Ronni Ancona
Encyclopedia
Ronni Ancona is a Scottish
actress, impressionist
and author
. Ancona won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in Big Impression
.
in 1986 while she was still at school, but only became a household name as a result of appearing in the BBC
's Big Impression
alongside Alistair McGowan
.
Her comedy career started on the comedy circuit and she won the Time Out Hackney Empire New Act of the Year in 1993. She worked extensively in radio and television before becoming a household name in the BAFTA award winning The Big Impression for which she won a British Comedy Award and Variety Club Award.
As part of BBC
's Big Read
she promoted The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
.
Before Big Impression, Ancona had featured in films and TV shows, such as Fist of Fun
, for many years, as well as performing stand-up comedy. She also appeared in the first series of The Sketch Show
.
In 2005 she played Barbara, opposite Bill Nighy
, Miranda Richardson
and Emily Blunt
in Stephen Poliakoff
's Gideon's Daughter
on BBC One.
She was Beline in Molière
's The Hypochondriac
at the Almeida Theatre
.
She has appeared four times on the BBC celebrity panel show QI
. She won episode four of series four ('Dictionaries') in October 2006, won again in the first episode of series six in November 2008 ('Family'), won on the women's team with Sandi Toksvig
in January 2010, and came last in November 2011 ('Infantile'). In November 2006 she was a guest presenter of Have I Got News For You
. She has also appeared on the Channel 4 comedy show TV Heaven, Telly Hell
discussing her preferences in television shows.
In December 2006 she revealed herself as a fan of Strictly Come Dancing
and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two
.
In 2007, following a successfully received pilot, the BBC commissioned a new comedy sketch series titled Ronni Ancona & Co
consisting of her own material and co-starring Phil Cornwell
, Jan Ravens
and John Sessions
. The show initially aired on 25 May 2007 and had three episodes.
In 2008 Ancona appeared in the film Penelope as Wanda.
Ancona appeared as the mother of Katie
and Emily Fitch
in the third and fourth series of Skins
.
In 2009 Ancona appeared in Hope Springs
on BBC 1. She was one of eight main cast members.
On 24 July 2009, Ancona appeared on The One Show
, and she appeared on it again, with Alistair McGowan
, on 16 October 2009.
In April 2010, Ancona appeared on A Comedy Roast, celebrating Sharon Osbourne's life.
In 2009 her first book A Matter Of Life And Death: How To Wean A Man Off Football was published by Faber & Faber.
, Ayrshire
, Scotland
and is of Italian and Jewish descent. In the programme "Comedy Map of Britain
", she returned to her old school in Troon
and talked about her earliest comedy performing experience as part of an improvisation group called "Pots People". She had a seven-year relationship with Alistair McGowan
which ended shortly before they started working together professionally. Ancona is married with two daughters and lives in west London.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
actress, impressionist
Impressionist (entertainment)
An impressionist or a mimic is a performer whose act consists of imitating the voice and mannerisms of others. The word usually refers to a professional comedian/entertainer who specializes in such performances and has developed a wide repertoire of impressions, including adding to them, often to...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. Ancona won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in Big Impression
Big Impression
The Big Impression, known as Alistair McGowan's Big Impression for the first three series, is a British comedy sketch show. It features Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona impersonating personalities from entertainment and sport...
.
Career
Ancona made a one-off appearance on Blue PeterBlue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
in 1986 while she was still at school, but only became a household name as a result of appearing in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Big Impression
Big Impression
The Big Impression, known as Alistair McGowan's Big Impression for the first three series, is a British comedy sketch show. It features Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona impersonating personalities from entertainment and sport...
alongside Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
.
Her comedy career started on the comedy circuit and she won the Time Out Hackney Empire New Act of the Year in 1993. She worked extensively in radio and television before becoming a household name in the BAFTA award winning The Big Impression for which she won a British Comedy Award and Variety Club Award.
As part of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Big Read
Big Read
The Big Read was a survey on books carried out by the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2003, where over three quarters of a million votes were received from the British public to find the nation's best-loved novel of all time...
she promoted The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Published in 1950 and set circa 1940, it is the first-published book of The Chronicles of Narnia and is the best known book of the series. Although it was written and published first, it is second in the series'...
.
Before Big Impression, Ancona had featured in films and TV shows, such as Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun was a popular British comedy television and radio programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring . A lot of the show's comic material was adapted from Lee and Herring's radio programme Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World.Each episode of Fist of Fun featured several disparate sketches...
, for many years, as well as performing stand-up comedy. She also appeared in the first series of The Sketch Show
The Sketch Show
The Sketch Show is a British television sketch comedy programme, featuring many leading British comedians. It aired on ITV between 2001 and 2003.A short-lived spinoff of the same title was produced in the United States.- Original line-up :...
.
In 2005 she played Barbara, opposite Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
, Miranda Richardson
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson is an English stage, film and television actor. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and has won two Golden Globes and a BAFTA during her career....
and Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Emily Olivia Leah Blunt is an English actress best known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada , The Young Victoria , and The Adjustment Bureau . She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two London Film Critics' Circle Awards, and one BAFTA Award...
in Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff, CBE, FRSL is an acclaimed British playwright, director and scriptwriter, widely judged amongst Britain's foremost television dramatists.-Early life and career:...
's Gideon's Daughter
Gideon's Daughter
Gideon's Daughter is the second of two linked BBC television dramas written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff.Produced independently for the BBC by Talkback Thames and starring Bill Nighy, Miranda Richardson, and Emily Blunt, it aired in the UK on BBC One on 26 February 2006 and in the US on BBC...
on BBC One.
She was Beline in Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's The Hypochondriac
Le Malade imaginaire
The Imaginary Invalid is a three-act comédie-ballet by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed in 1673 and was the last work he wrote. In an ironic twist of fate, Molière collapsed during his fourth performance as Argan on 17 February and died soon after...
at the Almeida Theatre
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
.
She has appeared four times on the BBC celebrity panel show QI
QI
QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
. She won episode four of series four ('Dictionaries') in October 2006, won again in the first episode of series six in November 2008 ('Family'), won on the women's team with Sandi Toksvig
Sandi Toksvig
Sandra Brigitte “Sandi” Toksvig is a Danish comedian, author and presenter on British radio and television.-Career:...
in January 2010, and came last in November 2011 ('Infantile'). In November 2006 she was a guest presenter of Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
. She has also appeared on the Channel 4 comedy show TV Heaven, Telly Hell
TV Heaven, Telly Hell
TV Heaven, Telly Hell is a comedy television show on Channel 4, presented and produced by Sean Lock. The format is similar to Room 101, with guests discussing their likes and dislikes of items on television....
discussing her preferences in television shows.
In December 2006 she revealed herself as a fan of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two
Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two
Strictly: It Takes Two is a British television programme, the companion show to the popular BBC One programme Strictly Come Dancing. It airs on weeknights during the run of the main show on BBC Two at 6:30pm...
.
In 2007, following a successfully received pilot, the BBC commissioned a new comedy sketch series titled Ronni Ancona & Co
Ronni Ancona & Co
Ronni Ancona & Co is a comedy sketch show that aired on BBC One and began on 25 May 2007. The sketches all consisted of impressions of well-known celebrities amongst other comedy sketches of fictional characters created by Ronni Ancona. Phil Cornwell, Jan Ravens and John Sessions all starred in the...
consisting of her own material and co-starring Phil Cornwell
Phil Cornwell
Phil Cornwell is an English comedian, actor, impressionist and writer. He is probably best known as being part of the Dead Ringers television and radio series...
, Jan Ravens
Jan Ravens
Janet "Jan" Ravens is an English actress and impressionist, famous for her voices on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers.-Early life:...
and John Sessions
John Sessions
John Gibb Marshall , better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.-Early...
. The show initially aired on 25 May 2007 and had three episodes.
In 2008 Ancona appeared in the film Penelope as Wanda.
Ancona appeared as the mother of Katie
Katie Fitch
Katherine "Katie" Fitch is a fictional character in the television series Skins, played by Megan Prescott. She is introduced in the third series...
and Emily Fitch
Emily Fitch
Emily Fitch is a fictional character in the television series Skins, played by Kathryn Prescott. She is introduced in the third series. Her sister Katie is played by the actress' real-life sister Megan Prescott.-Characterization:...
in the third and fourth series of Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
.
In 2009 Ancona appeared in Hope Springs
Hope Springs (TV Series)
Hope Springs is a British television comedy-drama series following the lives of four female ex-cons in hiding following a multimillion pound robbery. Produced by Shed Productions, the company behind Bad Girls, Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road, the 8-part series began airing on BBC One on 7 June...
on BBC 1. She was one of eight main cast members.
On 24 July 2009, Ancona appeared on The One Show
The One Show
The One Show is a topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One and BBC One HD, hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker. Chris Evans joins Jones to present the programme on Friday...
, and she appeared on it again, with Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
, on 16 October 2009.
In April 2010, Ancona appeared on A Comedy Roast, celebrating Sharon Osbourne's life.
In 2009 her first book A Matter Of Life And Death: How To Wean A Man Off Football was published by Faber & Faber.
Television
| Title | Channel | Year |
|---|---|---|
| QI QI QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given... (Series I, Episode 11) |
BBC | 2011 |
| Shooting Stars Shooting Stars Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011... (Series 8) |
BBC 2 | 2011 |
| Loose Women Loose Women Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip... (Series 16) |
ITV 1 | 2011 |
| Midsomer Murders Midsomer Murders Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was... (Series 13, Episode 8) |
ITV 1 | 2011 |
| QI QI QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given... (Series H, Episode 15) |
BBC | 2011 |
| Skins Skins (TV series) Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death... |
Channel 4 / E4 | 2009/2010 |
| Bremner, Bird & Fortune | Channel 4 | 2009 |
| Hope Springs Hope Springs (TV Series) Hope Springs is a British television comedy-drama series following the lives of four female ex-cons in hiding following a multimillion pound robbery. Produced by Shed Productions, the company behind Bad Girls, Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road, the 8-part series began airing on BBC One on 7 June... |
BBC | 2009 |
| QI QI QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given... (Series F, Episode 1) |
BBC | 2008 |
| Ronni Ancona & Co. | BBC | 2007 |
| Agatha Christie's Marple | ITV Nicholas Winding Refn | 2007 |
| Hotel Babylon Hotel Babylon Hotel Babylon was a BBC television drama series based on the book of the same name by Imogen Edwards-Jones, that aired from 19 January 2006 to 14 August 2009, produced by independent production company Carnival Films for BBC One... |
BBC | 2007 |
| QI QI QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given... (Series D, Episode 4) |
BBCFour | 2006 |
| The Secret Policeman's Ball | BBC | 2006 |
| Gideon's Daughter Gideon's Daughter Gideon's Daughter is the second of two linked BBC television dramas written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff.Produced independently for the BBC by Talkback Thames and starring Bill Nighy, Miranda Richardson, and Emily Blunt, it aired in the UK on BBC One on 26 February 2006 and in the US on BBC... |
BBC Stephen Poliakoff Stephen Poliakoff Stephen Poliakoff, CBE, FRSL is an acclaimed British playwright, director and scriptwriter, widely judged amongst Britain's foremost television dramatists.-Early life and career:... |
2005 |
| Sven and Nancy's Big Impression | BBC | |
| Posh and Becks' Big Impression (Christmas Special) | BBC | |
| The Big Impression (4 series, 3 specials) | BBC | 1999–2005 (BAFTA, British Comedy Award, Royal Variety Club Award) |
| The Key | Key Films Ltd / BBC | 2003 |
| The Big Impression Christmas Special | BBC | |
| The Sketch Show | Baby Cow / Avalon | 2001 (BAFTA) |
| Dr Terrible's House of Horrible | BBC / Baby Cow Productions | 2001 |
| Holby City Holby City Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999... |
BBC | 2000 |
| Mark Lamarr Leaving 20th Century | BBC | 1999 |
| Comedy Nation | BBC | 1998 |
| Space Cadets | Channel 4 | 1997 |
| Pulp Video | BBC Scotland | 1995 |
| Rory Bremner, Who Else? | Vera / Channel 4 | 1993 |
| Fist of Fun | BBC | 1995–1996 |
| Scratchy and Co. | Carlton | 1995 |
| The Geeks | ITV | |
| The Imaginatively Titled Punt and Dennis Show | BBC | 1994 |
| Ben Elton: The Man from Auntie | BBC | 1994 |
| The Full Monty | Granada | |
| Standing Room Only | BBC | 1991 |
| The Comedy Store | BBC | |
| Live at Jongleurs | ITV | |
| The Staggering Stories of Ferdinand de Bargos | BBC2 | 1989 |
Film
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Penelope | 2008 | Dir: Mark Polansky |
| A Cock and Bull Story A Cock and Bull Story A Cock and Bull Story is a 2006 British comedy film directed by Michael Winterbottom... |
2005 | Dir: Michael Winterbottom |
| Stella Street- The Movie | 2004 | Absolutely Productions |
| The Calcium Kid The Calcium Kid The Calcium Kid is a British mockumentary comedy film which was released in 2004. This film is presented in the style of a fictional documentary or a "Mockumentary". It stars Orlando Bloom as a milkman and amateur boxer. Billie Piper and Michael Peña are also featured... |
2004 | Calcium Films Ltd |
| The Debt Collector The Debt Collector The Debt Collector is a 1999 thriller, written and directed by Scottish dramatist Anthony Neilson and starring Billy Connolly, Ken Stott and Francesca Annis.... |
1999 | Channel 4 Films |
Radio
| Title | Channel |
|---|---|
| LIFE, DEATH & SEX WITH MIKE & SUE | Radio 4 |
| The Alan Davies Show | Radio 4 |
| Weekending | Radio 4 |
Theatre
| Title | Venue |
|---|---|
| The Hypocondriac | Almeida Theatre Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of... |
| Singin In The Rain | Sadlers Wells, London |
| Miss Conceptions | Edinburgh Festival Edinburgh Festival The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August... |
| Mixed Doubles | Rowntree Theatre, York |
Personal life
Ancona was born in TroonTroon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
, Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and is of Italian and Jewish descent. In the programme "Comedy Map of Britain
Comedy Map of Britain
Comedy Map of Britain is a BBC documentary series which visits the places that have inspired many of Britain's leading comedians. It first aired on BBC Two in 2007 and 2008....
", she returned to her old school in Troon
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
and talked about her earliest comedy performing experience as part of an improvisation group called "Pots People". She had a seven-year relationship with Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
which ended shortly before they started working together professionally. Ancona is married with two daughters and lives in west London.