EastEnders legend Nigel Bates will die on Wednesday after battling dementia, in a final episode that actor Paul Bradley promises will be 'moving' and full of surprises. The character, who returned in December 2024 after more than 20 years offscreen, will see his storyline come to a close this week.
Bradley, 70, said it was a privilege to reprise the role and work again with Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell) and Ross Kemp (Grant Mitchell). 'The fact that Steve is still there, and that I could work with him again was fantastic,' he said. 'Ross hasn't changed in his appearance in all these years, so when I saw him at first, it was like “what is time?” You pick up right back where you left off.'
The actor described Nigel's final scenes as a 'beautiful ending' that reconciles many loose ends in his relationships. He added that portraying Nigel's dementia journey over the past year felt like playing multiple characters, as the condition gradually changed him. 'This is what family and friends of people living with dementia find very difficult to come to terms with as they call it “the long goodbye”,' he said.
Bradley fondly recalled Nigel's friendship with the late June Brown's character Dot Cotton, saying it was 'fantastic' and that Nigel became the son Dot always wanted. He originally joined the soap for a few episodes in 1992 but stayed after being asked back, a decision he calls one of the best he's ever made.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
