Creator of much loved eighties children's TV show dies aged 81
3 January 2025, 16:30
The creator of a much loved children's TV show from the eighties has died at the age of 81.
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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 she secured the rights to create a screen version of Reverend Wilbert Awdry's Railway Series books and in 1984 Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends was launched.
Britt and her former husband and fellow TV producer, Angus Wright, raised money for four years to create the first 26 episodes of the series, which was immediately popular with children.
The series is based on Thomas, a blue tank engine with a human-like face and the ability to talk.
Alongside his group of other train friends - Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and Toby, they work on the railway under The Fat Controller.
Brit's death was revealed by filmmaker Brannon Carty, who knew her from making the 2023 documentary An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact Of Thomas The Tank Engine.
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 at the age of 16 changed her name to Britt as her radio and television career was gathering momentum.
She became interested in the characters in Awdry's books in 1979, upon meeting the author, who was making a documentary about the Bluebell Railway, a heritage railway in Sussex which featured in the story.
Britt previously said: "It really didn't take me long to become intrigued by the characters, the relationships between them and the nostalgia they invoked."
The original Thomas The Tank Engine series was created using moving models, with locomotives and other vehicles operated by radios and human characters portrayed with static figures.
If an animal or human character needed to move, stop motion was used on occasion until hand-drawn animation was introduced from the third series.
The show was hugely successful in the UK and was broadcast in 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.
There is a dedicated Thomas-themed area at the Drayton Manor family theme park in Staffordshire, England, named Thomas Land.
Thomas was also an enormous hit in Japan and fans traversed across the world to visit Thomas Land.
She also created a spin-off series to Shining Time Station in 1996 called Mr Conductor's Thomas Tales.
Her film, titled Thomas and the Magic Railroad, was released in 2000.
Fans have shared tributes to Britt online.
One person 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."
