EastEnders favourite stars in exclusive first look at new film role as ‘eccentric’ mother caring for her son following his breakdown

by

Lorraine Stanley, known for her role in EastEnders, will be in the new film Departures. We’re giving you an exclusive first look at a clip featuring her character, Janet. The scene shows Janet looking after her son, Benji (played by Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, who also wrote and co-directed the film), after he’s had a difficult time. In the clip, Janet says to Benji, “I made that from scratch darling, look at the state of you. Is this you now? This is it?”

We then hear Benji narrating, explaining his mother “wasn’t perfect,” and the narration is accompanied by examples of her scolding him while they’re at the kitchen table.

Benji also points out she’s improved a lot, and the scene immediately cuts to her relaxing in the bathtub with wine, angrily exclaiming, “I just wanted a grandchild!”

The full clip, along with a short trailer for the movie, is available to watch at the top of this page.

Departures, a new film recently shown at BFI Flare, tells the story of Benji and Jake, who meet at an airport and quickly feel a connection. They begin a secret, monthly relationship, traveling to Amsterdam to be together.

The show is a compelling British comedy-drama that explores a damaging relationship with both humor and honest emotion, and is based on real-life heartbreak.

What starts as exciting monthly trips to Amsterdam quickly turns into a troubled and ultimately unsustainable relationship. After a painful breakup, Benji copes by falling into addiction and having brief, meaningless encounters, constantly reminded of the love he’s lost.

The film features actors including Eyre-Morgan (known from ‘Outings’ and ‘3 in a Bed’) and Stanley, as well as David Tag (‘Hollyoaks’, ‘Waterloo Road’), Tyler Conti (‘The Gentlemen’, ‘Hollyoaks’), and Liam Boyle (‘Emmerdale Farm’, ‘Coronation Street’). It was made by a group of LGBTQI+ filmmakers from working-class backgrounds in Britain.

According to director Sarah Eyre-Morgan and co-director Neil Ely, the film ‘Departures’ was funded entirely by artists in Manchester who were passionate about the story and decided to make it happen independently, without needing approval or financial backing from larger organizations.

The film was made with dedication and a common vision, using the real-life stories of the filmmakers. We collaborated with talented artists from working-class Manchester to share a unique LGBTQ+ story.

The filmmakers expressed immense pride that their film would be shown in cinemas across the country. They described it as a significant achievement, demonstrating that independent films can still find a wide audience in theaters.

Before the show officially launches, the cast and crew will participate in several Q&A sessions, led by well-known personalities like Russell Tovey and Danny Beard, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Russell T Davies will also host a special Q&A event in his hometown of Manchester on April 17th.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because it might use cookies. By selecting ‘Accept and continue,’ you’ll allow reCAPTCHA to work and help keep the site secure.

Departures is released in UK cinemas on Friday 17 April 2026.

Authors

Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona writes about film for TopMob, covering new releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. He joined the team in October 2019 and has since interviewed many famous actors and reviewed a wide variety of films.

  • Visit us on Twitter

Read More

2026-04-08 15:34