Ann George
Encyclopedia
Ann George was a British actress best known for her role as Amy Turtle
in the television soap opera
Crossroads.
, and entered show business as a singer appearing in musicals such as The Belle of New York and The Desert Song
and featured in the Gilbert and Sullivan
show D'Oyly Carte. She loved to sing and made a special appearance at Birmingham Town Hall singing in Handel's Messiah.
Ann George also had her own cabaret act singing and telling jokes. She took her first husband, George Snape's first name, after he died as her stage name. During her time on Crossroads, George also read Mrs. Pepperpot stories for the BBC children's show Jackanory
.
producers that there were not enough true Birmingham accents. She first appeared in 1966, working in the antique shop
. She later became a cleaning lady at the Crossroads Motel, working for the formidable housekeeper Mrs Loomis. Critics derided George's performance; Crossroads was shot as live, and the low budget meant that the recording could not be edited and retakes were rare. Any slips made had to remain for the transmission; memorably, Amy would often answer the telephone with the show's catchphrase "Crossroads Motel, can I help you?" - five seconds later the phone would actually ring.
In 1976 she was axed from Crossroads. There followed a famous photograph of her in the British newspaper The Sun
, waving her fists outside the ATV
Studios. In the storyline, Amy was convicted of shoplifting; only later did the truth become known, that it was a cry for help as her son Billy had been killed in tragic circumstances. One of her last performances was a storyline in which Amy broke into Coventry Cathedral
in the dead of night in order to mourn her son. The character is also famous for a story that never happened. The storyline of Amy being arrested for being a Soviet Double Agent, Amelia Turtleovski wasn't seen on-screen. Crossroads Appreciation Society researchers, working through the show's script documents, discovered that Amy was never arrested, nor was she accused of any crime. Simply a Russian guest at the motel mistook her for Amelia, and left Amy baffled by his reaction to her. http://www.crossroadsnetwork.co.uk/society/answers.htm. In her final 1976 storyline, Amy went to see her nephew living in Texas
in order to get over the death of Billy. After her departure the staff of the Motel never mentioned her again.
During these years George worked in clubs and pantomimes, before returning to the soap opera 11 years later. In 1987, she made a return to the programme. Crossroads was now under the management of producer William Smethurst, who insisted on bringing Amy back. When she walked into the studio for the first time in 11 years the cast - many of whom had worked with her first time round - broke into a spontaneous round of applause which brought tears to her eyes. It has been reported that George was unable to climb the stairs to the studio, which meant her appearances were limited to the occasional cameo in the studio, or on location in the village of Tanworth-in-Arden that doubled for the fictional King's Oak. The ATV Centre, however, had at the time fully operating lifts to all floors - including the studio level, so where this story originated from is still a mystery.
where she was clearly quite ill. Bemused and almost upset, Chris Tarrant
mocked her and the motel soap, however George seemingly didn't quite understand what was going on. It is unclear whether Tarrant knew George was dying of cancer, but the whole incident sat uncomfortably with fans of the soap.
Ann George became ill towards the end of the 1980s while still appearing in Crossroads, and after a long battle with cancer
she died on 8 September 1989, leaving her second husband Gordon Buckingham and a son, George Jr by her first marriage. At the time of her death The Noele Gordon
and Crossroads Appreciation Society hailed her as the Queen Mum of the soap.
Crossroads-
A Touch of the Sun
Jackanory - Mrs. Pepperpot Stories (Reader)
Amy Turtle
Amy Turtle was a character in Crossroads, the British television soap opera, played by Ann George from 1965 to 1976 and again from 1987 to 1988....
in the television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Crossroads.
Early life and career
She was born in SmethwickSmethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
, and entered show business as a singer appearing in musicals such as The Belle of New York and The Desert Song
The Desert Song
The Desert Song is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. It was also inspired by stories of Lawrence of...
and featured in the Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
show D'Oyly Carte. She loved to sing and made a special appearance at Birmingham Town Hall singing in Handel's Messiah.
Ann George also had her own cabaret act singing and telling jokes. She took her first husband, George Snape's first name, after he died as her stage name. During her time on Crossroads, George also read Mrs. Pepperpot stories for the BBC children's show Jackanory
Jackanory
Jackanory is a long-running BBC children's television series that was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, the first story being the fairy-tale Cap o' Rushes read by Lee Montague. Jackanory continued to be broadcast until 24 March 1996,...
.
Career at Crossroads
She joined the cast of Crossroads in 1965 playing the cleaner Amy Turtle. She got the part after apparently complaining to ATVAssociated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
producers that there were not enough true Birmingham accents. She first appeared in 1966, working in the antique shop
Antique shop
An antique shop is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally and with the advent of the Internet found online...
. She later became a cleaning lady at the Crossroads Motel, working for the formidable housekeeper Mrs Loomis. Critics derided George's performance; Crossroads was shot as live, and the low budget meant that the recording could not be edited and retakes were rare. Any slips made had to remain for the transmission; memorably, Amy would often answer the telephone with the show's catchphrase "Crossroads Motel, can I help you?" - five seconds later the phone would actually ring.
In 1976 she was axed from Crossroads. There followed a famous photograph of her in the British newspaper The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, waving her fists outside the ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
Studios. In the storyline, Amy was convicted of shoplifting; only later did the truth become known, that it was a cry for help as her son Billy had been killed in tragic circumstances. One of her last performances was a storyline in which Amy broke into Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
in the dead of night in order to mourn her son. The character is also famous for a story that never happened. The storyline of Amy being arrested for being a Soviet Double Agent, Amelia Turtleovski wasn't seen on-screen. Crossroads Appreciation Society researchers, working through the show's script documents, discovered that Amy was never arrested, nor was she accused of any crime. Simply a Russian guest at the motel mistook her for Amelia, and left Amy baffled by his reaction to her. http://www.crossroadsnetwork.co.uk/society/answers.htm. In her final 1976 storyline, Amy went to see her nephew living in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in order to get over the death of Billy. After her departure the staff of the Motel never mentioned her again.
During these years George worked in clubs and pantomimes, before returning to the soap opera 11 years later. In 1987, she made a return to the programme. Crossroads was now under the management of producer William Smethurst, who insisted on bringing Amy back. When she walked into the studio for the first time in 11 years the cast - many of whom had worked with her first time round - broke into a spontaneous round of applause which brought tears to her eyes. It has been reported that George was unable to climb the stairs to the studio, which meant her appearances were limited to the occasional cameo in the studio, or on location in the village of Tanworth-in-Arden that doubled for the fictional King's Oak. The ATV Centre, however, had at the time fully operating lifts to all floors - including the studio level, so where this story originated from is still a mystery.
Later years & Death
One of her last interviews took place on LWT's The Six O'Clock ShowThe Six O'Clock Show
The Six O'Clock Show was a regional television magazine show broadcast in the Greater London area and produced by London Weekend Television between 1982 and 1988....
where she was clearly quite ill. Bemused and almost upset, Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant
Christopher John "Chris" Tarrant, OBE is an English radio and television broadcaster, now best known for hosting the first version of the television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom and later Ireland, as the two national versions of the show merged in 2002.Chris...
mocked her and the motel soap, however George seemingly didn't quite understand what was going on. It is unclear whether Tarrant knew George was dying of cancer, but the whole incident sat uncomfortably with fans of the soap.
Ann George became ill towards the end of the 1980s while still appearing in Crossroads, and after a long battle with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
she died on 8 September 1989, leaving her second husband Gordon Buckingham and a son, George Jr by her first marriage. At the time of her death The Noele Gordon
Noele Gordon
Noele Gordon was an English film and television actress.- Early life :Gordon's father was an engineer in the Merchant Navy and she was born in East Ham, London. After attending convent school at Forest Gate, she was taught to dance by the late Maude Wells and later spent several years living in...
and Crossroads Appreciation Society hailed her as the Queen Mum of the soap.
Roles
Crossroads: A Celebration- Amy TurtleCrossroads-
A Touch of the Sun
Jackanory - Mrs. Pepperpot Stories (Reader)