The comedians on their Bafta-winning sketch show, the reason they split up – and why she reminds him of Diane Keaton
Born in Louth, Lincolnshire in 1969, and raised in Troon, Ayrshire, Ronni Ancona is an actor, writer and impressionist. She studied at Edinburgh College of Art and trained as a teacher before turning to comedy. Born in Evesham, Worcestershire, in 1964, Alistair McGowan studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before becoming an impressionist. The pair met on the London comedy circuit in the 1990s. They co-created the Bafta-winning Big Impression, which aired between 1999 and 2003 and became one of the BBC’s most popular sketch shows. Ancona’s new podcast with Hal Cruttenden – Hal & Ronni in Pieces – is available now.
This was taken during the promotion for Big Impression. I can see the desire in my eyes. The expression, the whole stance screams “Watch our show! Look at me!”, as if I’m trying to reach the audience through the lens. Now I have the look of a relatively contented man. That desperate sense of yearning has gone.
The story of Ronni and I is still very moving to me. She’s so gorgeous – she just takes your breath away. But we had a tempestuous relationship, and this was taken during a tough time. She and I broke up in 1999, a few months before shooting the first series. We had been together for seven years. When you’ve had that sort of history, it never goes away. There was hurt there, and a bit of pain, while also great passion and love for the time we spent together.
