Amy Turtle
Encyclopedia
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.
Amy first came to prominence in the series helping out at the antique shop
in King's Oak (the fictional village where Crossroads was set), but it was as the cleaner at the Crossroads Motel that she is best remembered. Her job gave her the perfect opportunity to listen to gossip and pass it on, yet, despite her irritating ways the staff remained strangely fond of her; as David Hunter (Ronald Allen
), the motel manager, commented in a 1974 episode when Amy had been away from the Motel for a while: "I miss Amy. Don't know why, I just do."
Over the years, Amy was involved in many storylines, some dramatic, some comedic. The last storyline she was involved in was the death of her son Billy. Amy went to visit her nephew in America, and didn't return to King's Oak until 1987.
It has often been (mistakenly) suggested that Amy Turtle was the inspiration for Victoria Wood
's parody of Crossroads Acorn Antiques
; Wood
has denied this, and Julie Walters
(the actress who portrayed Mrs Overall) more than suggested with her performance and appearance that Mrs Overall was in fact based on Crossroads character Mavis Hooper played by Charmian Eyre. However Walters commented in 2002, that when she first saw the script of Acorn Antiques the Mrs Overall role she thought instantly of Amy Turtle, and so she wanted her to have a Birmingham
accent.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television soap opera, played by Ann George
Ann George
Ann George was a British actress best known for her role as Amy Turtle in the television soap opera Crossroads.-Early life and career:...
from 1965 to 1976 and again from 1987 to 1988.
Amy first came to prominence in the series helping out at 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...
in King's Oak (the fictional village where Crossroads was set), but it was as the cleaner at the Crossroads Motel that she is best remembered. Her job gave her the perfect opportunity to listen to gossip and pass it on, yet, despite her irritating ways the staff remained strangely fond of her; as David Hunter (Ronald Allen
Ronald Allen
Ronald John Allen was an English character actor who achieved the status of a soap opera star.Allen was born in Reading, Berkshire...
), the motel manager, commented in a 1974 episode when Amy had been away from the Motel for a while: "I miss Amy. Don't know why, I just do."
Over the years, Amy was involved in many storylines, some dramatic, some comedic. The last storyline she was involved in was the death of her son Billy. Amy went to visit her nephew in America, and didn't return to King's Oak until 1987.
It has often been (mistakenly) suggested that Amy Turtle was the inspiration for Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
's parody of Crossroads Acorn Antiques
Acorn Antiques
Acorn Antiques is a parodic soap opera written by Victoria Wood as a regular feature in the two seasons of Victoria Wood As Seen On TV, which ran from 1985 to 1987. It was turned into a musical by Wood, opening in 2005.-Television version:...
; Wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
has denied this, and Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
(the actress who portrayed Mrs Overall) more than suggested with her performance and appearance that Mrs Overall was in fact based on Crossroads character Mavis Hooper played by Charmian Eyre. However Walters commented in 2002, that when she first saw the script of Acorn Antiques the Mrs Overall role she thought instantly of Amy Turtle, and so she wanted her to have a Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
accent.