| Series: | The Railway Series/Thomas & Friends/ |
| The Fat Controller | |
| First: | The Three Railway Engines (1945) |
| Creator: | Rev. W. Awdry |
| Designer: | William Middleton |
| Voice: | UK
|
| Gender: | Male |
| Family: | Dowager Hatt (mother) Sir Lowham Hatt (brother) |
| Spouse: | Lady Hatt |
| Children: | 2 |
| Occupation: | Controller of the North Western Railway |
| Nationality: | English |
The Fat Controller is a fictional character in The Railway Series books written by Reverend W. Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. In the first two books in the series (The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine) he is known as The Fat Director, and as of the third book (James the Red Engine) he becomes The Fat Controller, as the railway has been nationalised. In the foreword to the 1951 book Henry the Green Engine, his real name is revealed to be Sir Topham Hatt.
The Fat Controller also appears in the television series Thomas & Friends, adapted from the books. On television, he was usually portrayed in the form of several different static figures made with either wood or lead during series one, and resin from series two onwards,[1] but has been portrayed using CGI from the twelfth series onward.
The term "fat controller" has since been adopted in various contexts in the English language, beyond the sphere of the original stories, usually in reference to someone who runs a railway.
The character is first seen in "The Sad Story of Henry" in the first book in the Railway Series, The Three Railway Engines. When Henry refused to leave a tunnel, the story says that "A fat director, who was on the train, told the guard to get a rope". The character is referred to as The Fat Controller from the third book, James the Red Engine, for the remainder of the Railway Series, due to the nationalisation of British Railways. 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 in both UK version and the first US version and George Carlin in the second US version) introduces him to the audience.
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.
He was a talented engineer who was apprenticed with Sir William Stanier at the Great Western Railway's Swindon 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 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 in 1948, Topham Hatt was made Controller of the railway. 1948 also saw him made a baronet 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 following books:
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 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 the following books:
Stephen Topham Hatt was first seen as a child in the book Toby the Tram Engine. 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 the following books:
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 series, he and all the other human characters were made out of lead. From the second series onwards, they were made out of resin 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 portrayed the character with a strong Yorkshire accent, with a low gruff voice a trait of which has been continued when Pierce Brosnan 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 in both the UK and US versions from 2015 onwards. Kerry Shale 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!".
In , Sir Topham Hatt's role was severely diminished. While the character is still present, he primarily deals with organizing special events, while Gordon is now the one handing the main characters their jobs for the day. Like in The Railway Series, the mantle of Sir Topham Hatt is generational in All Engines Go, with the current one being named Bertram, as with the Thomas & Friends incarnation.
The production crew noted that Sir Topham Hatt was the only human character intended to interact with the engines, though as of 2024, he is the only human overall to have dialogue. Unlike in Thomas & Friends, the character is always referred to as Sir Topham Hatt in both English dubs, likely to avoid any negative connotations towards his more popular nickname. This Sir Topham Hatt was voiced by Bruce Dow in the US dub. While Dow initially also voiced the character in the UK dub, he was later switched out for British actor Tom Dussek in the middle of production.
In his iconic top hat and morning suit, the Fat Controller looks rather old-fashioned and formal.
In the television series, 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 episode "Halloween", he is shown wearing pyjamas and a nightcap, and in the Series 9 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 laird. In various CGI episodes, he dresses like Santa Claus.
Lady 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:
She has appeared in the following episodes:
Dowager 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:
She has appeared in the following episodes:
She is the only household member to originate in the TV series, never having appeared in the Railway Series books.
They both have appeared together in:
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:
He has appeared in:
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'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:
She has appeared in:
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. It is unknown how and why he got his knighthood.
He only appears in the series 13 episode, "Double Trouble".
Voices:
Sir Topham Hatt has a butler who is featured in The Railway Series and the Thomas & Friends TV series. He has appeared in only three stories - "Thomas in Trouble/Breaks the Rules" in Series 1, "Lady Hatt's Birthday Party" in Series 5 and "Fergus Breaks the Rules / Thomas and the Search for Fergus" in Series 7.
"Day Out with Thomas" events are a popular way of raising money for heritage railways. 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.[2] 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,[3] and it is absolutely forbidden for a Fat Controller to be too thin.[4] In the United States, on the other hand, he is instead portrayed as a costumed character (with the performer's face hidden).