EastEnders newcomer Ronni Ancona stars as Bea Pollard, confronting Linda Carter over shocking school bullying claims
EastEnders’ beloved character Linda Carter got a blast from the past as the soap introduced her former schoolmate, Bea Pollard.
In Wednesday’s episode (January 7) of the BBC soap, Linda (Kellie Bright) took a nostalgic trip down memory lane by attending a school reunion, encouraged by her mother, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe).
Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) was thrilled about the reunion and eagerly offered to accompany Linda, providing moral support and a fun night out.
When they arrived, names were being checked at the entrance, so thinking quickly, Linda handed Honey a name tag and instructed her to pretend to be ‘Bea’, assuming the real Bea wouldn’t attend.
However, the real Bea Pollard soon arrived and questioned Honey’s fake name tag. As the two women spoke, Bea began sharing her version of their school days, painting a very different picture of Linda, according to OK!.
Bea claimed that Linda was far from the innocent schoolgirl she remembered herself to be and allegedly bullied her, leaving Honey shocked and Linda visibly unsettled.
It’s clear that Bea and Linda remember their past very differently, forcing Linda to confront aspects of her youth she would rather forget.
Who plays Bea in EastEnders?
Bea Pollard is portrayed by Ronni Ancona. Before landing her role in EastEnders, Ronni gained acclaim for brilliantly impersonating Peggy Mitchell, Sharon Watts, Kat Slater, and others on the BAFTA-winning show The Big Impression, earning widespread praise.
The 57-year-old actress has enjoyed a distinguished career spanning over three decades in television and film, with notable credits including Last Tango in Halifax, Penelope, Skins, and The Trip, among many others.
She previously had a romantic relationship with fellow comedian Alistair McGowan, who formed the other half of their comedy duo on BBC One’s The Big Impression.
The pair first met at a comedy venue and instantly connected, with their romance lasting seven years. However, during a Cornish getaway with Ronni and her friends, Alistair realised their relationship was beginning to fall apart.
In a past interview with The Guardian, Alistair admitted they “would have killed each other” if they had stayed together. Reflecting on the Cornwall trip, he said: “I suddenly realised I had nothing to say to them.”
He also acknowledged that his obsession with football played a role in the breakup, confessing: “I never thought of myself as an addict,” he told the publication.
“I loved the idea of going to see a play on a Saturday night with a football programme from the afternoon still in my pocket. I thought of myself as cultured and interested in a wide range of things, but I was an addict—I just didn’t realise it.”
He went on to explain that “it highlighted the clash between us”, adding: “We were opposites, and that worked brilliantly: I became much wilder and more surreal in my comedy thanks to knowing and working with Ronni. But if we had stayed together, we would have killed each other—literally—and football would have been to blame.”
Despite their breakup, the pair later collaborated on a book about football addiction titled A Matter of Life and Death, Or How to Wean a Man off Football.
Ronni Ancona is now happily married to Gerard Hall, a consultant rheumatologist, and the couple have two daughters. They experienced the heartbreaking loss of their baby son, Seth, to stillbirth in 2006.
Speaking about her new role in the long-running soap, Ronni hinted at a complex character journey. She said: “I am honoured to be invited to join the iconic institution that is EastEnders, and to embark on this whirlwind journey with such an unpredictable, nuanced, and complex character as Bea. I hope audiences enjoy watching her as much as I have loved bringing her to life.”
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