Happy Valley and Gavin & Stacey favourites star in exclusive first look at emotional new British drama with tech twist

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The new British film Chatlines will star Siobhan Finneran, known from Happy Valley, and Laura Aikman, famous for Gavin & Stacey. TopMob has the first exclusive trailer for this moving drama.

This science fiction film, often compared to a blend of “Black Mirror” and “The Fault in Our Stars,” will premiere at the Manchester Film Festival on March 20th. It’s then expected to be released across the UK later this year, though the exact date is still to be announced.

The film, taking place in 2027, features Lloyd Eyre-Morgan (who also co-directed with Neil Ely) as Jordan, a man in his thirties battling terminal cancer. The story follows Jordan as he navigates his last days, caught between the effects of morphine and the escape of digital entertainment.

He spontaneously decides to use an old video chat app similar to Chatroulette and connects with Danny, a lively and intelligent man who believes it’s still 2005, despite being terminally ill. Over time, they become close friends, sharing their feelings about regrets, hopes, and the isolation of facing death at a young age.

Nico Mirallegro stars as Danny. Finneran, Aikman, Faye McKeever (known from The Responder), and Hannah Jones (from What It Feels Like for a Girl) also have important roles, but details about their characters are currently being kept under wraps.

The trailer, available to watch above, opens with a futuristic scene: Danny seems to emerge directly from Jordan’s computer screen.

Okay, so this guy is claiming a kid from 2005 is somehow communicating through my computer – seriously! I was trying to explain it, but the other character, played by McKeever, just looked at me and said, “This is completely crazy!” It’s one of those moments where you realize how wild the story is getting.

The story shows moments of connection between Jordan and Danny, hinting at a romance as they both cope with being sick. We also see a quick, rare smile from Finneran’s character.

Deadline reported on this project last year, and filming wrapped up in the summer of 2025.

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I’m really excited for “Chatlines” – it’s coming to the UK later this year! And even better, if you’re around Manchester, you can actually get tickets to see it at the Manchester Film Festival right now.

Authors

Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona writes about movies for TopMob, covering new releases in theaters and on streaming services. He’s been with the site since October 2019, and during that time has interviewed many famous actors and reviewed films of all kinds.

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2026-02-04 18:08