As an old schoolmate of Linda Carter

Ronni Ancona is joining EastEnders.

The impressionist will play Bea, an old acquaintance of Linda Carter – as played by Kellie Bright – runs into at their high school reunion.

According to the BBC, the pair ‘have different accounts of their time at school’ and say that ‘as Bea settles into Walford, she soon finds herself in the heart of the drama’.

Ancona said: ‘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.’

She’s not exactly a stranger to Albert Square, having mimicked Peggy Mitchell, Sharon Watts and Kat Slater in shows such as The Big Impression, in which she starred alongside Alistair McGowan.

Her other credits include Skins and Last Tango in Halifax – and she will soon be seen in the indie British film Think Of England, about a group of people assembled  on a remote Orkney island to make pornographic films for soldiers fighting in the Second World War.

The film, in which Ancona plays a make-up artist, had its premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights film festival in Estonia last month, where one reviewer praised the way it navigated ‘drama, occasional gruesomeness and comedy with a surprising degree of balance’.

EastEnders executive producer Ben Wadey said: ‘I’m delighted to welcome the immensely talented Ronni Ancona to EastEnders. Bea’s character is mysterious, and we’re thrilled to have an esteemed actress and comedian like Ronni playing her.’

She has  already started filming her first scenes, which are set to air in the New Year.

Published: 7 Dec 2025