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Thomas the Tank Engine notices a funny smell. He breaks a rule, has a mishap and gets stuck. He is rescued and learns a lesson. Ringo Starr provides the narration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
If you have ever seen any of the more than 500 episodes of the children\u2019s show \u201cThomas & Friends,\u201d you might imagine you have seen it before. But you really have not, because this scene is from the newly rediscovered pilot episode<\/a>, which has been restored and was made available for viewing for the first time on Friday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The episode, filmed in 1983 and titled \u201cDown the Mine,\u201d was found accidentally in storage, Ian McCue, a producer of the series for a decade, told the BBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The five-minute episode was pieced together from multiple 35-millimeter film strips. The picture and sound were cleaned up, and newly composed music was added.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s a sort of a lovely charm and innocence about it, and I think even as a pilot, as a test piece, it still has that lovely, classic, timeless story to it, and the voices, everything is just so delightful,\u201d Mr. McCue said.<\/p>\n For the uninitiated, Thomas is a cheerful blue locomotive with an <\/span>expressive face who first appeared in British children\u2019s books by the Rev. W. Awdry<\/a>. The character and his fellow locomotives, like Percy (green) and James (red), rose to new levels of popularity when they were animated for the popular program, which premiered in 1984.<\/p>\n The show became a favorite of children and parents alike, many of whom were drawn to its relaxed rhythms. \u201cChildren live these days in a fast-paced world, but I don\u2019t think children really change,\u201d the producer Britt Allcroft<\/a>, who brought the characters to television, said in a 1995 BBC documentary. \u201cThey need in their lives gentleness, comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Clips of the show were repackaged for a PBS show, \u201cShining Time Station,\u201d starting in 1989. Toys, movies and a theme park followed, and humble Thomas became a billion-dollar business.<\/p>\n Mr. Starr was the original narrator of the series. George Carlin, Alec Baldwin, Pierce Brosnan and others followed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A vast majority of the many characters were originally male \u2014 and, apparently, white. More recently, the show made efforts to diversify<\/a>, adding new engines like Yong Bao of China and Ashima of India.<\/p>\n Loyal fans of the series of all ages were thrilled<\/a> by news that the pilot episode had been found, expressing eagerness to see the footage and amazement that it had been lost for so long. Enthusiasts on Reddit<\/a> posted words like \u201cfinally,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m so happy\u201d and \u201clet\u2019s go!\u201d punctuated by other words that Thomas and his friends would never utter.<\/p>\n Once the restored episode was out, the reactions veered to softer sentiments. As one fan wrote, \u201cFeels like being a kid again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n