was a 26-episode series that bowed in 1984 on ITV in the U.K. as Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. Allcroft picked Ringo Starr to serve as Mr. Conductor, the gentle show's first narrator ...

However, two days after the dismissal, Starr found himself on drums ... I was so impressed with Ringo’s excellent drumming," Mr Thomas recalled. "I remember seeing their new manager, Brian ...

She discovered the character in a series of 1940s children’s books and thought Ringo Starr would make a great Mr. Conductor on television.