Britt Allcroft, a British tv producer and author who helped to develop “Thomas & Buddies” primarily based on “The Railway Sequence” books and its characters together with Thomas the Tank Engine, died on Dec. 25, 2024. She was 81.

Allcroft’s daughter, Holly Wright, confirmed her dying to the New York Instances. Director Brannon Carty introduced her dying on X earlier at this time, writing: “It’s with nice disappointment that I share with you the passing of Britt Allcroft…Britt was an adoring mom and spouse. A visionary producer. She introduced a lot pleasure and happiness to folks in every single place throughout her time on Earth.”

Born Hilary Mary Allcroft in 1943, she later modified her identify to Britt on the age of 16 as her profession in British tv expanded.

Hailing from Worthing, England, she served as a producer on quite a few British tv exhibits all through the Seventies. Amongst her first tasks was “Get It-Obtained-It-Good.” She finally secured the rights to the “Railway Sequence” books from which the character Thomas the Tank Engine was tailored on display.

Allcroft’s curiosity within the characters from this ebook collection stemmed from her involvement in a 1979 documentary movie a couple of railway in Sussex, which is featured within the books themselves. She had beforehand stated, “It actually didn’t take me lengthy to turn into intrigued by the characters, the relationships between them and the nostalgia they invoked.” Allcroft later based the Britt Allcroft Firm alongside her husband and fellow producer Angus Wright. The 2 divorced in 1997.

She devoted 4 years to boost cash for the manufacturing prices of the primary 26 episodes of what would turn into “Thomas & Buddies” in 1984. The collection had a constructive vital reception and maintained reputation amongst younger audiences globally. It was featured within the U.S. by the youngsters’s present “Shining Time Station.”

Allcroft went on to put in writing and direct the 2000 characteristic “Thomas and the Magic Railroad” and voiced the character of Woman. In 2023, she appeared within the documentary “An Unlikely Fandom,” which was directed by Carty and chronicles the wide-spread web fandom surrounding the “Thomas” franchise.

“Thomas & Buddies” went on to run for 27 years and at this time has culminated in further diversifications, spinoffs, movies and merchandise alternatives similar to “Diesel: Inconceivable,” “The Looney Diesels,” and “Thomas & Buddies ERTL Adventures: The Largest Christmas Journey.”

Allcroft is survived by her daughter, son and grandchildren.