely lost, save in the highly unlikely event that anyone recorded it privately. Any claims or clips to the contrary floating about online are either re-creations or proven incorrect recollections.

Gallery

Images

Videos

EmbedVideo is missing a required parameter.
EmbedVideo is missing a required parameter.

See Also (BBC Wiped Programs Media)

See Also (Thomas Series)

Thomas & Friends

Thomas the Tank Engine

Other

External Links