Creator of Thomas the Tank Engine T'V series dies at 81

Britt Allcroft, the creator of the beloved children’s series Thomas the Tank Engine Friends, has died aged 81.

- ELLIE MUIR

In the 1970s, the TV producer secured the rights to adapt the Reverend Wilbert Awdry’s Railway Series books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine for screen, a project that became the 1984 series Thomas the Tank En ne & Friends (later retitled Thomas & Friends).

Allcroft, along with her then husband and fellow TV producer Angus Wright, spent four years raising the funds to make the first 26 episodes of the series, which was an instant success with fans. The series followed Thomas and a fleet of his locomotive friends as they worked each day on the railway under the command of the Fat Controller.

Allcroft’s death was announced by filmmaker Brannon Carty, who knew Allcroft from their work together on the 2023 documentary An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine.

A statement from Allcroft’s family, shared by Carty, remembered Allcroft as an “adoring mother and wife and visionary producer”.

“It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of Britt Allcroft,” the statement read. “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.”

Carty continued: “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.