R.I.P. Britt Allcroft · 6:17pm January 3rd
What a way to start off 2025! It was made official today that Britt Allcroft, the creator of the original Thomas the Tank Engine series, has died at the age of 81.
Britt was inspired to create a television show based on The Railway Series books by The Rev W. (for Wilbert) Awdry, who himself based the stories off of real railroad events he heard about during his lifetime. Though not the first to attempt an adaptation of the books, Britt's stop motion, clay model series that first signed on in 1984 on Children's ITV proved to be not just a success but a big success. It spanned seven seasons before Britt stepped away, and became a children's television phenomenon around the world. It even spawned a brief live action show for the U.S. called Shining Time Station specifically to get around requirements that prohibited the stories from airing alone.
Britt also was involved with a short lived sister series that utilized a similar talent pool in the form of Tugs, which never achieved the same level of fame that Thomas did. Britt eventually moved on from stories adapted from The Railway Series, and even tried to bring Thomas to the movies with the ultimately unsuccessful Thomas and the Magic Railroad, which changed heavily from its original inception.
There really isn't anything I can say that others haven't already said: Thomas was a huge part of my childhood, I grew up on VHS tapes of the original series and would watch them again and again. She created something that has stood the test of time, and will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all who watched and cherished it. She's up there in heaven now with the Reverend, George Carlin, Michael Anglies, and David Mitton.
I didn’t realize Thomas was a part of your childhood, too. Sucks that Britt’s gone, though. BTW, Britt wasn’t involved that much in Tugs and the Thomas model series made heavier use of Gauge 1 models.
R.I.P Britt! It was a real shame she passed away, as I did myself grow up with a lot of Thomas & Friends, owning the models and some DVD's, and had recently gotten back into it after so long, so hearing that she had now passed away was honestly really depressing to hear.
May she rest chugging along the tracks of heaven alongside those we have also lost from this series.
A minor correction; Britt had very little involvement with Tugs, which was primarily helmed by David Mitton and Robert Cordona (the latter would go on to make Theodore Tugboat). Other than that, very well said.