Thirteen-Year-Old Harry Sparkes Cast as the New Voice of Thomas the Tank Engine

According to BBC Entertainment reporting by Danny Fullbrook, a 13-year-old schoolboy from Hertfordshire has secured the role of the new voice of Thomas the Tank Engine for an upcoming animated series. Harry Sparkes, who hails from Harpenden in Hertfordshire, has made his voice-acting debut in the production titled Thomas & Friends: Railway Stories.

The young actor shares the billing with Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, who serves as the narrator for the series. Golding steps into a narration role that was previously made famous by figures such as Sir Ringo Starr.

For a period of nine months leading up to the announcement, Sparkes maintained total secrecy regarding his weekly recording sessions. To conceal the work from his classmates at school, he explained his absences by telling them he was attending physiotherapy sessions for a foot injury.

Reflecting on landing the iconic role, Sparkes described the experience to the BBC. He noted that it felt amazing because he had played with and watched Thomas the Tank Engine as a child, and now he was chosen to voice the character himself, adding that it felt insane.

Sparkes also shared his belief that his school friends would be quite shocked when they discovered that he was the person voicing the well-known locomotive. Furthermore, he expressed his excitement about becoming part of a project that the next generation of children will grow up watching.

The overarching franchise is owned by Mattel. The company has teased that the new animated series will introduce fans to a refreshed world of the island of Sodor while continuing to celebrate the iconic railway action known since the property debuted as a classic book in 1945.

The character of Thomas the Tank Engine originally appeared in The Railway Series, written by children's author Reverend Wilbert Awdry.

Co-star Henry Golding commented on joining the production, noting that he felt he was in the shadow of giants by following in the historical footsteps of Sir Ringo Starr as well as Pierce Brosnan, who previously narrated a 2008 movie special titled Thomas & Friends: The Great Discovery.

Golding further explained his perspective on the new project, stating his belief that the team brings a new spin and a new sort of excitement to Thomas, helping to bring the property back up to date, which he described as the exciting part.

Regarding the release schedule for the project, the new series is slated to launch initially on the official Thomas & Friends YouTube channel on September 17. Following the YouTube debut, the content will become available for streaming on Netflix starting on September 30, with a full series scheduled to premiere in early 2027.

The production also marks a return to 3D animation for Thomas and his friends, as detailed in the source reporting from the BBC.