Gullane Entertainment (formerly The Britt Allcroft Company) was a British independent production company which produced children's programming, including Thomas & Friends (1984–2021), Shining Time Station (1989–1993), and The Magic Adventures of Mumfie (1994–1998). The company was purchased by HiT Entertainment in July 2002, and went defunct in the same year. As of today, most of Gullane's library is currently owned by toy company Mattel as a result of their subsequent acquisition of HiT Entertainment.
History[]
The Britt Allcroft Company[]
The company produced the first seven seasons of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends as The Britt Allcroft Company, after Britt Allcroft purchased the rights to The Railway Series in 1979.
In 1994, the company announced a strategic international alliance with Canadian-based company Catalyst Entertainment, who previously co-produced Shining Time Station with TBAC.
In February 1996, Britt Allcroft was approached by Barry London, then vice-chairman of Paramount Pictures, with an idea for a Thomas film. Britt signed a contract to write the script for the film with the working title Thomas and the Magic Railroad. According to a press release, filming was to take place at Shepperton Studios, in the United Kingdom and the United States, with the theatrical release date set for 1997. However, later that year, after London left the company, Paramount shelved the plans for the film. This left Allcroft to seek other sources of funding. The company later signed a deal with Destination Films to co-produce and distribute a Thomas film.
In June 1997, the company announced they had purchased the rights to Captain Pugwash and would produce a new television series featuring the character. In 1998, the company acquired the publishing rights to The Railway Series from Reed Elsevier.
In December 1999, The Britt Allcroft Company announced they had acquired a 50% stake on Sooty from then-owner from Sooty International Limited, forming a joint-venture company called Bridgefilms (also known as Sooty Limited), which would also handle licensing rights to existing Britt Allcroft creation Mumfie.
In March 2000, HIT Entertainment offered a $363 million bid to purchase the company, alongside other interested companies, but their offer was turned down. In the same month, the company announced they had purchased The Media Merchants for £14 million, bringing Art Attack to their list of properties.
In July of that year, Thomas and the Magic Railroad was released in theatrically worldwide, but it was a cinematic failure at the box-office and received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics.
Gullane Entertainment[]
In September 2000, with the mixed-to-negative reception and box-office disappointment of Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Britt Allcroft stepped down as the company's CEO, and under new leadership, the company announced they would rebrand as Gullane Entertainment in order to expand and export their brands worldwide. Britt Allcroft would however remain as a creative consultant for the Thomas the Tank Engine franchise. Within the announcement of the name change came some new projects, including a new series of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, the launch of an online platform called Planet Gullane, a new series of Art Attack alongside the production of 238 episodes for the international market in a partnership with The Walt Disney Company, a second series of Sooty Highlights and the production of direct-to-video Sooty material, two new seasons of Captain Pugwash, alongside new seasons for ZZZAP! and It's a Mystery. Gullane also announced production of a full series of Eekhart with Catalyst Entertainment.
In October 2000, Gullane announced to set aside US$50 million to fund a year's worth of productions, including new Thomas-related projects and television movies, with one being a co-production with French company Teleimages for Animal Planet.
In January 2001, Gullane announced they had purchased David & Charles Children's Books for £1.1 Million, putting two new franchises: Zippy Dinosaurs and Vroom Vroom, into Gullane's properties.
In March 2001, Gullane announced their profits for the last six months went up 80%. On the same day, Catalyst Entertainment delivered the first series of Eckhart and Longhouse Tales to the company. Earlier on, Gullane announced work on a 2D/3D animated co-production with Catalyst based on the fellow David & Charles book Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs called Sammy and the Dinosaurs, which the company would distribute worldwide.
In July 2001, Gullane purchased Guinness World Records for £45.5 Million from their original owners Diageo, although Gullane would continue to license the Guinness brand name from Diageo.
In December 2001, Gullane purchased a majority stake in Fireman Sam from S4C International for £16 Million, with both companies agreeing to produce a new season of 26 episodes and to remaster the previous four seasons.
In February 2002, Catalyst Entertainment merged with Cambium Entertainment Corporation to form a joint-venture company called Cambium Catalyst International (CCI Entertainment), allowing Gullane to achieve economies of scale and add clarity to their operating profile, as well as adding onto their catalog with over 300 hours worth of programming. Gullane owned a 32% non-voting, 19% voting, interest in the new enlarged business.
On March 8, 2002, Gullane signed a co-production, distribution and global licensing deal with Collingwood O'Hare Entertainment for the production of a new series titled Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!, which had been pre-sold to CITV.
In July 2002, HIT Entertainment agreed to purchase Gullane for £139 million. It would be unknown if CCI Entertainment would be effected by the purchase.
On September 18, 2002, before HIT's purchase, Gullane's distribution deal with Tell-Tale for Ella and Sprogs fell through, with the rights reverting back to Tell-Tale.
In 2003, Gullane Entertainment was absorbed into HIT Entertainment. All of the companies' productions for Thomas and Captain Pugwash, Gullane's Guinness World Records and The Media Merchants subsidiaries, their ownership in Fireman Sam, the deal with Collingwood O'Hare, and licensing and distribution deals, were all given to HIT Entertainment.
The Later Years[]
In January 2003, Britt Allcroft announced she had resigned as a board director at HIT Entertainment in order to focus her work on her new company Britt Allcroft Productions.
In March 2003, CCI Entertainment announced they had ended their partnership with HIT, purchasing out their shares in the company, as well as most of Gullane's catalogue. The shows CCI reacquired were put into the company's CCI Releasing subsidiary.
In October 2007, HIT put the rights to both Mumfie and Sooty up for sale. Britt Allcroft reacquired Magic Adventures of Mumfie in March 2008, while Richard Cadell would purchase the Sooty franchise and brand in June 2008.
In February 2008, HIT sold the Guinness World Records brand and franchise to Ripley Entertainment.
In February 2012, HIT Entertainment was acquired by Mattel for over $680-million (£420-million), who has now produced many merchandise for the Thomas franchise.
As of 2020, many of Gullane's IP's still remain under the ownership of HIT Entertainment via Mattel Television. The "Gullane (Thomas) Limited" subsidiary remains as the IP holder for the Thomas & Friends franchise.