The creator of a beloved children’s TV series is dead at age 81. “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” co-creator Britt Allcroft died, filmmaker Brannon Carty announced Friday. A cause of death was not named.

Brannon Carty, who worked with Allcroft on his 2023 'An Unlikely Fandom' documentary, announced her death in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter)

Britt Allcroft, the creator of the “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” series, died at 81, filmmaker Brannon Carty announced on X. Allcroft was best known for producing the popular children’s show featuring Thomas the Tank Engine after obtaining the rights to adapt Reverend Wilbert Awdry’s “Railway Series” books for the small screen.

Thomas the Tank Engine became a household name thanks to the long-running children's TV series Thomas & Friends. Now, just a few years after the show went off the air, its creator Britt Allcroft has died at the age of 81.

Britt Allcroft, a co-creator of the iconic children's series Thomas & Friends, has died. She was 81. The news was confirmed on Friday, Jan. 3 by Brannon Carty, who directed the 2023 documentary, An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine.