First look at EastEnders legend in new movie role 26 years after soap debut

EASTENDERS legend Lucy Benjamin is returning to our screens in a brand new movie, with a Love Island-style twist. 

The actress, best known for playing Lisa Fowler on the BBC soap, will play a struggling mother whose son reckons he’s in for a shot at fame after being selected to go on a reality dating show, Love On The Rocks (that looks suspiciously similar to Love Island). 

However, by the looks of the trailer alone, fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and as his ambition and desire for the limelight takes over, Eddie faces a string of decisions that could change his life forever - and not necessarily in a good way. 

In the trailer, Lucy is seen in a panicked state screaming that “as his mother, she should protect him”. 

The 53-year-old actress hasn’t aged a day since she first appeared on our screens as Lisa in 1998, with the character dipping in and out of the Square ever since. 

She returned to the show briefly in 2023 after a three-year absence, coming back home after discovering Keanu Taylor’s death was faked. 

She'd last been seen in a taxi, fleeing Walford with Louise (Tilly Keeper), her daughter with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) after Keanu’s supposed death, terrified they could be arrested for conspiracy to murder after Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) enlisted the help of Martin Fowler (James Bye) to murder Keanu.

However, Martin, with the help of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) got Keanu away, making everybody believe he was dead.

She was seen returning to Walford with her grandchild, Peggy in July last year, immediately causing chaos.

On her arrival, she almost immediately started blackmailing Keanu into seeing the child for thousands of pounds at a time. 

Regular fans of the London-based drama will remember that Keanu cheated on Louise with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), fathering both of their babies around the same time, Albie and Peggy.

But rather than putting it towards the child, Lisa actually had a crippling gambling problem, and was using Peggy as leverage to get more cash. 

Her lies eventually unravelled with Phil, Kat, Sharon and Keanu confronting her about her demands, with Sharon taking pity on her and trying to get her help.

Eventually, Keanu was killed for real during the highly-anticipated ‘The Six’ Christmas episode, with Lisa having nothing to do with it.