Thomas the Tank Engine creators cancel Christmas

The daughter of Thomas the Tank Engine’s creator Reverend Wilbert Awdry has slammed the decision to rebrand Christmas “the holidays” in an upcoming episode.

In a letter to the Telegraph Hilary Fortnam said, “I am dismayed at Thomas the Tank Engine having to call a Christmas tree a ‘holiday tree’. It is not what my father wrote.

“Christmas was always very important to him.”

Awdry was a clergyman for 30 years and according to his daughter insisted that he was “a priest first and a children’s author second”.

The episode in question, titled ‘Keeping Up With James’ sees the trains compete to transport presents to children.

Despite a Christmassy background of decorated trees and choirs, the show talks of “winter holidays” and “holiday trees”.

Mrs Fortnam added: “He would feel very strongly about this politically correct age, and that those who now write his stories should not take Christ out of Christmas.”

The company behind the series, Hit Entertainment claims the changes were made so the DVDs containing the episode could be sold all year round.

It’s not the first time it has faced controversy as the company once considered renaming the Fat Controller (That’s Sir Topham Hat to you) out of fear of offending obese people.

The children’s television classic is based on the series of books by Awdry and has been running for over 25 years.