Creator of beloved eighties youngsters’s TV present dies aged 81
The creator of a beloved eighties children’s TV show has died at the age of 81.
Britt Allcroft was an English writer, producer, director and voice actress best known for creating the beloved children’s television series Thomas The Tank Engine.
In the 1970s, Britt secured the rights to create a screen adaptation of Reverend Wilbert Awdry’s Railway Series books and in 1984 Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends made its debut.
Britt and her former husband and fellow TV producer, Angus Wright, spent four years raising the money to make the first 26 episodes of the series, which was an instant hit with children.
The series followed Thomas, a blue tank engine with a human-like face and the ability to talk, and his group of other train friends – Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and Toby – as they worked on the railway under The Fat Controller.
Britt’s passing was announced by filmmaker Brannon Carty, who knew her from making the 2023 documentary An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact Of Thomas The Tank Engine.
Britt Allcroft was an English writer, producer, director and voice actress best known for creating the beloved children’s television series Thomas The Tank Engine
In the 1970s, Britt secured the rights to create a screen adaptation of Reverend Wilbert Awdry’s Railway Series books and in 1984 Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends made its debut
Britt and her former husband and fellow TV producer, Angus Wright, spent four years raising the money to make the first 26 episodes of the series, which was an instant hit with children
A statement from Britt’s family, shared by Carty, said: ‘It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of Britt Allcroft.
‘The Allcroft-Wright family has asked me to bring this news to the Thomas fandom. The family is currently in mourning and asks that their privacy be respected at this time.
‘She brought so much joy and happiness to people everywhere during her time on Earth.
‘Over the years of knowing Britt, we developed a close connection. It was truly a privilege to have her as both a mentor and a friend, and I’m so glad that so many fans were able to meet her at the New York screening of An Unlikely Fandom.
‘It was an absolute honour to have her in our documentary, and she has since remained a vocal supporter of our cause.’
‘I think I can speak for the entirety of the fandom when I say that all of us will deeply miss her. Without her, so many of us would never have met.
‘While I am devastated by her passing, we can all find comfort in the certainty that her legacy will endure forever through Thomas and his fans around the world. Rest in peace.’
Britt was born in Worthing, West Sussex, in 1943, as Hilary Mary Allcroft but later changed her name to Britt when she was 16 as her radio and television career was taking off.
Britt was born in Worthing, West Sussex, in 1943, as Hilary Mary Allcroft but later changed her name to Britt when she was 16 as her radio and television career was taking off
The series followed Thomas, a blue tank engine with a human-like face and the ability to talk, and his group of other train friends
Other characters include Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and Toby – as they worked on the railway under The Fat Controller (pictured)
She first became interested by the characters in Awdry’s books in 1979 when she met the author making a documentary about the Bluebell Railway, a heritage railway in Sussex featured in the works.
Britt once said: ‘It really didn’t take me long to become intrigued by the characters, the relationships between them and the nostalgia they invoked.’
At a time when multiple TV producers were competing to secure the rights from Awdry, it was Britt who was successful in getting the show on screens.
She managed to convince Awdry that she could transform the stories into a successful children’s TV show with sufficient funding, which she had spent four years saving up for.
In the process, she established her production firm The Britt Allcroft Company.
The original Thomas The Tank Engine series was made using moving models, with locomotives and other vehicles operated by radios and human characters portrayed with static figures.
Stop motion was occasionally used if a human or animal character needed to move but hand-drawn animation was introduced by series three.
The series was a huge success in the UK, leading to its expansion to other countries.
In 1989, Britt and US producer Rick Siggelkow created Shining Time Station, a live-action children’s series aimed at an American audience, which established Thomas’s popularity in America.
Thomas & Friends ran for 24 series between 9 October 1984 to 20 January 2021 and had a total of 584 episode for children to enjoy.
Britt stepped down as executive producer in the early 2000s.
The fan base for the show was so huge that a dedicated Thomas-themed area was created at family theme park Drayton Manor in Staffordshire, England, called Thomas Land.
Thomas also became a huge hit in Japan, with fans travelling across the world to visit Thomas Land. Their love for the show largely comes from the country’s general appreaciation for trains and railway systems.
Britt created a spin-off to Shining Time Station in 1996 called Mr Conductor’s Thomas Tales.
She went on to write and direct a film based on the Thomas franchise in 2000, titled Thomas and the Magic Railroad, but it unfortunately didn’t perform well at the box office.
Some fans have posted tributes to Britt online, with one writing: ‘Rest in peace Britt, without you Wilbert’s books wouldn’t have been amazingly adapted for television [and] people would never experience the magical world of Thomas and friends on TV.’
Another said: ‘Thank you Britt for making the childhood of many, thank you for all you’ve done for Thomas. I think I speak for everyone when I say we’ll miss you dearly.’
