Characters / Fireman Sam

The Fire Service

Samuel Jones/Fireman Sam

^{Click here to see him in Series 6- 9}

^{Click here to see him in Series 5}

Voiced by (English): John Alderton (1987-1994), John Sparkes (2005-2007), Steven Kynman (2008-present), Andrew Hodwitz (US dub)
Voiced by (Welsh): Gareth Lewis (1987-1994)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Lars Mikkelsen (Danish), Juha Veris (Dutch), Eric Aubrahn (French), Sebastian Jacob (German, 2005-2007), Clemens Gerhard (German, 2008-present), Massimiliano Lotti (Italian)

Debut: "The Kite"

The main protagonist of the series. Sam is a firefighter for the Pontypandy Fire Service, as well as a hobbyist inventor. He is best known for his levelheadedness and bravery.

• Ageless Birthday Episode: In both "Birthday Surprise" and "Sam's Birthday", he celebrates a birthday, but his age is never specified.
• Bad "Bad Acting": Sam isn't a fan of the spotlight, and any time he's asked to perform, he does so in a manner that's simultaneously flat and overdone. He only manages to land the lead role in "Set for Action!" because of his skills as a firefighter.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Among the core firefighter trio, Sam serves as the redhead to Elvis' brunette and Penny's blonde. However, he inverts the Fiery Redhead trope by instead being, as the theme song puts it, "always cool and calm".
• Character Catchphrase: "Great Fires of London!"
• Distressed Dude:
  • In "Sam's Day Off", he became trapped in his shed, which was burning, so Sarah and James phone the fire service to get him out. Sam's popcorn machine, which he had been working on in the shed, explodes and knocks the door open, freeing him.
  • In "Deep Trouble for Sam", while helping Penny with her garden, an earthquake opens up a crevasse in the earth, trapping Sam. The other firefighters pull him out.
• Gadgeteer Genius: He's an inventor who could give Wallace a run for his money. This trait was downplayed in the revival series, though still perks up at odd times.
• The Hero: Works for the fire service to help save lives and prevent disasters. The theme song even calls him “The hero next door”.
• Idiot Hair: Sam is almost always depicted with a cowlick in his hair on the left side of his head, that sticks out of his helmet, writer Rob Lee chose this so he could tell Sam and the crew apart as they looked the same with the helmets on, this design detail is a signature aspect of his design as "Sam looked strong but vulnerable" in Rob's words, the ahoge stereotype is inverted mostly as Sam is a very wise and responsible character..except when his inventing streak gets in the way, this detail isn't as emphasized past the first 4 seasons.
• Mellow Fellow: In the original series he is incredibly laid back considering his line of work. The revival series gives him a more stern and lively attitude, even if he remains very easy going, especially considering all the hazards everyone else causes.
• Nice Guy: He's a very pleasant, kind-hearted person and rarely (if ever) loses his temper.
• Not So Above It All: His inventive streak can sometimes undermine his emphasis on fire safety.
• Not So Stoic: His cool and calm nature towards emergencies does have limits as shown with "Fireman James".
• Only Sane Man: Almost always the one explaining basic safety protocol to the other Pontypandy residents, and sometimes even fellow fire fighters. He has odd moments of being Not So Above It All however.
• Orange/Blue Contrast: His blue uniform is contrasted by his bright red hair.
• Workaholic: Sam tends to get bored off-duty and prefers to be saving lives (which is just as well considering how many emergencies happen in Pontypandy). Comes in handy in cases like "Poorly Penny" when Sam compulsively comes in on his day off just as a rescue goes wrong.

Elvis Cridlington

^{Click here to see him in Series 1- 4}

Voiced by (English): John Alderton (1987-1994), John Sparkes (2005), Steven Kynman (2008-present), Andrew Hodwitz (US dub)
Voiced by (Welsh): Gareth Lewis (1987-1994)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Maxime Baudoin (French), Christoph Banken (German, 2005-2007), Emiliano Reggente (Italian, 2008-present)

Debut: "The Kite"

A rockstar at heart, Elvis is one of the firefighters at the Pontypandy station. Despite his clumsiness and inattentiveness, there is no firefighter more compassionate and dedicated than him.

• Bumbling Sidekick: Downplayed. While he definitely has the credentials of this trope during interactions and team busy work (especially around Steele), he is usually quite helpful during actual emergencies.
• Butt-Monkey: If it's not Trevor, Mike, or Charlie getting into scrapes, it's Elvis.
• Character Development: In the early seasons, he was a terrible chef. Starting with Series 5, he began to improve, and come Series 8, he's a much better cook, with even Station Officer Steele praising him.
• Character Tics: In early seasons, he tended to put a finger to his mouth a lot.
• Distressed Dude: Averted; despite his reputation for clumsiness, he is the only member of the original fire crew who has not needed an individual rescue.
• The Ditz: Often dopey and clumsy off-duty, to the ire of Steele.
• Dub Name Change: In the French dub, his surname is changed to Portillon.
• Early Installment Character-Design Difference:
  • In the first few books, he had black eyes. It wasn't until the TV series started that they became blue.
  • During the stop motion series, he was noticeably thinner than the other firefighters. When the series Shifted to CGI, he bulked up to match the more muscular builds of Sam and Penny.
• Fatal Flaw: Performance anxiety. When specifically asked or tested on a certain task at the fire station, Elvis will inevitably screw something up. When doing that same task in a real rescue, he's much more on the ball and attentive.
• Genius Ditz: On-duty, he's extremely competent at his job. Especially apparent in some of the CGI episodes.
• The Heart: His unbridled enthusiasm and optimism sets him as the fire service's moral compass.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: He has sky-blue eyes, and he's as sweet as they come, if clumsy and lacking in attention span.
• In-Series Nickname: The pre-show books implied that "Elvis" was a nickname and not his real name. However, this was quickly dropped, and it's been confirmed that that is his actual name.
• Kindhearted Simpleton: Although not very bright, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone nicer than Elvis.
• Lethal Chef: A Running Gag is that his food is absolutely atrocious. Although, considering neither Sam nor Steele have ever tried their hands at cooking, one has to wonder how much worse THEIR food would be.
• Lethally Stupid: Mostly subverted in that he can usually restrain his bungling outside of harmless situations. However there are odd times he screws up in a dangerous way:
  • In "Norman's Pitfall", his clumsiness dislodges a support beam in a mine, causing it to cave in. Had Rosa not found them an alternate exit, he, Sam and Norman risked dying from the mine's poisonous air.
  • In "Fox on the Run", he feeds Radar chocolate (which can kill dogs), mistaking it for doggy treats. Radar doesn't die, but he does expectedly get sick.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Despite his dopey, clumsy behaviour off-duty, he is usually quite competent in an emergency, and has even saved Sam and Penny more than once. Limelighted in Heroes of the Storm, when newcomers Arnold and Ellie are left convinced Elvis is The Load of the team, until he is left to take over from Sam.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Need we say more?
• Signature Laugh: Mainly in the CGI seasons; a low, dopey "aw huh huh huh huh". After his Vocal Evolution in the post-2016 episodes, it's more of a "oh hoo hoo hoo hoo".
• Simpleton Voice: Alderton gave him a slightly dopey voice in the original series. This got exaggerated further in the revival seasons.
• Vocal Evolution:
  • In the stop-motion seasons, Elvis' voice is higher-pitched than Sam's. Come the CGI seasons, and now Elvis has the deeper voice. Given that Sam and Elvis are traditionally voiced by the same person, this was likely a conscious choice by Steven Kynman.
  • In the CGI series, his voice gets deeper and raspier post-Series 10.
• Working Through the Cold: In "Froggy Fantasy", he hauls off to work despite having a cold, which causes a few scrapes due to his strong sneezes.

Station Officer Steele

Voiced by (English): John Alderton (1987-1994), John Sparkes (2005), David Carling (2008-present)
Voiced by (Welsh): Gareth Lewis (1987-1994)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Bernard Demory (French), Alberto Caneva (Italian)

Debut: "The Kite"

Station Officer Steele is the head of the Pontypandy Fire Station, and usually the one to lead Sam, Elvis, and Penny into action.

• Character Catchphrase: "Now who needs the Fire Service?" (in the first four seasons), "Action stations, men!" (in the fifth season only), and "Cridlington!"
• Cool Old Guy: Much more pronounced in the CGI seasons, in which he tries to hide hobbies such as paper airplanes and kite-flying from the others (though he does bond with Norman over the former, and Elvis assures him the kite is nothing to be ashamed of).
• Expy: According to Rob Lee, Steele was characterised after Captain Mainwaring from Dad's Army. John Alderton even puts on his best Arthur Lowe impersonation to match it in the original series.
• Jerkass to One: A downplayed and justified example towards Elvis. While he does tend to be harder on Elvis compared to the rest of the firefighters, he still cares for him and his hardness towards Elvis is because of how klutzy and airheaded Elvis can be.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be rather strict and bossy, but he cares very much for the well-being of his firefighters and the people of Pontypandy.

Penny Morris

^{Click here to see her in Series 5}

^{Click here to see her in Series 3- 4}

Voiced by (English): John Alderton (1987-1994), Sarah Hadland (2005), Tegwen Tucker (2008-present)
Voiced by (Welsh): Gareth Lewis (1987-1994), Ceri Mill (2008-present)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Hildegard Van Nylen (Dutch, 2008-2017), Janka Solecki (Hungarian), Patrizia Salerno (Italian, 2008-present), Lena Meieran (Norwegian, 2008-present)

Debut: "Dilys' Forgetful Day"

The series' first female firefighter, introduced in Series 3. Penny was originally from Newtown, but would often drop by Pontypandy. She later moved into town, and has been a permanent fixture of the fire service ever since.

• Accent Adaptation: Reversed. In the original episodes she had an English accent like most other Newtown characters, while in the revival seasons she has a Welsh accent like the others native to Pontypandy.
• Action Girl: Comes with being a firefighter.
• Ascended Extra: She was introduced in the third season as a recurring character from Newtown. By the fifth season, she had transferred to Pontypandy full-time.
• Boyish Short Hair: From Seasons 5 to 11, she had this. In Seasons 3 and 4, it was a bit longer and in a bun, and in Season 12, she grew it out and put it in a ponytail, likely because Ellie also falls under this trope, and the creators wanted something more distinctive.
• Drop-In Character: In the 1987 series, she was from Newtown, and usually visited Pontypandy to give their fire station an extra hand. This was dropped (ha) in Series 5.
• Dub Name Change: In the Dutch dub, her name is Jenny Jansen.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Penny has blonde hair, and is one of the most kind-hearted people in Pontypandy.
• Nice Girl: Nice to everyone, and never angry unless given a very good reason.
• Not So Above It All: Similar to Sam and Steele, Penny sometimes demonstrates a very playful side off-duty. She also on sporadic occasions causes a problem herself, such as in "Poorly Penny" when her insistence on covering for Sam despite being ill nearly gets her in danger.
• One of the Kids: Tends to get into misadventures with the children.
• Only Sane Man: Often trades this role with Sam by similarly being one of the more safety aware Pontypandy civilians. Like Sam however, her track record isn't totally flawless.
• Out of Focus: Though a regular Drop-In Character in Season Three, she makes only a couple of appearances in Season Four. Reversed Season Five onwards when she is promoted to main character status.
• The Smurfette Principle: Until Ellie Phillips was introduced, Penny was the only female firefighter in the series.
• Women Are Wiser: Downplayed in that while the male firefighters tend to be equally competent in action, Penny is arguably the most level headed and least outwardly buffoonish (though isn't without silly moments of her own).

Radar

Debut: "Hot and Cold Running Sniffer Dog"

Radar is the fire station's rescue dog, introduced in Series 6.

• Firehouse Dalmatian: He's a Dalmatian, and he works with the fire service as a sniffer dog.
• Heroic Dog: In "Hot and Cold Running Sniffer Dog", he tracked down an injured Mike Flood for the fire service to rescue.

Arnold McKinsley

Voiced by (English): John Hasler
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Jesper Voetmann (Danish), Michele Botrugno (Italian)

Debut: "Heroes of the Storm"

• Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Has the technical details down, but isn't very good at actually applying them.
• Leeroy Jenkins: On a rescue mission, he charges through the wind and rain to save Mrs. Chen and Lily despite Elvis’ warnings to wait for Ellie.
• Out of Focus: Out of all of the firefighters, Arnold’s had the least amount of screen time since his debut.
• Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Phrases many things in heavy technical terms, often to the confusion of Elvis. This does come in handy naming Hydrus however.
• Underestimating Badassery: When he first joined, he was fully convinced Elvis was The Load of the team after witnessing his usual bungling, ignoring his safety precautions during a rescue mission. He realises his mistake when Elvis rescues him however.

Ellie Phillips

Voiced by (English): Harriet Kershaw (2015-2020), Alexandra Mardell (2021-present)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Caroline Frossard (French), Carlotta Guido (Italian)

Debut: "Heroes of the Storm"

A newer firefighter in the crew, Ellie joined the cast in between Series 9 and Series 10 after graduating from the Newtown Fire Academy.

• Affirmative Action Girl: She was added primarily so Penny wouldn't be the only female firefighter.
• Boyish Short Hair: Her hairstyle is a short pixie cut.
• Hurt Foot Hop: In "Shape Up and Shine", she does one of these when she drops something heavy on her foot.
• Those Two Guys: In Series 13, she was frequently paired up with Sam as a duo.
• Tomboy: Very athletic and competitive.
• Underestimating Badassery: Downplayed compared to Arnold, but she clearly wasn't impressed by Elvis on first meeting either. Similarly she changed that outlook after Elvis proved competent during the hurricane.

Chief Fire Officer Boyce

Voiced by (English): David Carling

Debut: "The Great Fire of Pontypandy"

Introduced in "The Great Fire of Pontypandy", Horatio Boyce is the Chief Fire Officer for Pontypandy. He is usually positioned in Newtown.

• Control Freak: In "Shape Up and Shine", he interrupts the fire service's hot-day activities and forces them into a rigid exercise program. Even when Ellie tells him they need to warm up first, he ignores her and makes them do it anyway. This results in the entire fire service sans Sam getting injured; Elvis throws his back out, Arnold twists his wrist, Penny gets some whiplash in her neck, and Ellie hurts her foot.
• The Dreaded: Every time he appears, he causes some kind of grief for the Pontypandy Fire Service, especially Station Officer Steele.

Additional Rescue Team Members

Tom Thomas

Voiced by (English): John Sparkes (2005), David Carling (2008-present)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Christian Damsgaard (Danish), Maurizio Reti (Italian)

Debut: "Danger Falling Sheep"

Introduced in Series 5, Tom is the head of the Mountain Rescue Center, and the fire service's go-to aerial search.

• Awesome Aussie: Tom is the only Australian cast member, and he's a hard-working helicopter pilot.
• Character Catchphrase: "Flaming koalas!". This became an Abandoned Catchphrase after Series 5, possibly due to complaints of stereotyping.
• Hidden Depths: "The Break Up" shows that he can play the didgeridoo.
• Iconic Outfit: Always seen in his orange flight suit.
• Idiot Ball: Whenever he hangs around with Moose, he tends to act more recklessly, which usually gets them both into trouble.
• Repetitive Name: Tom Thomas.

Ben Hooper

Voiced by (English): Alex Lowe
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Yann le Madic Virtudes (French), Daniele Di Matteo (Italian)

Debut: "All at Sea"

Introduced in Series 9, Ben is Pontypandy's coastguard.

• Adaptational Nationality: In the original UK version, he's Welsh. The American dub changes him to be a Texan.

Jerry Lee Cridlington

Voiced by (English): Steven Kynman
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Benjamin Bollen (French)

Debut: "Castles in the Air"
Last appearance: "The Prince in Pontypandy"

A cousin to Elvis and a firefigher from Newtown.

• One-Shot Character: He only appears in one episode, "Castles in the Air". He briefly cameos in "The Prince in Pontypandy", however this was just as a background filler.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Although they are cousins, Jerry Lee and Elvis look similar enough to be twin brothers, with only Jerry Lee's curly blonde hair to tell them apart.
• Supreme Chef: In "Castles in the Air", he bakes a delicious peach and pecan cake.

Jodie Phillips

Voiced by (English): Ayesha Antoine

Debut: "Norman and the Sea"

Introduced in Series 13, Jodie is a marine biologist and Ocean Rescue Team member. She is also the older sister of Ellie.

• Blue Is Heroic: She's an Ocean Rescue Team member who is usually seen in a blue wetsuit.
• Handicapped Badass: She's a tough, athletic member of the rescue team, and had a prosthetic leg.

Krystyna Kaminski

Voiced by (English): Krystyna O'Brien

Debut: "Snap and Spot"

Introduced in Series 14, Krystyna is a helicopter pilot and an old friend of Tom's. She hails from Poland.

• Alliterative Name: Krystyna Kaminski.
• Braids of Action: A badass helicopter pilot who wears her hair in a thick braid.
• Heroes Love Dogs: She's introduced via playing around with Radar, and later saves the day with her piloting skills.
• Practically Different Generations: Krystyna is a fully-grown adult, while her brother Peter is only eleven.

Townspeople

Trevor Evans

Voiced by (English): John Alderton (1987-1994), John Sparkes (2005), David Carling (2008-2020), Gary Wilmot (2021-present)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Luca Violini (Italian)

Debut: "The Kite"

Trevor is Pontypandy's bus driver and the leader of the Pontypandy Pioneers. In early seasons, he was an auxiliary fireman, but has since moved on from this position while Penny took his place.

• Butt-Monkey: Everything that can go wrong for Trevor inevitably does.
• Helpless Kicking: In "Trevor's Training", he gets stuck halfway in a manhole and is left flailing his legs around until Sam pulls him out.
• Idiot Ball: Grabs it hard in "Hot Air" as he refuses to listen to Norman’s valid warnings about the overheated engine. He does come around at the end though.
• Nice Guy: The man is a massive sweetheart, popular with both the kids (whom he affectionately calls "my sugarlumps" in the classic seasons) and the ladies.
• Out of Focus: Downplayed. He is still a regular in the revival seasons, though was much more prominent in the original series, where the smaller cast led to him being more regularly involved and even applied as an Auxiliary Fireman in some episodes.
• Token Minority: In the 1987 series, he was the only non-white cast member. This is no longer the case in later series, as more characters of colour (ex. Helen, Mandy, Mrs. Chen, etc.) were introduced.

Bella Lasagne

Voiced by (English): John Alderton (1987-1994), Sarah Hadland (2005), Harriet Kershaw (2016-present)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Brigitte Virtudes (French), Anna Apostolakis-Gluzińska (Polish)

Debut: "The Kite"

Originally from Italy, Bella is a local restaurant owner in Pontypandy. She has since moved to Newtown, but still visits her old friends.

• As Long as It Sounds Foreign: Despite what Bella would have you believe, the 'e' in "grazie" is not silent, but is pronounced as an 'ay' sound. And an exclamation of "good!" in Italian would be "bene!" not the (incorrect) Spanish "bueno!" And her name is Bella Lasagne for crying out loud!
• Big Beautiful Woman: Especially in the CGI series, she's a large, gorgeous woman.
• Drop-In Character: She makes occasional return appearances Season 10 onwards.
• Early Installment Character-Design Difference: In the stop-motion seasons, she had curly hair, pointy yellow glasses, and wore a red dress with long sleeves. When she was brought back in the CGI series, she was changed to have straight hair, round silver glasses, and a pink dress with short sleeves.
• Funny Foreigner: She's a blatant Italian stereotype and is largely used for comic relief.
• Kindhearted Cat Lover: In the stop-motion seasons, she had a cat named Rosa whom she adored. However, Rosa has not been seen since Series 5.
• Pink Means Feminine: In the CGI seasons, she wears a pink dress.
• Put on a Bus: She disappeared after the fifth season, though her cafe was still visible across form Dilys' store.
  • The Bus Came Back: She eventually returned in the tenth season with a new design and a reason for her absence: moving to Newtown between the fifth and sixth seasons.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: She's really afraid of mice, and often freaks out on seeing them, regardless as to whether they're real or clockwork ones.

Dilys Price

Voiced by (English): John Alderton (1987-1994), John Sparkes (2005), Su Douglas (2008-present)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Daniela Debolini (Italian)

Debut: "The Kite"

Dilys is the owner of the town general store and the mother of local prankster Norman Price.

• Adaptation Dye-Job: In the stop-motion series, she was redheaded. The CGI series changed her to a brunette.
• Big Beautiful Woman: She has a plump chest and big hips.
• Boyish Short Hair: Dilys has this despite being a feminine mother.
• Expy: Rob Lee stated that she was modelled off of Hilda Ogden from Coronation Street. She is even dressed almost identically in the original series.
• Meaningful Name: The primary shopkeeper in town, and her surname is Price.
• Nice Girl: She is very material, kind, loving and caring yet also stern, sensible and a Neat Freak, despite her gossiping.
• Parental Obliviousness: She's oblivious to her son being a troublemaker.

Sarah and James

Sarah voiced by (English): John Alderton (1987-1994), Joanna Ruiz (2005), Tegwen Tucker (2008-present), Lily Cassano (US dub)
James voiced by: John Alderton (1987-1994), Joanna Ruiz (2005), Steven Kynman (2008-2012), John Hasler (2012-present)
Sarah voiced by (foreign dubs): Eva Paludan (Danish), Cristiana Rossi (Italian, 2005)
James voiced by (foreign dubs): Elias Strube (Danish), Gilberta Crispino (Italian, 2008-present), Bence Berkes (Hungarian), Katarzyna Łaska (Polish, 2008-present)

Debut: "The Kite"

Sam's twin niece and nephew, who both want to be firefighters just like him.

• Character Catchphrase: James would often say "Mega-Brill!" (short for "mega brilliant") in the classic seasons.
• Divergent Character Evolution: In the later CGI seasons, Sarah began holding the Idiot Ball alongside Mandy more often, while James is often the Only Sane Man and a bit of a Lovable Coward. They also have individual limelight more often, sometimes with the other twin is completely absent.
• Idiot Ball: They hold it several times in the CGI seasons, whether individually or together, especially if it involves their Sibling Rivalry going too far.
• Only Sane Man: They tend to be the most-rational kids in Pontypandy.
• Pink Girl, Blue Boy: In most books released throughout the 80s and 90s, Sarah wears a pink shirt and overalls, while James wears a blue shirt and trousers.
• Pink Means Feminine: Sarah always has some pink in her outfit: in the 80s series, she wore an entirely pink outfit, in 2005, she wore pink pants and shoes and had a pink pattern on her shirt, and as of 2008, she has pink sleeves and pink shoes.
• Sibling Rivalry: They tend to bicker in the CGI seasons, in contrast with the first five seasons where it was limited to the occasional good-natured jab.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: They used to be the most rational kids in Pontypandy but come the CGI seasons, they cause almost as many emergencies as Norman.

Norman Price

Voiced by (English): John Alderton (1987-1994), John Sparkes (2005), Steven Kynman (2008-present), Carter Treneer (US dub, 2008-2016)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Sebastian Alstrup (Danish), Barbara Sacchelli (Italian)

Debut: "The Kite"

• Adaptational Jerkass: Norman's a lot crueler in the CGI seasons compared to the first 5 seasons. For example, Norman in the first 5 seasons would never have tied James to a chair and left him in a room set on fire, nor would he have trapped James in the swimming pool changing rooms by gluing the door shut.
• A Boy and His X: Series 5 introduces an animal companion for him, in the form of a sheep named Woolly, who he often plays with and looks after.
• Disappeared Dad: Norman's father has never been seen. He is only mentioned in "Brass Band". Maybe this is part of the cause of his behaviour?
• Expy: Rob Lee stated that he was modelled on DennisTheMenace.
• Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Norman wears glasses and is a prankster.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his love of mischief, he often becomes a hero by summoning help for others in need.
• Karma Houdini: While he (mostly) averted this trope in the first five seasons where he would end up having to serve some kind of punishment for his pranks, he plays this trope straight in the CGI seasons where he's only let off with a warning for his more dangerous and mean spirited pranks which would've gotten him sent to juvie had the series taken place in real life.
  • However, there ARE occasions where he does end up getting punished - In "Froggy Fantasy", for example, he gets kicked off the titular swimming show and forced to do fire safety lessons with Penny as punishment for locking up James in the swimming pool changing rooms.
• Not Me This Time: There are a few occasions Norman isn't the one causing the current emergency, or had even tried to prevent it happening. It's almost always accompanied by Lampshade Hanging at how unexpected it is, sometimes even from himself.
• Smart Ball: Norman can actually be the voice of reason in some episodes with "Cadet Catastrophe" and "Hot Air" being two notable examples.
• Too Dumb to Live: Sometimes the reason he ends up in danger.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: In addition to being crueler in the CGI seasons, Norman is also much more stupid. Whereas his pranks in the first five seasons were planned out in advance, in the CGI seasons, he's a Leeroy Jenkins who goes for it without thinking about the consequences.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Surprisingly after the twelfth season, Norman has mellowed out a bit regarding his more mean spirited pranks and is nicer towards the citizens of Pontypandy.
• Unmanly Secret: Norman owns Cuddly Sheep pyjamas that Dilys packed for him for a sleepover, much to Norman's embarrassment.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: "Lost in the Caves" establishes him to be afraid of bats.

Mike Flood

Voiced by (English): John Sparkes (2005), David Carling (2008-present)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Christian Damsgaard (Danish), Maurizio Tesei (Italian)

Debut: "A Real Live Wire"

A plumber, and later a handyman. Mike is married to Helen and the father of Mandy.

• Butt-Monkey: He tends to get into trouble very frequently, much like the Prices.
• Happily Married: To Helen.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: Far more prone to making stupid mistakes in the CGI series that often cause emergencies with "Flood’s Flood" being a prime example of this.

Helen Flood

Voiced by (English): Joanna Ruiz (2005), Su Douglas (2008-2020), Ayesha Antoine (2021-present), Becky Shrimpton (US dub)
Voiced by (Welsh): Ceri Tudno (2003-2004), Ceri Mill (2008-present)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Joanne Telesford (Dutch), Giovanna Nicodemo (Italian), Katarzyna Łaska (Polish)

Debut: "Twist of Fate"

A nurse, who sometimes helps out the rescue team. Helen is married to Mike and the mother of Mandy.

• Happily Married: To Mike.
• The Medic: She's a nurse, and the primary medical worker in the series.
• Odd Name Out: She's the only member of her family whose name doesn't begin with an M, against brother Malcolm, husband Mike, and daughter Mandy.
• Women Are Wiser: Much more rational than her husband is.

Mandy Flood

Voiced by (English): Sarah Hadland (2005), Su Douglas (2008-2020), Ayesha Antoine (2021-present), Lily Cassano (US dub)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Merete Brettschneider (German), Federica Valenti (Italian)

Debut: "Danger Falling Sheep"

Mike and Helen's daughter. A frequent playmate of Sarah, James, and Norman.

• Characterization Marches On: In her first appearances, she could be just as troublesome as Norman, who was her best friend. Starting with the CGI seasons, she became less prone to recklessness, and she and Norman have more of a vitriolic friendship.
• Girlish Pigtails: In the 2005 series, she wore her hair in twin odango.
• Girly Girl And Tomboy: She's the headstrong tomboy to Sarah's Girly Girl.
• Spiky Hair: Her new hairstyle for the CGI seasons.
• When You Coming Home, Dad?: Has this attitude during "The Great Fire of Pontypandy" special as she complains about her father being too busy to spend time with her and her mom.

Bronwyn Jones

Voiced by (English): Tegwen Tucker (UK), Margaret Brock (US)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Barbara Berengo (Italian)

Debut: "Hot and Cold Running Sniffer Dog"

Bronwyn is the owner of the local fish and chips restaurant, the Wholefish Cafe. She is also married to Charlie, the mother of Sarah and James, and the daughter of Gareth.

• Big Beautiful Woman: She has a round face, a plump chest and heavyset yet mascular and curvy figure and big hips.
• Brawn Hilda: She has a plump and heavyset yet mascular and curvy figure.
• Dub Name Change: In the German dub, her name is Gwendolyn instead of Bronwyn.
• Feminine Women Can Cook: She's among the most feminine women seen in the series, and she owns the Wholefish Cafe.
• New-Age Retro Hippie: In Series 6, she showed an interest in healing crystals, feng shui, and meditation. This was phased out in later appearances.
• Nice Girl: She is very material, kind, loving and caring yet also stern and no-nonsense.
• Unseen No More: In the stop-motion era, she was only alluded to in the twins' Image Song, which mentions that Sarah loves her mother's trifle. She would finally make her first appearance in Series 6.

Charlie Jones

Voiced by (English): Steven Kynman (UK), Jacob James (US)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Christian Damsgaard (Danish), Lorenzo Vantaggio (Italian)

Debut: "Perilous Path"

The local fisherman. He is Sam's brother, Bronwyn's husband, and Sarah and James' father.

• Happily Married: To Bronwyn.

Derek Price

Voiced by (English): Steven Kynman (UK), Carter Treneer (US, 2009-2016)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Patrizia Salerno (Italian), Anna Sztejner (Polish)

Debut: "Double Trouble"

• Hidden Depths: Despite being well-behaved most of the time, he's actually just as much a prankster as his cousin Norman.
• Karma Houdini: Barring being told off alongside Norman, he and his cousin get very little punishment for bringing the sausages that caused the town to evacuate from the fire of Pontypandy in the first place. Though it’s likely Dilys punished them both offscreen.
• Nice Guy: Normally soft-spoken and polite.
• Palette Swap: His character model is Norman's with a couple of differences, such as brunette hair instead of ginger, different-colored clothes, and no glasses. They both have the same voice actor, as well, though Stephen Kynman gives Derek a West Country accent while Norman's is distinctly Welsh.

Lizzie Sparkes

Voiced by (English): Jo Wyatt (UK), Margaret Brock (US)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Valerie Nosree (French), Mariangela d'Amore (Italian)

Debut: "All at Sea" (cameo), "The Pontypandy Cup" (official)

• Dub Name Change: In the French dub, her surname is Barquette.
• Friend to All Living Things: As a vet, it's her job to care for all the animals in Pontypandy.
• Happily Married: To Joe.
• Out of Focus: In Series 9, she was little more than a background character, as the focus was more on Hannah and Joe. However, once she was given the role of a veterinarian in Series 10, she started to appear more often, even working alongside the rescue services.

Joe Sparkes

Voiced by (English): Alex Lowe
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Marc Bretonniere (French), Emanuele Durante (Italian)

Debut: "All at Sea" (cameo), "Up, Up, and Away" (official)

• Bumbling Dad: Can occasionally be this.
• Character Catchphrase: "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!"
• Happily Married: To Lizzie.

Hannah Sparkes

Voiced by (English): Jo Wyatt (UK), Margaret Brock (US)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Delphine Braillon (French), Chiara Oliviero (Italian)

Debut: "All at Sea" (cameo), "Battle of the Birthdays" (official)

Lizzie and Joe's daughter.

• Braids of Action: She's a sporty tomboy wearing twin braids.
• Expy: Being a smart elementary-school age girl with blonde hair in a wheelchair, she bears a lot of similarities to Lizzy Taylor of Postman Pat.
• Fatal Flaw: Impatience. Hannah's frustration with her father's inventions not working immediately often leads to her attempting to speed up the process and make things worse.
• Only Sane Man: While she occasionally has moments of causing emergencies herself a lot of the time she is this.

Mrs. Chen

Voiced by (English): Tegwen Tucker (2012-2020), Siu-see Hung (2021-present), Margaret Brock (US dub)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Delphine Braillon (French), Francesca Tardio (Italian)

Debut: "Runaway Train"

Mrs. Chen is the local teacher. She is also the mother of Lily.

• Asian and Nerdy: She's a Chinese-Welsh woman who is also the children's schoolteacher.
• Control Freak: She likes everything to be her way, and will easily take things into her own hands to ensure that. Sometimes, such as in "Bus Trouble", this lands her and others in a heap of trouble.
• Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She's a proper teacher in a purple dress.
• Smart People Wear Glasses: Fitting her profession as a schoolteacher, she wears a pair of glasses.

Lily Chen

Voiced by (English): Su Douglas (2012-2020), Siu-see Hung (2021-present), Lily Cassano (US dub)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Brigitte Virtudes (French)

Debut: "Runaway Train"

Mrs. Chen's toddler daughter.

• The Baby of the Bunch: She's the youngest character in the series, at somewhere between eighteen months and two years old.
• Baby Talk: In early appearances, she rarely says more than two or three words at once. By Series 13, she can speak in full sentences.
• Big Brother Worship: While not a biological relation, Lily really likes to follow Norman around.
• Bratty Half-Pint: Downplayed; Lily is not malicious, but she can be rather mischievous.
• Companion Cube: In Series 13, she was given one in the form of a plush shark named Sharky.
• Girlish Pigtails: Her main hairstyle.
• Pink Means Feminine: She wears pink overalls.
• Third-Person Person: In a few episodes, such as "Rocky Rescue", she refers to herself in the third person ("Want Lily's food?").

Gareth Griffiths

Voiced by (English/Welsh): Ifan Huw Dafydd (2012-2018), Gary Andrews (2020-present)
Voiced by (foreign dubs): Giulio Pierotti (Italian)

Debut: "Runaway Train"

The conductor of the train, the Pontypandy Flyer.

• Affectionate Nickname: He calls his daughter Bronwyn "Bronny".
• Alliterative Name: Gareth Griffiths.
• Cool Old Guy: He's among the oldest characters in the show, and he's both a train conductor and a keeper to Bessie.

Peter Kaminski

Voiced by (English): Arthur Smith Galiano

Debut: "Swift Drift"

• Character Catchphrase: "No need to thank me."
• Never Bareheaded: Never without his red-and-white ball cap.
• Practically Different Generations: Peter, a preteen, has a fully-grown adult sister, Krystyna.
• Red/Green Contrast: He wears primarily red, while Krystyna's casual outfit is a green jumpsuit.
• Sweet Tooth: He can't help himself around sweets.

Annie Morris

Voiced by (English): Helen Skelton

Debut: "Boar Breakout"

Penny's cousin, who works on the farm.

• True Blue Femininity: She has blue highlights in her hair, and wears a blue dress.

Movie-Exclusive Characters

Buck Douglas

"Well, you heard it here first, Space Spotters! Fireman Sam says that aliens in Pontypandy are not from mars! They're from a much more distant planet!"

Voiced by: David Tennant (UK and US)

A new character for the 2017 special "Alien Alert". He is an alien hunter and a television presenter for the TV show "Alien Quest".

• Anti-Villain: Despite him being called a "humorous villain", he is actually a nice guy with an adorable smile and a cheerful and friendly attitude. He's not against Fireman Sam, he doesn't harm anybody. The only bad thing he does is run around in an alien costume, accidentally start a fire, and use remote-controlled UFO's to surprise people in Pontypandy.
• Catchphrase: "Hi there, Space Spotters!" and "Space-tastic!"
• Cloud Cuckoolander: Buck Douglas himself. He acts pretty weird (in a good way) at some points. He has a pretty strange rotating trademark salute.
• Depraved Kids' Show Host: Buck Douglas is a very nice television presenter who enjoys hosting "Alien Quest" and adores his fans. But, when he's off-screen and/or there are no fans around, he has an "evil" plan to dress up like an alien and to run around, controlling UFOs to surprise people in Pontypandy. Fireman Sam, and later Norman, notice this. In the end, Fireman Sam and Norman catch Buck Douglas and show the villagers that he's actually a "bad guy". Although, he isn't that mean. He's never against Fireman Sam and the villagers of Pontypandy, and he never harms anyone, but he did accidentally start a fire after Norman shouted, "Gotcha!" to him.
• Deadpan Snarker: Buck Douglas is like this at some points.
• Expy: Buck Douglas looks very similar to Wilf from the 2014 CGI film Postman Pat: The Movie. They're both even voiced by the same voice actor.
  • He also looks very similar to a blonde version of the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who, who is also played by the same actor.
• Film the Hand: While Buck Douglas was filming his show in Pontypandy, Bella Lasagna interrupts the show. In response, Buck Douglas approaches the camera in anger and almost covers it with his hand.
  Buck Douglas: Cut, cut CUT!!!
• Ink-Suit Actor: Buck Douglas looks similar to a blonde David Tennant with a soul-patch on his chin. David Tennant is the voice actor for Buck Douglas, that's why the character looks like him.
• Non-Dubbed Grunts: In some dubs of the film, Buck Douglas' grunts while he was trying to fix the giant UFO and his scream while he was running away from a forest fire and was scared by Norman Price were not dubbed.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Sometimes, when he's saying certain things, Buck Douglas' English accent turns either Scottish, Northern Irish, or Welsh.

Don Sledgehammer (AKA Don Bloomburg)

Voiced by (English): Kerry Shale (UK and US)

A new character for the 2018 Fireman Sam special. He is the director of the movie that Fireman Sam and Flex Dexter are going to star in.

Flex Dexter

Voiced by (English): John Barrowman (UK and US)

Another new character for the 2018 Fireman Sam special. He is the co-star and nemesis to Fireman Sam for the movie they're starring in. He is an actor that doesn't like to be out of the limelight, and as soon as Fireman Sam gets the lead role, he gets very jealous and wants revenge against the hero next door.

• It's All About Me: Flex's Fatal Flaw is his own ego, and when Sam takes on the primarily role in Don's movie, while he is only the sidekick, his jealousy drives him towards a catastrophic revenge.
• Karma Houdini: After setting up numerous accidents that could’ve gotten people hurt and getting Sam fired, Flex gets no punishment barring a small telling off.

Professor Polonium

Voiced by (English): Denise Van Outen (UK and US)

A new character who is the main antagonist of the 2020 Fireman Sam special "Norman Price and the Mystery in the Sky". She is the first female antagonist in the "Fireman Sam" franchise.

Doctor Crumpton

Voiced by (English): Kerry Shale (UK and US)

The secondary antagonist of the 2020 Fireman Sam special. He's more of a bumbling Anti-Villain who is known to be clumsy and dotty, much to Professor Polonium's chargin.

---