Britt Allcroft, creator of the “Thomas and Friends” series, has died at the age of 81, filmmaker Brannon Carty announced on X.
Allcroft was best known for creating the popular children's show featuring Thomas the Tank Engine after acquiring the book rights to The Reverend Wilbert Audley's Railway Series in the 1980s.
The show originally started as “Thomas the Tank Engine” 1984 before being renamed “Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends”.
Carty, who directed the 2023 documentary An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine, wrote, “Over the years of knowing Britt, we developed a close bond.”
“It was truly an honor to have her as both a mentor and a friend, and we are thrilled that so many of our fans got to meet her at the screening of An Unlikely Fandom in New York. We were truly honored to feature her in the documentary and she has continued to be a vocal supporter of our cause ever since.”
“I think I speak for the entire fan base when I say that we will all miss her very much. Without her, many of us would never have met,” Carty added.
Allcroft was born in Worthing, a small seaside town in southern England.
The storyteller began his television career at the age of 21, creating shows such as the 1967 children's quiz show “Get It-Got It-Good.”
But her hard work didn't gain momentum until she created a popular train-themed show that brought smiles to young viewers around the world in the 1980s.
Allcroft and her then-husband, variety show producer Angus Wright, joined forces to form a production company and launched Thomas & Friends in 1984.
The show was also nominated for the 1985 BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.
The series, narrated by Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and stand-up comedian George Carlin, was renamed Thomas and Friends and crossed the Atlantic in 1989, appearing on the PBS series Shining Time Station. ” was broadcast on. ”
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The producing duo was married for 20 years but divorced in 1997. It was exactly one year before “Thomas and Friends” ended.
Despite Wright's retirement in the late 1990s and eventual death in 2012, several spinoffs continued to have their names listed as producers. The ex-girlfriend had two children.
Allcroft then tried his hand at directing spin-offs in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but he directed only four projects, three of which were spin-offs of popular children's shows.
The series has since had dozens of spinoffs in production, including the most recent holiday special, “Thomas & Friends ERTL Adventure: The Greatest Christmas Adventure,” which premiered in December 2024.
