Britt Allcroft, ‘Thomas and Friends’ Creator, Dead at 81 [Video]

Britt Allcroft, the creator of the beloved children’s television series Thomas & Friends, has passed away at the age of 81.

The Context

Allcroft, from Worthing, England, produced several shows for British television during the 1970s before securing the rights to the Rev. W. Awdry’s Railway Series books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine.

After forming the Britt Allcroft Company with her husband, fellow TV producer Angus Wright, she spent four years raising the necessary funding to produce the first 26 episodes of what was then called Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends in 1984.

The show was an instant hit with young audiences and was soon broadcast around the world, including in the U.S. as part of the live-action children’s show Shining Time Station.

Allcroft’s work not only introduced generations of children to the iconic character of Thomas the Tank Engine but also shaped the landscape of children’s programming for nearly three decades. The series became a global cultural phenomenon that continues …