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David Mitton (born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 13 July 1938 - died London, England, 28th May 2008) was the co-creator of TUGS and its sister series, Thomas & Friends.

Career[]

Before working on television, David Mitton served in the UK’s Royal Air Force.

David Mitton began his career in 1965 as a special effects technician for Gerry Anderson shows and films such as Thunderbirds, Thunderbirds Are Go, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Thunderbird 6, Joe 90, Doppelgänger, The Secret Service and UFO. He became acquainted with Robert D. Cardona, and they established their own company called Clearwater Features.

In 1983, Mitton and Cardona began working as writers and producers on Britt Allcroft’s series, Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Mitton also being the director of said series.

After two seasons of Thomas, Mitton and Cardona decided to create their own television show that would be similar to Thomas, but about a different craft entirely. They decided to make their show about tugboats when while in the United States, they watched the boats sail about in a harbour from a veranda. David Mitton wrote six and directed nine episodes of the series, though the problematic production of TUGS necessitated that Chris Tulloch direct a few episodes as well.

Despite positive reviews for TUGS, the show never re-ran on Television and this gave the merchandise mirror publicity. By the end of 1990, Clearwater Features folded. While the successful Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, which was seeing massive success in Japan and the United States, would go to belong to The Britt Allcroft Company for nine years, TUGS was cancelled due to low profits and surrounding issues. Though devastated about TUGS, David Mitton continued directing and writing Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends until his retirement in 2003. Thomas & Friends would run until 2021.

In 2005, he and producer David Lane launched a company of their own called Pineapple Squared Entertainment Ltd. One of their most notorious projects they were working on was named Adventures on Orsum Island. After David Mitton’s death, production on Adventures on Orsum Island ceased and the show was later cancelled. Only a handful of clips, including a rough cut of the first episode, still exist. Nothing has been produced by Pineapple Squared Entertainment Ltd since.

Death[]

David Mitton died of a heart attack on 16th May 2008, at the age of 69.

Episodes Directed[]

Episodes Written[]

Characters Voiced[]

Awards and Nominations[]

  • Nominated - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Animated Film for "Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends"
    • 1985, shared with Britt Allcroft and Robert D. Cardona
    • 1987, shared with Robert D. Cardona

Trivia[]

  • Mitton owned two tugboats in his lifetime, Kennet and Thomas.

Gallery[]

External Links[]

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