EastEnders actress Tracy-Ann Oberman was left stranded at Liverpool airport on Thursday night after being refused permission to board a Ryanair flight to Spain, where she had planned a short family holiday following the filming of a new Netflix series. The 59-year-old fell foul of the EU's so-called 10-year passport rule: although her passport does not expire until June 2027, it was deemed invalid because it had been issued more than a decade earlier. Her experience highlights a post-Brexit requirement that continues to catch British travellers off guard.

Oberman, known for playing Chrissie Watts in EastEnders and Valerie Lewis in Friday Night Dinner, said she was "gutted" and that travelling today felt like "all 'computer says no'", adding that she had been looking forward to the family holiday all year during a busy period on stage and screen. She is now trying to secure passport office appointments ahead of a lengthy UK theatre tour with her new play. Under the EU rules introduced after Brexit, UK passports must have been issued within the previous 10 years to be valid for entry, even if they still have at least three months before their expiry date, and some travellers have reportedly lost up to £700 after being turned away.