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Veronica "Ronni" Jane Ancona (born 4 July 1966)
[''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007''] is a British actress, comedian, impressionist and writer best known for ''
The 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. Four serie ...
'', which she co-wrote and starred in
and was, for four years, one of
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
's top-rated comedy programmes,
winning numerous awards, including a
BAFTA in 2003.
Ancona also starred in the first series of the BAFTA-winning
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
series ''
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 2004. The show was first commissioned in 2001 and was co-produced by a company owned by Steve C ...
''.
Ancona has appeared in the BAFTA-winning ''
Last Tango in Halifax
''Last Tango in Halifax'' is a British comedy-drama series that began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 November 2012 until its final episode which was broadcast on 15 March 2020. Screenwriter Sally Wainwright loosely adapted the story of her mothe ...
''
since its creation in 2012.
She is a co-director, alongside
Sally Phillips
Sally Elizabeth Phillips (born 10 May 1970) is an English actress, television presenter, and comedian. She co-created and was one of the writers of the sketch comedy show ''Smack the Pony''. She is also known for her roles in '' Miranda'' as Ti ...
and Nick Hamson, of the production company Captain Dolly.
Early life
Ancona was born in
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth () is a market town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.OS Explorer map 283:Louth and Mablethorpe: (1:25 000):
Louth serves as an important town for a large rural area of eastern Lincolnshire. Visitor ...
,
but moved to
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
when she was a few days old
and was brought up in
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Troon has a port with freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O Ferrie ...
. She is of
Italian Jewish
Italian Jews ( it, Ebrei Italiani, he, יהודים איטלקים ''Yehudim Italkim'') or Roman Jews ( it, Ebrei Romani, he, יהודים רומים ''Yehudim Romim'') can be used in a broad sense to mean all Jews living in or with roots in I ...
descent.
Her father was a
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and her mother was an artist who painted the sets at the
Gaiety Theatre in
Ayr
Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...
and the
Theatre Royal in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. Ancona is the youngest of three children, with two older brothers.
In the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
television programme ''
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.
Narrated by veteran broadcaster Alan Whicker, comedians included ...
'' she returned to her old school,
Marr College
Marr College (Scottish Gaelic: ''Colaiste Mhàrr'') is a co-educational secondary school in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is owned by the Marr Trust and is operated by South Ayrshire Council which was transferred to then Strathclyde Regiona ...
in Troon, and talked about her earliest comedy performing experience as part of an improvisation group called Pots People.
She attended the
University of Kent
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...
at
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
to study film and then did a degree in theatre & TV design at
Saint Martin's School of Art
Saint Martin's School of Art was an art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's became part of t ...
. At the age of 19, while she was studying at St Martin's College, the BBC's ''
Blue Peter
''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...
'' reported on a play about
Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
at the
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.
Having closed for redevelopment in ...
in which she was involved as a designer and performer: her appearance was later covered on the BBC show ''Before They Were Famous''.
Ancona then attended the
Institute of Education
IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to m ...
,
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
and qualified as a teacher in art, design & technology, and drama.
Whilst working as a teacher, Ancona started a comedy career on the live circuit. She won the ''
Time Out'' Hackney Empire New Act of the Year in 1993.
Television career
For many years Ancona worked extensively in radio and on television shows such as ''
Fist of Fun
''Fist of Fun'' was a British comedy show, initially a BBC Radio 1 series in 1993 and then a BBC2 television series in 1995. It was written by and starred Lee and Herring (the comedians Stewart Lee and Richard Herring).
Each episode of ''Fist o ...
'', as well as performing stand-up comedy. She co-wrote and performed in shows such as ''
Comedy Nation
''Comedy Nation'' was a British sketch comedy television programme that premiered at midnight 9 January 1998 on BBC Two. The first series consisted of 13 episodes, each containing 30 sketches. Each episode of the first series cost £29,000 to prod ...
'', ''Pulp Video'', and ''
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 2004. The show was first commissioned in 2001 and was co-produced by a company owned by Steve C ...
'' alongside
Lee Mack
Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and presenter. He is known for his quick wit, writing and starring in the sitcom ''Not Going Out'', being a team captain on the ...
.
In 2000 she teamed up with
Alistair McGowan, with whom she had previously worked on ''
The Staggering Stories of Ferdinand De Bargos
''The Staggering Stories of Ferdinand de Bargos'' is a 1989 BBC comedy television series, in which surreal and satirical narratives are assembled entirely out of archive film clips, with new soundtracks provided by voice-over artists. It was wr ...
'' and ''
Standing Room Only
An event is described as standing-room only when it is so well-attended that all of the chairs in the venue are occupied, leaving only flat spaces of pavement or flooring for other attendees to stand, at least those spaces not restricted by occup ...
'', to create ''
The 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. Four serie ...
''.
The show was one of
BBC1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
's top-rating comedy programmes for four years,
and won both a
Variety Club Comedy Award and a
BAFTA.
In 2003 she won "Best Actress" at the
British Comedy Awards
The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.
The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
.
In 2003 she starred in the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
historical drama ''The Key''.
In 2005 she played Barbara in
Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff (born 1 December 1952) is a British playwright, director and screenwriter. In 2006 Gerard Gilbert of ''The Independent'' described him as the UK's "pre-eminent TV dramatist" who had "inherited Dennis Potter's crown".
Early ...
's ''
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 i ...
'' on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
.
She has appeared several times on the BBC celebrity panel show ''
QI''. In November 2006 she was a guest presenter on ''
Have I Got News For You''. She also appeared on the
Channel
Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to:
Geography
* Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water.
Australia
* Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
4 comedy show ''
TV Heaven, Telly Hell'' discussing her preferences in television shows.
In 2007 her three-episode comedy sketch series ''
Ronni Ancona & Co'' was broadcast on BBC One.
She appeared as the mother of
Katie
Katie is an English feminine name. It is a form Katherine, Kate, Caitlin, Kathleen, Katey and their related forms. It is frequently used on its own.
People Sports
*Katie Boulter (born 1996), British tennis player
*Katie Clark (born 1994), Briti ...
and
Emily Fitch
Emily Fitch is a fictional character in the television series '' Skins'', played by Kathryn Prescott. She is introduced in the third series as the show's "second generation" of characters. Her twin sister Katie is played by Kathryn's real-life twi ...
in the third (2009) and fourth (2010) series of ''
Skins''.
In 2009 she had a leading role in the BBC comedy drama ''
Hope Springs''.
As part of
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''