Britt Allcroft, the woman behind the creation of the beloved children’s TV show Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, passed away on December 27 at the age of 81.
Along with her TV producer husband, Angus Wright, Allcroft formed the Britt Allcroft Company and went on to secure the rights to Rev. W. Awdry’s Railway Series of books which featured Thomas the Tank Engine. In 1984, Allcroft released the first 26 episodes of the show that would spark decades of followups and millions of fans, Newsweek reported.
The Thomas character became an instant favorite of kids around the world and was so successful that the series reshaped programing for children.
Allcroft’s passing was announced on Friday by friend and filmmaker Brannon Cart, who helmed the 2023 documentary An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact Of Thomas The Tank Engine. Cart took to his social media to write, “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.”
It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of Britt Allcroft.
— carty™ (@cartycinema) January 3, 2025
The Allcroft-Wright family has asked me to bring this news to the Thomas fandom. A full obituary will be released in the London Times later today. The family is currently in mourning and asks that… pic.twitter.com/LSFq8VL7jK
The Thomas the Tank Engine character rolled across the Atlantic to America in 1989 when Allcroft and U.S. producer Rick Siggelkow created the TV series, Shining Time Station, which brought the world of Thomas and his railway friends to millions of American children. Thomas also became a huge hit in the U.S. before fanning out to Japan and many other countries.
The show was so popular, it ran for 24 years from 1984 to 2021, with 584 episodes.
Born on December 14, 1943, Allcroft got her start in TV producing in 1967 on a kid’s quiz show called Get-It-Got-It-Good, and went on to produce several other kid’s shows in the UK. She also produced shows including, Moon Clue Game, Dance Crazy, Keepsakes, and Mothers By Daughters for BBC Channel 4.
Allcroft divorced her producing partner and husband, Angus Wright, in 1997, and he proceeded her in death in 2012. Wright and Allcroft leave behind their two children.
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