“TV actress Ronni Ancona has revealed she felt anxious about joining EastEnders, having spent years poking fun at the show with her cheeky sketches. She wasn’t sure how the cast would react.”
Ronni Ancona admitted she was worried about receiving a chilly welcome when she joined EastEnders. In the past, she had done sketches lampooning the soap alongside her friend Alistair McGowan on The Big Impression, and she wasn’t sure if the cast had taken offense. She explained: “I’ve always been a huge admirer of EastEnders and hold the show very close to my heart, which is partly why I did those spoofs with Alistair McGowan on The Big Impression. I’ll be honest, I felt a bit anxious about meeting some of the cast members I’d impersonated. But everyone has such a fantastic sense of humour. Jessie Wallace even did her own take on my impression of her, which was absolutely hilarious.”
Having spent years doing sketches about the soap, Ronni was amazed to finally be part of EastEnders herself. She said: “Walking onto the real set for the first time was a really surreal experience.
“Filming in the Vic for the first time was surprisingly emotional. I couldn’t stop thinking about my impression of Peggy Mitchell.”
Ronni, who joined the show as Bea Pollard, was so thrilled to be on set that she even called Alistair to share the experience with him.
She added: “My first scene was on the bench in the heart of Albert Square… the very same spot where Alistair and I once filmed our sketch The Bench of Tears.”
“That moment felt so surreal that I immediately rang him and said, ‘I’ve just filmed a scene on the Bench of Tears,’ and he practically shouted back, ‘NO WAY!’”
Ronni promises that her character will shake things up on Albert Square.
She explained: “Bea is often misunderstood, and there’s a hint of desperation in her. When she feels trapped, she can become quite dangerous.
“At her core, she just wants to be loved and to belong. She’s the kind of person who ‘window-shops’ other people’s lives, trying to mold herself into whoever she thinks others expect her to be. In her mind, that’s the only way to gain love and attention – which, sadly, is a misguided approach.
“Bea is intelligent, yet she hasn’t achieved what she hoped for, leaving an underlying frustration that her life hasn’t lived up to its potential. She has elements of a Walter Mitty–type character; you can never be entirely sure how much of what she says is true.
“She’s complex, layered, and unconventional – someone who has become convinced by her own version of reality.”
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