EastEnders Bea Pollard star Ronni Ancona has very famous ex-partner
EastEnders introduces Ronni Ancona as new cast member Bea Pollard, who confronts Linda Carter over alleged school bullying in dramatic scenes
Comedian and actress Ronni Ancona has revealed all about joining the EastEnders cast(Image: PA)
EastEnders’ beloved character Linda Carter has had a blast from the past as the soap introduces her old schoolmate, Bea Pollard.
In Wednesday’s episode (January 7) of the BBC soap, Linda, played by Kellie Bright, took a trip down memory lane and attended a school reunion, spurred on by her mother, Elaine Peacock, portrayed by Harriet Thorpe.
Honey Mitchell, played by Emma Barton, was excited about the prospect of the reunion and eagerly offered to accompany Linda for moral support and a fun night out.
Upon arrival, they found that names were being verified at the entrance. Thinking on her feet, Linda handed Honey a name tag and instructed her to impersonate ‘Bea’, assuming the real Bea wouldn’t show up.
EastEnders newcomer Ronni Ancona famously impersonated characters on the BBC soap years before the news she would join the cast(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
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However, the actual Bea Pollard soon made an appearance and questioned Honey’s fraudulent name tag. As the two women engaged in conversation, Bea began recounting her version of their school days, painting a starkly different image of Linda, reports OK!.
According to Bea, Linda was far from the innocent schoolgirl she claimed to be and allegedly bullied her. This revelation left Honey taken aback and visibly unsettled Linda.
It’s evident that Bea and Linda have contrasting recollections of their shared past, forcing Linda to face aspects of her youth she’d rather leave behind.
Who plays Bea in EastEnders
Bea Pollard is brought to life by Ronni Ancona. Prior to securing her EastEnders role, Ronni brilliantly mimicked Peggy Mitchell, Sharon Watts and Kat Slater, among others, in the BAFTA-winning programme The Big Impression, earning widespread critical praise.
The 57-year-old has built an illustrious career spanning more than three decades across television and film, boasting an impressive array of credits, including Last Tango in Halifax, Penelope, Skins, and The Trip, among numerous others.
Ronni dated her co-star Alistair McGowan for seven years before they hit the big time(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
She previously shared a romantic relationship with fellow comedian Alistair McGowan, who formed the other half of their comedy partnership on BBC One’s The Big Impression.
The pair first crossed paths at a comedy venue and instantly connected, with their romance enduring for seven years. However, it was whilst on a Cornish getaway with Ronni and her mates that he recognised their relationship was fracturing.
During a previous Guardian interview, Alistair revealed they ‘would have killed each other’ had they remained together. Discussing the Cornwall trip, he admitted: “I suddenly realised I had nothing to say to them.”
He acknowledged that his football obsession had contributed to their relationship’s demise, confessing: “I never thought of myself as an addict,” he revealed to the publication.
Linda is conflicted about attending her school reunion before reuniting with Bea (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
“I loved the idea of turning up to see a play on a Saturday night with a football programme from the afternoon in my pocket. I thought of myself as cultured, interested in a wide variety of things, but I was an addict. I just didn’t realise.”
He further explained that “it typified the clash between us”, adding: “We were opposites, and that worked wonderfully: 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 killed each other. And football would have been responsible for that.”
Despite their split, they later collaborated on a book about football addiction, ‘A Matter of Life and Death, Or How to Wean a Man off Football’.
Ronni has been cast in EastEnders as an old friend of Linda Carter(Image: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Ancona is now happily married to Gerard Hall, a consultant rheumatologist, and they share two daughters. The couple suffered the heartbreaking loss of their baby son, Seth, to stillbirth in 2006.
Discussing her new role in the long-standing soap, Ronni hinted at a complex character arc.
She expressed: “I am honoured to have been invited to join the iconic institution that is EastEnders, and to go on this whirlwind of a journey with such an unpredictable, nuanced and complex character as Bea. I hope audiences have as much fun watching her as I have had bringing her to life.”
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer
