In which I overinvest in kiddies' TV rather than deal with my own problems

[dolorous_ett]

I'm worried about Postman Pat. He's not been himself at all since the Post Office gave him the push in 2000 for not fitting in with their corporate image. Even though he's managed to get another job with the Special Delivery Service, it's like the heart went out of him when he left the Royal Mail, and it's really miserable to watch. We usually give

Comments

[lareinenoire]

Aw! I'm reminded of a very serious conversation J and I had at Christmas two years ago where he pointed out the imperialist and anti-union policies implemented by Sir Topham Hat in recent episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine (still my nephew's favourite series). I believe we also discussed which Backyardigan would need to be assassinated in order to disband the group, so...

[bookwormsarah]

Thomas broke a strike in Troublesome Engines. I only learned this recently and he has rapidly gone down in my estimation. Sir Topham Hat clearly has an allie.

[dolorous_ett]

SHAME ON YOU, THOMAS! To be sure, the vile Sir Topham Hatt is bound to be the manipulator behind the scenes, but Thomas really should have known better, even if he isn't the brightest piece of coal in the furnace...

[bookwormsarah]

We have regular Thomas days at my railway and we have to hire an authorised Sir Topham Hatt, who has attended the approved courses... The 'real' version fits with the image in the books...

That said, he did save Toby the Tram Engine (my personal favourite) from being scrapped so I shall always have a slightly soft spot for him.

[dolorous_ett]

You have to take a Fat Controller course in order to act one out? Well, you live and learn...

I'm glad the Fat Controller saved Toby the Tram engine, at least. Though I've encountered employers like this before, who still live in the feudal age, and can be very generous, but it all has to be on their terms...

[nineveh_uk]

I didn't know Thomas was a strike-breaker. Though I might have guessed from my parents' attitude. It was relatively late in life that I realised the few Thomas books we had had evidently been carefully selected for their just-about-tolerable attitudes.

I assume that Sir Topham Hat is the real name of the Fat Controller?

[cloudsinvenice]

It's what they renamed him when it was felt insensitive to refer to him as the "Fat" Controller...

[dolorous_ett]

I think also because there's a Lady Hat - I'm pretty sure that they still say "the Fat Controller".

[dolorous_ett]

That could explain the reason we had so few as well - though it could equally well have been that my parents didn't care for trains.

My Mum did exclude the Famous Five from the house for as long as she humanly could, but having read a few of them I'm not much inclined to blame her...

[lareinenoire]

Boo, Thomas! Not good! Clearly the Island of Sodor lacks the proper channels to deal with workers' complaints...

[dolorous_ett]

I can't figure out Thomas the Tank Engine at all - it's like it can't figure out which era it's living in, and also I don't understand the relationships of the trains to their drivers - can they hear what they're talking about? And if they can, why on earth don't they stop them? If they can't, how can the trains go anywhere of their own will?

Unless the drivers are zombies driven by mind control. That would explain a few things about the timeless nature of the Island of Sodor - and the strange, wooden expressions of the inhabitants...

[lareinenoire]

I'd always wondered why the trains had drivers when they could presumably move on their own! I think you might be right about the Island of Sodor being the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The machinery all came to life and the people eat brains...