Air date: October 15th, 1998 (UK)
Adapted from: The magazine story "Rumours and Speculation"
Some children are upset that their playground has been closed, but before Thomas can tell the others, Percy butts in with news that Harold has been hired to show a visitor around Sodor. A few days later, Gordon is going to collect his train when he sees Harold and goes down the wrong line into a tunnel being bored. Thomas is worried that Gordon will be scrapped, but the Fat Controller laughs and says Harold was hired so the man could find a new site for the playground more easily from up in the air. The man declares that the sand cleared from the tunnel will be perfect for the playground.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Adaptation Expansion: A rare post Season Four episode adapted from written media (the short magazine story "Rumors and Speculations", albeit with BoCo and Daisy's roles played by Thomas and Henry respectively).
- An Aesop: You shouldn't always listen to rumors as they're usually untrue.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: For Gordon, James, and Henry's collective catchphrase, "Disgraceful, Disgusting, and Despicable", respectively, it's Gordon who uses Henry's line while Henry uses James line, though James doesn't use any of those lines.
- Counting Sheep: Percy sees Harold hovering over a field of sheep and believes he’s doing this.
- Gossipy Hens: The engines become paranoid after hearing about Harold taking a visitor, which escalates into them believing Harold is trying to get them all scrapped.
- Misplaced Retribution: Averted for once. Gordon's driver takes the heat for the crash, not Gordon himself.
- What the Hell, Hero?: The Fat Controller has a stern word with Gordon's driver for his engine damaging the tunnel. This marks the first time in the series that an engine's crewmember gets reprimanded instead of the engine being The Scapegoat for human error.
