Ronni Ancona facts for kids

Veronica "Ronni" Jane Ancona is a talented British actress, comedian, and writer. She is famous for her amazing impressions of different people. Ronni is best known for a show called The Big Impression. She helped write and star in this show, which was very popular on BBC One for four years. It even won a BAFTA award in 2003!

Ronni also appeared in the first series of The Sketch Show, which won a BAFTA too. Since 2012, you might have seen her in the BAFTA-winning show Last Tango in Halifax. She also helps run a production company called Captain Dolly.

Ronni Ancona's Early Life

Ronni Ancona was born in Louth, Lincolnshire, England. But when she was just a few days old, her family moved to Scotland. She grew up mostly in a town called Troon. Ronni has Italian Jewish family roots.

Her dad was a commander in the Royal Navy. Her mom was an artist who painted sets for theatres like the Gaiety Theatre and the Theatre Royal. Ronni is the youngest of three children and has two older brothers.

When she was on the TV show Comedy Map of Britain, Ronni visited her old school, Marr College in Troon. She talked about her first comedy experiences there. She was part of a group called Pots People, who did improvisation.

Her Education and First Steps in Comedy

Ronni went to the University of Kent to study film. After that, she studied theatre and TV design at Saint Martin's School of Art. When she was 19, a TV show called Blue Peter even reported on a play she was involved in as a designer and performer!

Later, Ronni went to the Institute of Education at University College London. She became a qualified teacher in art, design, technology, and drama. While she was teaching, Ronni started doing comedy shows live. She won the Time Out Hackney Empire New Act of the Year award in 1993. This was a big step for her comedy career!

Ronni Ancona's TV Career

For many years, Ronni worked a lot in radio and on TV shows. She also performed stand-up comedy. She helped write and perform in shows like Comedy Nation, Pulp Video, and The Sketch Show with Lee Mack.

In 2000, she teamed up with Alistair McGowan to create The Big Impression. This show was super popular on BBC One for four years! It won a Variety Club Comedy Award and a BAFTA. In 2003, Ronni won "Best Actress" at the British Comedy Awards. From 1996 to 2000, she also voiced Pennyghent in the children's show "Roger and the Rottentrolls". Pennyghent was the smartest of the Rottentrolls!

Other TV Appearances

In 2003, Ronni starred in a BBC One drama called The Key. In 2005, she played Barbara in Gideon's Daughter.

You might have seen her several times on the BBC panel show QI. In 2006, she was a guest presenter on Have I Got News For You. She also appeared on TV Heaven, Telly Hell to talk about her favorite TV shows.

In 2007, her own comedy sketch series, Ronni Ancona & Co, was shown on BBC One. She played the mother of Katie and Emily Fitch in the TV series Skins in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, she also had a main role in the BBC comedy drama Hope Springs.

Ronni helped promote The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the BBC's The Big Read. In 2010, she appeared on A Comedy Roast for Sharon Osbourne. She also danced in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special with Anton Du Beke.

Ronni took part in Comic Relief's Desert Trek in 2011. She walked with other celebrities like Craig David and Olly Murs. In 2012, she appeared in Last Tango in Halifax. In 2015, she was a guest on Room 101.

In 2016, she played Mrs Fletcher in the Scottish comedy Still Game. She also appeared on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. In 2017, Ronni was a guest on The Nightly Show, doing impressions with Jason Manford.

More recently, in 2020, Ronni was a contestant on the Christmas special of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Celebrity Special. She also won Pointless Celebrities in January 2021 with Jan Ravens.

Ronni Ancona's Film Career

Ronni's first movie role was in 1999 in The Debt Collector with Billy Connolly. In 2004, she played Pat Connelly in The Calcium Kid. That same year, she was in Stella Street: The Movie, playing many famous women like Madonna and Victoria Beckham.

In 2005, Ronni played Anita in A Cock and Bull Story. She also had a small role in the 2006 movie Penelope. In 2013, she was cast as Mrs Spencer in a horror film called The Devil Went Down to Islington. She played Donna, Rob Brydon's agent, in the 2014 film The Trip to Italy. In 2018, she had a small role in the US comedy Show Dogs and starred in Surviving Christmas with the Relatives.

Ronni Ancona's Theatre Work

Ronni first performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 1992. She was in two shows: The Inexplicable World of Lionel Nimrod and a stand-up show with Alistair McGowan.

Her first theatre acting role was in 1996 in Miss Conceptions, a comedy play she helped write. In 2004, Ronni was in the musical Singin' in the Rain. She played Lina Lamont, a silent-movie star.

She then played Belline in a play called The Hypochondriac in 2005. Critics really liked this play! Ronni returned to the Almeida in 2014 for Little Revolution, a play about the 2011 London riots.

In 2015, Ronni was going to be in the musical Bend It Like Beckham, but she had to leave before it started. Later that year, she appeared with Justin Fletcher in The Tale of Mr Tumble. In 2019, she performed in the Just Checking In show at the Edinburgh Fringe, which she also helped write.

Ronni Ancona's Written Work

In 2009, Ronni and Alistair McGowan published a book called A Matter of Life and Death: How to Wean a Man Off Football.

Ronni Ancona's Awards

Ronni co-wrote The Big Impression, which won many awards, including a BAFTA in 2003. She was nominated for "Best Comedy Newcomer" in 2000 and "Best Comedy Actress" in 2002. She won "Best TV Comedy Actress" in 2003. Ronni and Alistair McGowan also received The Variety Club Comedy Award in 2002.

• Nominee – Best Comedy Newcomer – Big Impression – 2000
• Winner – Broadcast Award – 2001
• Nominee – Best Comedy Actress – 2002 – Big Impression
• Winner – Variety Club Comedy Award – 2002
• Winner – New TV Talent of the Year – Television and Radio Industries Club – 2002
• Winner – Best TV Comedy Actress – Big Impression – 2003
• Winner – Funny Woman of the Year – Glamour Women of the Year Awards – 2004
• Winner – BAFTA – The Sketch Show
• Winner – BAFTA – The Big Impression

Ronni Ancona's Personal Life

Ronni Ancona was in a relationship with Alistair McGowan for seven years before they started working together professionally. She is now married to Gerard Hall, who is a doctor specializing in rheumatology. They have two daughters and live in west London.

Ronni is also an ambassador for several charities. These include the Environmental Investigation Agency, Marie Curie, and Sightsavers.

Ronni Ancona's Filmography

Television

Film

Radio

Theatre