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ABOUT THE NARRATORS
Sodor Railway Tales features a variety of talented narrators, all of whom provide their own unique style of storytelling...
George Brind
Creator of Sodor Railway Tales and primary narrator of the series, George Brind is a filmmaker, best known on YouTube for creating and playing the Doctor in Doctor Who: The George Brind Fan Series (2013 – 2023), making Bodger and Badger: The Animated Specials (2011 – 2014), Bodger and Badger: The Movie (2014), Thunderbirds: The Final Showdown (2017), and for being a videographer at Employ My Ability. Interested in visually appealing television programs as a child along with his two older brothers, Brind gained his interest in Thomas the Tank Engine through the ever-popular Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends TV series at the age of 4 in 2000, along with many other childhood favourites such as Postman Pat, Fireman Sam, Pingu, Noddy, Paddington Bear, Gumdrop, Old Bear and many more...
It wouldn't be until Brind was 9 years old when he started reading an actual Railway Series book, and since then, Brind has declared himself as an avid fan of the original books written by his reverence Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. Even before then, Brind expressed desire to make a project revolving around one of his childhood icons, even something ambitious such as a feature film. After many years of consideration, Brind finally came through with his ongoing "mission" of adapting all 42 books in the Railway Series, in a similar way to how the 1994 direct-to-video adaptation of the Gumdrop books written by Val Biro was made.
In being the primary narrator, Brind's traditional but enthusiastic storytelling style is mainly influenced by Gumdrop narrator Nigel Planer, the first Thomas & Friends narrator Ringo Starr, Postman Pat narrator Ken Barrie and Old Bear narrator Anton Rodgers, with Brind's many voices based on various character portrayals from many films and TV shows.
Thomas Brind
Thomas Brind is George's older and very talented brother, and like George grew up with many children's TV series, with Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends being no exception.
Over the years, Thomas has collaborated with George in many of his projects including co-writing and acting in Doctor Who: The George Brind Fan Series, and has provided many minor voice roles in other projects. When Thomas asked to be one of the narrators of Sodor Railway Tales, George immediately brought him on board. Thomas provides a delightful and humourous style to his narration of the stories.
Katherine Gell
Katherine Gell, or "Katie" as her friends call her, worked as a Higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) for many years. She now works for the NHS with children and young people who have Intellectual disabilities, behaviours that challenge and/or mental health issues and is a Sleep practitioner.
For 4 years Katie was one of George Brind's 1:1 supporters during his time at First School, where his brothers also attended. Even after George left First School in 2005, Brind and Gell remained in touch. From the mid-2010s onwards, Gell showed her voice acting talents when she contributed to playing the voice of Lady Penelope in Thunderbirds: The Final Showdown (2017) and has continued to contribute in further upcoming projects with Brind.
Having liked Thomas the Tank Engine since enjoying them with her children in the late 1980s, and recognising George's liking for the series, she was more than happy to give narrating Sodor Railway Tales a go, in the same way she told them to her own children when they were young.
Jerry De La Rue
Jerry De La Rue, who George Brind first met in 2015, is a talented artist, writer and voice actor. Like Brind, he became a fan of Thomas & Friends when he was young and eventually grew to like The Railway Series as well.
De La Rue began collaborating with Brind when providing many voices in Thunderbirds: The Final Showdown (2017) and recently co-wrote for one of Brind's upcoming projects. One of the first people Brind approached to be an additional narrator on Sodor Railway Tales, De La Rue immediately accepted and had a hand in choosing which books he wanted to narrate. Influenced by many TV shows and films, De La Rue carries out a radio-drama style narration, combined with many voice impersonations.
Cheryl Graham
The stories of Thomas the Tank Engine have been a part of Cheryl Graham's family and professional life. She read the stories to her children, trying to bring the stories to life and personality to the engines. For 30 years, she worked in Early Years with preschool children, George Brind being one of them in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At preschool, Thomas stories, always a favourite, were read and re-read. Cheryl's children are now grown up with families of their own, and another generation will continue to enjoy the adventures of Thomas and his friends; and, even though she knows the stories well, she shall continue reading the stories to them.
After hearing her impression of Mrs. Kyndley, Brind invited her to be an additional narrator on Sodor Railway Tales, which she accepted, providing a clear and gentle storytelling style.
Thomas Puttock
A friend of Brind’s since school in 2010 and a talented actor, Thomas Puttock has contributed to many of Brind’s projects by co-starring alongside Brind as the Doctor’s companion Eddie Parker in Doctor Who: The George Brind Fan Series (2013 – 2023). He has also voiced a number of roles in Thunderbirds: The Final Showdown (2017) and in further upcoming projects.
Like Brind, Puttock grew up with many Children’s TV shows including the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends television series when he was very young. The first episodes he ever saw were adaptations of stories from the twenty-fifth Railway Series book Duke the Lost Engine, prompting his particular fondness for Sodor’s narrow-gauge engines. He still remembers the Thomas & Friends series fondly, so when asked by Brind to be an additional narrator on Sodor Railway Tales, Puttock decided to give it a go.
Partially influenced by the late great second Thomas & Friends narrator Michael Angelis, Puttock carries out an electrifying style of narration.
Jen Griffin
Jen Griffin has worked as a school teacher for many years. She first met Brind when he was a pupil in her Reception Class. She currently works at a Special School for children with learning difficulties and/or autism.
Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, Jen was introduced to Thomas through the Thomas & Friends TV series. Whilst at primary school she remembers watching the series at home with her best friend during school lunch breaks. She has continued to like Thomas ever since, especially to show to school children – including Brind himself.
Jen was pleased to accept Brind’s offer to narrate some stories for Sodor Railway Tales, and carries out an engaging and lively style of narration.
Fiona Brind
Fiona, George Brind's mother works as the bursar of a local pre-school. She first remembers encountering Thomas the Tank Engine when her three sons enjoyed watching Thomas & Friends as young children.
Fiona has helped with many of George's projects, serving as a director and occasional actress for minor roles in Doctor Who: The George Brind Fan Series, as well as voicing minor roles in a number of George’s other projects. George immediately brought his mother on board to be a narrator on Sodor Railway Tales when she offered to be involved.
Fiona narrates the stories in just the same way as she did when she read bedtime stories to George and his brothers when they were young.
Claire Brind and Edward Brind
Claire is a relative newcomer to Thomas the Tank Engine and all the other Sodor Railway engines. While she remembers some of the Thomas & Friends TV series from her childhood, it was her older brother who was the real 'fan', not her. However, it wasn't until she started watching Sodor Railway Tales that she realised how many lovely stories there were, and enjoyed getting to know the characters. For her job, Claire specialises in teaching History, where storytelling is a key part of helping people learn about the past. She was therefore delighted when George Brind asked her to join in the narration of Series 3.
Edward is married to Claire and works as an engineer. He was a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine as a young child, and watched the Thomas & Friends TV series many times as each of his younger brothers (George Brind being one of them) liked them too. He always preferred the earlier series, with realistic stories (mostly faithful to The Railway Series), rather than (as the Awdrys’ put it) the “crassly inauthentic” later episodes and films. Although Edward is camera-shy, he thought that narration was something he could help George with. Actually, he found that voice acting was quite enjoyable, especially putting on accents!
Tracy Brooker
Tracy has worked at a local First School as a teaching assistant for the past twenty years, and was one of Brind's 1:1 supporters during his time at First School. Tracy learnt a lot about Thomas and the other Sodor Railway engines during this time as they were one of Brind's great interests.
By the 2010s, Tracy's youngest son Jasper developed an interest in Thomas & Friends, which helped renew Tracy’s interest in these stories.
So, when Brind invited her to be an additional narrator for Sodor Railway Tales she was happy to accept, narrating the stories in a tranquil and thoughtful way.
Richard Brind
Richard, George’s father, worked as a scientist for many years, and first knew about Thomas the Tank Engine when his three sons, especially George, enjoyed watching the TV series when they were young. On many occasions, he would even take George to Day Out with Thomas events near to where George lived, firstly at the Swanage Railway in Dorset, and later at the Watercress Line in Hampshire.
With some interest in photography, Richard was quite often a cameraman/director of photography in George’s live-action projects, most notably Doctor Who: The George Brind Fan Series, in which, although not an experienced actor, he played some minor roles including The Meddling Monk and Harold Reilly along with some insignificant background characters – policemen, army officers, bodyguards, security guards etc.
Much like George’s mother Fiona, Richard did regularly read stories to his children. Richard accepted Brind’s offer to narrate some stories in Sodor Railway Tales, reading them just like he would to his children.
Jenny Cole
Jenny has a background in working with the under 10's for many years in schools, a preschool and in Guiding. She has always been artistic and loves illustrating and really anything creative. The cartoony images used on the About the Narrators page were drawn by Jenny.
She has always loved the original Thomas stories and as a child this really sparked her love of stop frame animation. Over the years she's had many opportunities to read these wonderful stories, both to the children she used to teach, as well as to her own.
She says reading for Brind was a lovely experience and she was thrilled to be asked to join a group of such amazing and talented narrators.
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