Living.Scotsman.com – Aidan Smith
After all those years when she never got her name in lights, when some people actually thought Alistair McGowan did the big impressions of women as well as the men, Ronni Ancona must be thrilled to have her own TV show at last.
Well, yes and no, Actually, make that no. The woman is a jumble of emotions, almost all of them negative, and you wonder how she ever makes it out of the house. She’s anxiety on legs.
And they’re long legs. A fansite declares that at 6ft 2ins, Troon-born Ancona is the world’s tallest female impersonator, “almost enabling her to reach out and touch McGowan”. He’s recorded as being just an inch taller, illustrating the vast gulf between men and women in comedy.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she says, rocking on her wedges. She’s not – she’s bang on time. “And I’m sorry for choosing such a wanky place. I just never get out anymore.” This is a private members’ club above a Notting Hill institution, the Electric Cinema in Portobello Road, and it’s really not that bad, so Ancona is fretting unnecessarily again. Mariella Frostrup – an easy target for mimicry, presumably, on account of her huskiness – is lunching with girlfriends in the corner.