Posted in: HBO, TV | Tagged: John Oliver, Last Week Tonight, matt berry, Thomas & Friends, thomas the tank engine

Last Week Tonight Enlists Matt Berry for "Thomas & Friends" Parody

Host John Oliver and Matt Berry take you through the depressing and dangerous world of freight trains on HBO's Last Week Tonight.

If there's anyone who's there to remind us how woefully inefficient our American institutions are in such a colorful way, it's Last Week Tonight host John Oliver. Not far removed from the three-season renewal, the host took one of the country's most enduring pastimes in locomotives to shine a light on how much in disarray the freight train industry has become from overwhelmed loads, dangerous cargo, derailments, and less-than-desirable safety standards. By the time Oliver thoroughly breaks down an issue's biggest concerns and the important figures behind the problems, the series closes the segment out in a satirical segment that summarizes the major issues previously addressed. In this instance, Oliver's creative team parodied Thomas & Friends reminding his American audience how much more depressing the British version is by highlighting a clip from the time Ringo Starr hosted featuring a train character being immured at the end. For his Thomas & Friends parody closing segment, he enlisted What We Do in the Shadows star Matt Berry to narrate The Sad Tale of Henry the Engine.

Last Week Tonight: Enter the Depressing World of Freight Trains with John Oliver & Matt Berry

"Once upon a time on the Island of Sodor, there was a train named Henry," Barry began. "Henry was a freight train, and he pulled all kinds of important materials around, but then one day, Sir Top Hat had an idea, and suddenly Henry got longer…and longer…and longer. Henry got so long when he rested, he started to get in people's way, and drivers got very angry with him." The excessive length of trains was a common practice Oliver noted, along with a separate incident when a train prevented emergency vehicles from arriving at a scene of a disaster. The segment ended with the train laying waste to the island and Henry, himself, getting immured. For more, you can check out the video below. Last Week Tonight airs Sundays on HBO.

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