A 13-year-old schoolboy has made his voice-acting debut as Thomas the Tank Engine in a new animated series.

Harry Sparkes, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, stars in Thomas & Friends: Railway Stories alongside Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding, who narrates the series in a role made famous by Sir Ringo Starr.

For nine months, Sparkes kept his weekly recording sessions secret from his classmates by telling them he was attending physiotherapy for a foot injury.

“It feels amazing, because I played and watched Thomas as a kid, and now I get to be Thomas. It just feels insane,” he said.

Sparkes added that he thought his friends would be shocked to find out he was voicing the character.

He said he was excited he got “to be part of something which kids from the next generation will get to grow up to watch”.

Franchise owners Mattel teased the new series will “introduce fans to a refreshed world of Sodor, while still celebrating the iconic railway action we have all known and loved since its debut as a classic book in 1945”.

The character first appeared in The Railway Series, by children’s author Reverend Wilbert Awdry.

Golding said he was in the “shadow of giants” following in the footsteps of Sir Ringo and Pierce Brosnan, who narrated a 2008 movie special called Thomas & Friends: The Great Discovery.

Golding added: “I think we bring a new spin and a new sort of excitement to Thomas, and we’re kind of bringing it back up to date, which is the exciting part.”

The new series launches on the Thomas & Friends YouTube channel on 17 September, before streaming on Netflix from 30 September and a full series will debut in early 2027.

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