EastEnders finally aired the death of Nigel Bates after over a year of the character struggling with dementia, leaving fans in tears as Paul Bradley said his final goodbye to the Square after 34 years.
It is the day every EastEnders fan has been dreading — Nigel Bates has died. The character had been battling dementia for over a year and finally succumbed to his illness in a heartbreaking episode that left viewers weeping.
Since the start of the week, fans have known the end was near for Nigel, who first joined the show 34 years ago. He was put on end-of-life care and seemed to be slowly slipping away.
While his loved ones gathered to say goodbye, his best friend Phil Mitchell scoured a beach for one last perfect stone for Nigel to skim before racing to the care home. Phil made it just in time, as Nigel seemed to be waiting for him.
Heartbreaking Final Moments
As Phil stopped at nothing to get to the care home, Nigel's subconscious travelled to a beach, where he had a heart-to-heart with Phil. Nigel tried to make sure Phil would be okay. He told his friend that he did not want Phil to sit alone in a dark room, shutting the world out, as he had before taking care of Nigel. In return, Phil told him it was okay to leave.
When Nigel took his last breath, his subconscious looked out to the sea before transforming back into a child version of himself. Skimming his last stone, the boy heard his father tell him it was time to go and turned back towards the camera. He said: "Did you see that stone, Dad? It was perfect. It went on forever and ever..."
In the real world, Nigel's lifeless hand dropped the stone as his wife Julie burst into tears, and Julia's theme, last used when Martin Fowler died, played.
Fans React to Emotional Episode
Fans were left emotionally sobbing by the scenes. One said: "Wasn't expecting to be ugly crying at 7am but here we are." They added: "Nigel's journey has been beautifully heartbreaking. Sleep well Nigel you utter king."
Another said: "I was weeping! Sound effects and all. What a brilliant end to such a heartbreaking storyline." A third said Julia's theme "did me in."
A fourth agreed: "That was heartbreaking. I think we might need a Nigel Bates support group. Still crying ten minutes after watching. We're talking The Green Mile ugly crying territory here. Well done to the cast and crew. One of the best episodes I have watched! Rest in peace Nige, love ya!"
A fifth likened the episode to two other heartbreaking deaths on the soap: "This episode is up there with the Dot and Ethel one for me. Aside from when Daniel died, I can't remember ugly crying like this before."
Dot Cotton and Ethel Skinner were best friends on EastEnders, completely dependent on each other. When Ethel was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2000, she asked her friend to help her die. On the night of her 86th birthday, Ethel took sleeping pills, helped by Dot, and died peacefully. When Dot died 22 years later, she was buried next to Ethel.
Meanwhile, Daniel Cook was Jean Slater's boyfriend. They both had cancer at the same time, and Daniel's condition worsened as Jean's improved. He promised to hold on until she was cancer-free. After getting the all-clear, Jean and Daniel sat on a bench together, and she went to get a hot chocolate. When she returned, he had died.
