The Fat Controller, whose real name is Sir Topham Hatt, is a fictional character in ''

The Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. T ...

'' books written by the Reverend W. Awdry and his son,

Christopher Awdry Christopher Vere Awdry (born 2 July 1940) is an English author. He is best known for his contributions to ''The Railway Series'' of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his late father, Wilbert Awdry (1911–1997). He ha ...

. In the first two books in the series (''

The Three Railway Engines This article is a list of books in ''The Railway Series'', a British Book series, series of children's books written by both the Rev. W. Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry. The Rev. W. Awdry Era: 1945–1972 The first 26 books in the series ...

'' and ''

Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is an anthropomorphised fictional tank locomotive in the British ''Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher, published from 1945. He became the most popular and famous character in the series, ...

'') he is known as The Fat Director, and as of the third book (''

James the Red Engine James is a fictional anthropomorphic red tender locomotive from ''The Railway Series'' children's books by the Reverend Awdry and the TV series adaptation ''Thomas & Friends''. He is a mixed-traffic engine, which means he is just as capable of ...

'') he becomes The Fat Controller, as the railway has been

nationalised Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...

. Sir Topham Hatt's full name is revealed in the foreword to the 1951 book '' Henry the Green Engine''. The Fat Controller also appears in the television series ''

Thomas & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...

'', adapted from the books. On television, he was usually portrayed in the form of several different static figures made with either

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

during series one, and

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on nat ...

from series two onwards, but has been portrayed using CGI from the twelfth season onward. The term "fat controller" has since been adopted in various contexts in the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

, beyond the sphere of the original stories, usually in reference to someone who runs a railway.

Origin of nickname

The character is first seen in "The Sad Story of Henry" in the first book in the ''Railway Series'', ''

''. When

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

refused to leave a tunnel, the story says "a Fat Director who was on the train told the guard to get a rope". The character is referred to as the Fat Director/Controller for the remainder of the ''Railway Series'', both in the narrative and by the other characters. The name Sir Topham Hatt is first mentioned in the foreword to '' Henry the Green Engine'' and also appears on his luggage trunk in the same book in the story "Percy and the Trousers". The first use of the name Sir Topham Hatt in the TV series comes in the episode 'The Sad Story of Henry' when the narrator (

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

in the UK version and first US version and

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercul ...

in the second US version) introduces him to the audience.

Biography (''Railway Series'')

There have been three Fat Controllers. This is not revealed directly in the stories, as they all look very similar and are all known as Sir Topham Hatt. However, the books ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways'' (written by Rev. W. Awdry and George Awdry) and ''Sodor: Reading Between the Lines'' (by Christopher Awdry) make this clear.

Sir Topham Hatt, 1st Baronet (1880-1956)

He was a talented engineer who was apprenticed with Sir

William Stanier Sir William Arthur Stanier, (27 May 1876 – 27 September 1965) was a British railway engineer, and was chief mechanical engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. Biography Sir William Stanier was born in Swindon, where h ...

at the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon unitary authority area had a population ...

works, which gave him a great love of all things Great Western. He went on to assist A. W. Dry in the construction of the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway, which became the branch line, and designed the locomotives that ran upon it. When the standard gauge railways of the Island were merged into the

North Western Railway The North Western Railway (abbreviated NWR) is one of the 19 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Jaipur,Rajasthan with 59,075+ employees, 658+ stations and a route length of more than 5761 km across at least some parts of four ...

in 1914, Topham Hatt was called upon for his engineering skill. He constructed a bridge to link Sodor with the Mainland, as well as a number of branch lines and improvements to locomotive facilities. He was immediately made a Director of the railway. Topham married Jane Brown and fathered a son (Charles Topham Hatt) and a daughter (Barbara Jane Hatt). Jane was sister to Sir Handel Brown, Liberal MP for Sodor East and owner of the Skarloey Railway, making all successive descendants of the two railway families cousins. Charles wed Amanda Croarie, daughter of the owner of the Ffarquhar Quarry Company, and Barbara married Henry Regaby, the Viscount Harwick. In light of this, Topham's family unit can be seen as an alliance of several of the most prominent families in Sodor. When the North Western Railway was nationalised and became part of

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British ...

in 1948, Topham Hatt was made Controller of the railway. 1948 also saw him made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

for his services to the railways of Sodor. He retired as Controller in 1952 and died in 1956 at age 76. This Fat Controller appears to be the one shown in the series. He appeared in: * ''The Three Railway Engines'' ** The Sad Story of Henry ** Edward, Gordon and Henry * ''Thomas the Tank Engine'' ** Thomas' Train ** Thomas and the Trucks ** Thomas and the Breakdown Train * ''James the Red Engine'' * ''Tank Engine Thomas Again'' ** Thomas and the Guard ** Thomas Goes Fishing ** Thomas and Bertie * ''Troublesome Engines'' ** Henry and the Elephant ** Tenders and Turntables ** Trouble in the Shed ** Percy Runs Away * ''Henry the Green Engine'' ** Coal ** The Flying Kipper ** Gordon's Whistle ** Percy and the Trousers ** Henry's Sneeze * ''Toby the Tram Engine'' * ''Gordon the Big Engine'' * ''Edward the Blue Engine'' ** Saved from Scrap ** Old Iron

Sir Charles Topham Hatt, 2nd Baronet (1914-1997)

Charles Topham Hatt was the son of the first Sir Topham Hatt and the second Controller of the NWR. He too served an apprenticeship with Stanier, this time working under the locomotive designer. Like his father, he was an innovative engineer and made a number of improvements to the railway and its engines. He was also the originator of the scheme to construct the Arlesdale Railway and the ballast consortium that used it. He was responsible for the line's policy of retaining steam locomotives long after they had been abolished on the rest of British Railways, and while

Dr Beeching Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 – 23 March 1985), commonly known as Dr Beeching, was a physicist and engineer who for a short but very notable time was chairman of British Railways. He became a household name in Britain in the e ...

was closing down branch lines on the Mainland, Charles was reopening them on Sodor. He retired as Controller in 1984, and died in 1997 at age 83. He appeared in: *''Percy the Small Engine'' ** Percy and the Signal ** Duck Takes Charge ** Percy's Promise * ''The Eight Famous Engines'' ** Percy Takes the Plunge ** Gordon Goes Foreign ** Double Header ** The Fat Controller's Engines * ''Duck and the Diesel Engine'' ** Domeless Engines ** Pop Goes the Diesel ** Dirty Work ** A Close Shave * ''The Twin Engines'' * ''Branch Line Engines'' ** Thomas Comes to Breakfast ** Daisy ** Percy's Predicament * ''Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine'' ** Bluebells of England ** Bowled Out * ''Main Line Engines'' ** Buzz, Buzz ** Wrong Road ** Edward's Exploit * ''Small Railway Engines - Ballast'' * ''Enterprising Engines'' ** Tenders for Henry ** Super Rescue ** Escape ** Little Western * ''Oliver the Western Engine'' ** Donald's Duck ** Resource and Sagacity ** Toad Stands By ** Bulgy * ''Tramway Engines'' ** Woolly Bear ** Toby's Tightrope * ''Really Useful Engines'' ** Stop Thief! ** Fish ** Triple-Header

Sir Stephen Topham Hatt, 3rd Baronet (1941-)

Stephen Topham Hatt was first seen as a child in the book ''

Toby the Tram Engine Toby is a fictional anthropomorphic brown square tram engine in ''The Railway Series'' by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher; he also appears in the television series adaptation ''Thomas & Friends'' and is currently set to ...

''. As an adult, he was made the third Controller of the North Western Railway. His son, Richard Topham Hatt, is tipped to be the next Fat Controller on Stephen's retirement, and at Stephen's death, he will inherit the family's baronetcy and the title 'Sir Topham Hatt'. He appeared in: * ''Toby the Tram Engine'' - Toby and the Stout Gentleman * ''James and the Diesel Engines'' ** Old Stuck-Up ** Crossed Lines * ''More About Thomas the Tank Engine'' ** Thomas, Percy and the Coal ** ''The Runaway'' ** Better Late Than Never * ''Gordon the High-Speed Engine'' ** High-Speed Gordon ** Smokescreen ** Fire Escape ** Gordon Proves His Point * ''Toby, Trucks and Trouble'' ** Mavis and the Lorry ** Toby's Seaside Holiday ** Bulstrode ** Toby Takes the Road * ''Thomas and the Twins'' ** Scrambled Eggs ** Trevor Helps Out * ''Thomas and the Great Railway Show'' ** Museum-Piece ** Not the Ticket ** Trouble on the Line ** Thomas and the Railtour * ''Thomas Comes Home'' ** Snow Problem ** Washout! ** Thomas Comes Home * ''Henry and the Express'' ** Out of Puff ** Overhaul ** Sliding Scales ** Henry Sees Red * ''Wilbert the Forest Engine'' ** Percy's Porridge ** Wired-Up * ''Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines'' ** Birdstrike ** Edward and the Cabbages ** Rabbits ** Golden Jubilee * ''Thomas and Victoria'' ** Overloaded ** Avalanche ** Toby's Vintage Train * ''Thomas and his Friends'' ** Thomas and the Swan ** Buffer Bashing ** Gordon's Fire Service ** Centenary

Biography (television series)

In the television series, The Fat Controller is always the same man, with the same wife and grandchildren. He is in his mid 60s (as evident in a newspaper article in the Great Discovery), although his voice in the UK versions sometimes hints at old age. Very little of his history is revealed, although we do see more of his extended family, including his mother (Dowager Hatt), and his mischievous twin brother (Sir Lowham Hatt). In the first season, he and all the other human characters were made out of

. From the second season onwards, they were made out of

so they could move around more easily. He is shown to be a qualified railway engine driver when he brings Percy to the yard for the first time. He is in charge of all the engines on Sodor and seemingly has a great deal of say over other vehicles. As a young man, he learnt to drive in Elizabeth the vintage Sentinel lorry, though in a few episodes, his driving skills are poorly developed, which were used as comedic gags for when the chance arises (often in Winston the Inspection Car). He has overseen the construction of a number of lines, railway services, and has been involved with the opening of several tourist attractions on Sodor. British narrator

Michael Angelis Nicolas Michael Angelis (29 April 1944 – 30 May 2020) was an English actor. He was best known for his television roles as Chrissie Todd in ''Boys from the Blackstuff'', Martin Niarchos in '' G.B.H.'' and as a UK narrator of the British child ...

portrayed the character with a strong

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

accent, with a low gruff voice a trait of which has been continued when

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 ('' GoldenEye'', '' Tomorro ...

briefly took over the mantle, and also when individual voice artists were brought in to voice the characters, The Fat Controller being voiced by

Keith Wickham Keith Wickham is a British voice actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for providing the voices of various characters in the children's television series ''Thomas & Friends'', and Polluto in ''Tommy Zoom''. Career Wickham voiced Change ...

in both the UK and US versions from 2015 onwards.

Kerry Shale Kerry Shale is a Canadian actor and writer based in London, England. Filmography Film Television Video games References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shale, Kerry Living people 20th-century British male actors 20th-century Ca ...

initially voiced him in the US prior to 2015, and gave the character a clear American accent and a deep, booming voice. In the American version, he has always been referred to by his actual name, Sir Topham Hatt, possibly because "fat" is a much more pejorative term in the US than in the UK. The Fat Controller's name was revealed to be Bertram by Alicia Botti, the famous opera singer, in "Play Time", and by his mother Dowager Hatt in "Percy's Parcel", "Jitters and Japes", "Edward the Hero" and "Stop that Bus!".

Mode of dress

In his iconic

top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditional ...

and

morning suit Morning dress, also known as formal day dress, is the formal Western dress code for day attire, consisting chiefly of, for men, a morning coat, waistcoat, and formal trousers, and an appropriate gown for women. Men may also wear a popular v ...

, the Fat Controller looks rather old-fashioned and formal. In the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

, Sir Topham's suit has often been used for comic effect, being augmented with scarf and mittens in winter. The series plays on the outdated nature of this outfit, giving Sir Topham an entire wardrobe of old-fashioned and formal clothes for occasions when he is not "on duty". In the

Series 8 Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

episode "Halloween", he is shown wearing pyjamas and a nightcap, and in the

Series 9 The ninth series of the children's television series '' Hi-5'' aired between 11 June 2007 and 10 August 2007 on the Nine Network in Australia. The series was produced by Kids Like Us for Nine with Helena Harris as executive producer. This was th ...

and 10 episodes "Flour Power" and "Sticky Toffee Thomas" he is briefly shown wearing a wizard costume. In yet another episode, he is shown wearing a kilt, a gift from a visiting Scottish Lord. In various CGI episodes, he dresses like

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

Sir Topham's household

Wife: Lady Hatt

Lady The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inf ...

Jane Brown Hatt helps her husband run the railway, and is happiest when she sees new lines opened. She has had some special birthday parties. She likes the railway, but had a certain dislike of Annie and Clarabel, calling them beach huts. Later, she took a liking to them, after they got new coats of paint. Although her husband runs a railway, she likes a day out in their car or on a boat. Voices: *

Teresa Gallagher Teresa Gallagher is an American-born British actress. Career Gallagher is known for her role as Ellen Smith in ''The Bill'', for her appearances on radio in ''No Commitments'', ''Salem's Lot'', and ''Memorials to the Missing''. She playe ...

(''UK; Season 13 onwards / US; Season 17 and 21 only'') *

Jules de Jongh Jules de Jongh is an American voice actress. She provided the voices of Yugo and Evangelyne in the first 2 seasons of '' Wakfu: The Animated Series'', the voice of the protagonist Faith from the video game '' Mirror's Edge'', and the voice of s ...

(''US; Season 13– 20, excluding Season 17 and 21'') She has appeared in: *

Season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguati ...

** Thomas' Train/A Big Day for Thomas ** Toby and the Stout Gentleman/Tobythe Tram Engine ** Thomas in Trouble/Thomas Breaks the Rules *

Season 3 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...

** A Scarf for Percy ** Bulgy * Season 5 ** Lady Hatt's Birthday Party ** Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday * Season 7 ** The Runaway Elephant ** Bulgy Rides Again ** The Grand Opening ** Best Dressed Engine *

Season 8 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

** Thomas and the Tuba ** Percy and the Magic Carpet * Season 9 ** Percy and the Oil Painting ** Thomas and the Birthday Picnic ** Tuneful Toots ** Flour Power * Season 10 ** Thomas and the Jet Plane ** The Green Controller ** Topped Off Thomas ** Which Way Now? * Season 11 ** Thomas Sets Sail ** Toby's Triumph ** Thomas and the Runaway Car ** Duncan Does it All * Season 12 ** Rosie's Funfair Special/Rosie's Carnival Special ** Saved You! ** Percy and the Bandstand * Season 13 ** Tickled Pink ** Double Trouble ** Toby's New Whistle ** Thomas and the Runaway Kite ** The Biggest Present of All * Season 14 ** Charlie and Eddie ** Pop Goes Thomas ** Jitters and Japes * Season 15 ** Up, Up and Away! ** Wonky Whistle ** Fiery Flynn * Season 16 ** Express Coming Through ** Thomas and the Rubbish Train/Thomas and the Garbage Train ** Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor ** Muddy Matters ** Happy Birthday Sir! * Season 17 ** Wayward Winston ** The Afternoon Tea Express * Season 19 ** Who's Geoffrey? ** Diesel's Ghostly Christmas *** Part 2 ** Reds vs. Blues * Season 20 - Engine of the Future * Season 21 ** Terence Breaks the Ice ** Confused Coaches * Season 22: Big World! Big Adventures! - Rosie is Red * Films ** '' Thomas and the Magic Railroad'' ** ''The Great Discovery'' ** ''

Hero of the Rails ''Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails'' is a 2009 British computer-animated adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series, ''Thomas & Friends''. The film is produced by HIT Entertainment with animation from Nitrogen ...

'' ** ''

Misty Island Rescue ''Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue'' is a 2010 British computer-animated fantasy adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series, ''Thomas & Friends''. The film is produced by HIT Entertainment and animated by ...

'' ** ''

Day of the Diesels ''Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels'' is a 2011 British computer-animated adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series, ''Thomas & Friends''. It is the first (and only) special to be a spin-off around a character ...

'' ** ''

King of the Railway ''Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway'' is a 2013 British computer-animated fantasy comedy adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series, ''Thomas & Friends''. The film is produced by HIT Entertainment and animated ...

'' ** ''

Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure ''Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure'' is a 2015 British computer-animated fantasy adventure comedy film and the ninth feature-length special of the British television series, ''Thomas & Friends''. The film is produced by HIT E ...

'' ** ''

The Great Race ''The Great Race'' is a 1965 American Technicolor slapstick comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood, directed by Blake Edwards, written by Arthur A. Ross (from a story by Edwards and Ross), and with music by Henry Manci ...

Mother: Dowager Hatt

Dowager A dowager is a widow or widower who holds a title or property—a " dower"—derived from her or his deceased spouse. As an adjective, ''dowager'' usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles. In popular usage, the noun ...

Hatt lives on Sodor and in her first appearance in a TV episode ("Gordon and the Gremlin"), her son held a party for her. On this occasion, her Dalmatian dog (soon to be named Gremlin) ran away after being frightened by Gordon's whistle, and ended up in Thomas' cab, where he greatly enjoyed a long ride to the docks. She says the railway is really useful, and the Fat Controller says she is always right. Voices: *Keith Wickham ('' Seasons 13 through 21'') She has appeared in: *

Series 5 Series 5 may refer to: * Aston Martin V8 Series 5, an automobile model * BMW 5 Series, a line of automobiles * GeForce 5 Series, a line of video cards * Psion Series 5 The Psion Series 5 was a personal digital assistant (PDA) from Psion. It ...

- Gordon and the Gremlin *

Series 6 Series 6 or Season 6 may refer to: *Series 6 exam, officially the Investment Company Products or Variable Life Contracts Representative exam * Apple Watch Series 6, a smartwatch produced by Apple *BMW 6 Series *GeForce 6 series, line of video cards ...

** It's Only Snow ** Thomas (and) the Jet Engine *

- Thomas and the Birthday Picnic *

Series 11 Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

- Percy and the Left Luggage/Baggage *

Series 12 Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

- Excellent Emily *

Series 13 Series 13 or Season 13 may refer to: * Lego Minifigures (theme)#Series 13, the toy line by Lego * Warehouse 13 ''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Sy ...

- Percy's Parcel *

Series 14 The Series 14 – NYSE Compliance Official exam is a qualification examination administered to compliance officials at New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) registered broker-dealers. The 110-question test is intended to ensure that individuals designat ...

- Jitters and Japes *

Series 15 Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

** Gordon and Ferdinand ** Percy's New Friends ** Edward the Hero ** Up, Up and Away! ** Stop that Bus! ** Wonky Whistle ** Tree Trouble ** Fiery Flynn *

Series 16 Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

** Express Coming Through ** Percy and the Monster of Brendam ** Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor ** Muddy Matters ** Happy Birthday Sir! * Series 18 ** Toad's Adventure ** Samson Sent for Scrap ** Millie and the Volcano * Series 19 ** Diesel's Ghostly Christmas *** Part 2 ** The Beast of Sodor ** Reds vs. Blues *

Series 20 Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

** Engine of the Future ** Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks/Cars * Series 21 ** Dowager Hatt's Busy Day ** Terence Breaks the Ice ** A Shed for Edward ** Confused Coaches * Series 22 - Rosie is Red * Specials ** ''Day of the Diesels'' ** ''

The Adventure Begins ''Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins'' is a 1998 sourcebook for the ''World of Greyhawk'' campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game. The 128 page book was written by Roger E. Moore and published by Wizards of the Coast under ...

'' ** ''Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure'' ** ''The Great Race'' ** ''Big World! Big Adventures!'' She is the only household member to originate in the TV series, never having appeared in the ''Railway Series'' books.

Grandchildren: Stephen and Bridget

They both have appeared together in:

Grandson: Stephen Hatt

Stephen Topham Hatt lives on the Island of Sodor, and regularly has outings and holidays with his grandparents and sister. Stephen loves trains, and was excited when he first met Toby the Tram Engine. Stephen also has a bit of knowledge about the Island, of which is the reason they discovered the Old Castle and the mine (in which Bertram was found). In the ''Railway Series'', Stephen ultimately took the railway over and is the current Fat Controller. In the television series, he has always remained a child. Voices: *

Matt Wilkinson Matthew Wilkinson is a British actor, playwright and director. Acting Wilkinson trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has performed in theatre, film, television and animation. Early theatre work included Alan Bennett's ''The Wind ...

(''UK; Season 13 only'') * Teresa Gallagher (''UK; Season 14 onwards / US; Season 19 onwards'') * William Hope (''US; Season 13 and 14 only'') He has appeared in:

Granddaughter: Bridget Hatt

Bridget Amanda Hatt lives on Sodor, and regularly goes for outings and holidays with her grandparents and brother. On one occasion they went to

Toby Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...

's old line, where she thought Toby was an electric tram and was reprimanded by her brother for offending him. Her parents (mentioned only in the book ''Sodor: Reading Between the Lines'') are Charles and Amanda Hatt. Voices: *Teresa Gallagher (''UK; Season 14 onwards / US; Season 19 onwards'') *Jules de Jongh (''US; Season 13 and 14 only'') She has appeared in:

Twin brother: Lowham Hatt

Sir Lowham Hatt is the jolly twin brother of Sir Topham Hatt, the son of Dowager Hatt, the great-uncle of Stephen and Bridget Hatt, and the brother-in-law of Lady Hatt. Lowham is mischievous and enjoys playing with the children. He seems to know little or nothing about railways. He played hide-and-seek with the children and then went into a signal box and pulled the lever, switching Gordon to the branchline. He dresses exactly like Sir Topham but has a

moustache A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ...

. It is unknown how and why he got his knighthood. He only appears in the

series 13 Series 13 or Season 13 may refer to: * Lego Minifigures (theme)#Series 13, the toy line by Lego * Warehouse 13 ''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Sy ...

episode, "Double Trouble". Voices: * Keith Wickham (UK) * Kerry Shale (US)

The Hatts' Butler

Sir Topham Hatt has a

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantry ...

who is featured in ''

'' and the ''

'' TV series. He has appeared in only three stories - "Thomas in Trouble/Breaks the Rules" in Season 1, "Lady Hatt's Birthday Party" in Season 5 and "Fergus Breaks the Rules / Thomas and the Search for Fergus" in Season 7.

In real life

" Day out with Thomas" events are a popular way of raising money for

heritage railways A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

. These events are an opportunity for children to meet characters from the books and television series (or at least, engines that have been "dressed up" to resemble them). These events are invariably presided over by a Fat Controller, played by a railway volunteer of appropriate age and build. The copyright holders are strict about how these volunteers should appear: the South Devon Railway's Fat Controller was forced to either quit or shave off his beard, and it is absolutely forbidden for a Fat Controller to be too thin. In the United States, on the other hand, he is instead portrayed as a

costumed character A costumed performer or suit performer wears a costume that usually, (but not always) covers the performer's face, typically to represent a non-human character such as a mascot or cartoon character. These range from theme park "walk-around" or "m ...

(with the performer's face hidden).

Other uses of the name "Fat Controller"

* In Series 3, Episode 2 of ''

To the Manor Born ''To the Manor Born'' is a BBC television sitcom that first aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. A special one-off episode was produced in 2007. Starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, the first 20 episodes and the 2007 special were written b ...

'', during a meeting to protest the closing of the local railway station, the Rector loses his temper with an overweight representative of

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...

, played by

Richard Thorp Richard Stanley Thorp (2 January 1932 – 22 May 2013) was an English actor. He was best known for his 30-year tenure portraying Alan Turner in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 1982 to 2013. He also appeared in films such as '' The Dam Bu ...

, and refers to him as "the Fat Controller".

References

External links

The Real Lives of Thomas page on the Fat Controller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fat Controller, The The Railway Series characters Thomas & Friends characters Literary characters introduced in 1945 Fictional baronets and baronetesses Fictional English people