Gordon Takes a Shortcut - Original Pierce Brosnan Narration
Sample of Brosnan's narration for "Gordon Takes a Shortcut"
In 2007, it was announced that "James Bond" actor Pierce Brosnan would be taking over as narrator for "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends" in 2007, starting with "The Great Discovery" special. Although Brosnan narrated the Special as planned, when Season 12 premiered in 2008, the series was still narrated by Michael Angelis in the UK and Michael Brandon in the US. The reasons why Brosnan did not continue are not fully clear.
Evidence has been shown that Brosnan has indeed recorded dialogue for the narration. In the Behind the Scenes feature on "The Great Discovery" DVD, Brosnan can be heard recording dialogue for the episodes "Thomas Puts the Brakes On" and "Best Friends.
In 2012 a 38 second audio clip surfaced of Pierce Brosnan's narration of "Gordon Takes a Shortcut". This audio originated from animation director Dino Athanassiou's website. [1]
So far, nothing official has been released of the narrations.