Ann George

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Ann George (5 March 1903 – 8 September 1989) was an English actress best known for playing Amy Turtle in the TV soap Crossroads.

She was born in Smethwick, Staffordshire, England, and began in show business as a singer in musicals such as The Belle of New York and The Desert Song. She also performed with the Gilbert and Sullivan company D'Oyly Carte and sang Handel's Messiah at Birmingham Town Hall. George even had her own cabaret act.

After her first husband, George Snape, died, she used his first name as her stage surname and became Ann George. She later married Gordon Buckingham and had a son, George Jr.

In 1965 she joined Crossroads as Amy Turtle, first appearing on screen in 1966. Her character worked at the Crossroads Motel and was known for her Birmingham accent. The show was low-budget and broadcast live, so retakes were rare. She was dropped from the series in 1976, after which a photo of her outside ATV Studios made headlines.

In the show's storyline, Amy was involved in a shoplifting incident, but it was revealed to be a cry for help because her son Billy had died. Amy eventually emigrated to Texas to live with her nephew. A famous plot about Amy being arrested as a Soviet spy was never broadcast; it was later clarified that she was never arrested.

George returned briefly to Crossroads in 1987, but the revival failed and the show ended in 1989. The character is sometimes linked to the inspiration for Mrs Overall in Acorn Antiques, created by Julie Walters, who also came from Smethwick.

In her later years she spoke about returning to the show and about actors’ pay. She fell ill with cancer and died on 8 September 1989, survived by her second husband Gordon Buckingham and her son George Jr. She was fondly remembered by fans as the “Queen Mum of the soap.”