EastEnders airs emotional returns and tearjerking scenes for Nigel Bates’s funeral in early BBC iPlayer release

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Residents of Walford, including some who no longer live there, came together to remember Nigel Bates (played by Paul Bradley) on EastEnders.

In true soap opera style, the emotional affair didn’t happen without a stumbling block or two.

Nige sadly passed away last month after a lengthy struggle with dementia. He contracted pneumonia, and his wife, Julie Henthorn, made the difficult decision to stop medical treatment.

After the character’s death, Gemma Bissix and Jon Lee, a member of the band S Club 7, will be returning to their roles as Clare Bates and Josh Saunders. Bissix made a brief appearance earlier this year, but this will be Lee’s first time back on the show in 28 years.

Lee described returning to the set of Albert Square as a strange but wonderful experience, saying it felt very familiar after all these years. He was especially happy to reunite with his on-screen family.

Bissix explained that Clare’s return was always planned for Nigel’s funeral. He was incredibly important to her, and they both felt it was right to be present as everyone gathered to mourn and say goodbye.

Today on the show, Julie had a tough time writing a eulogy, and emotions were strong for Phil Mitchell, who became upset when he received Nigel’s watch as a gift. Gemma and Josh also made an appearance.

People from the neighborhood gradually gathered at the Mitchells’ house to offer their condolences. During this, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) had an awkward encounter with Clare, someone he hadn’t seen in 18 years – and who previously blackmailed him.

Sam Mitchell cautioned Phil and Grant about the limited time they had to get to the funeral home. Meanwhile, Grant was worried about his son Mark Fowler going missing, and became even more distressed when dangerous gangster Russell Delaney revealed he’d kidnapped him.

As Delaney listened to Grant begging, she recognized Sam’s voice and realized they shared a past. She revealed that Grant had previously slept with her wife, and Sam had retaliated by doing the same to him.

Things got really complicated when Sam and I fell out. He took off with a gold chain that belonged to his grandfather – it wasn’t just valuable, it meant the world to our family. Now, I need that chain back, and I also need to raise £200,000 to get Mark out of trouble. It’s a lot, but I’m desperate to fix things.

The brothers and sisters piled into the hearse with Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) and drove towards a warehouse where Mark was being kept. While Billy stayed outside with the coffin, Sam, Grant, and Phil rushed inside to rescue him.

Mark was in a difficult situation. Grant had promised to deliver the money that day, but he also wanted the return of his grandfather’s chain. Sam suggested offering Nigel’s watch as a trade, but Phil strongly objected.

Seeing how much Mark was suffering, he let her take it, but immediately felt bad about it. He made Delaney promise to protect it.

After the ceremony, we all went to the church, and it was pretty packed with everyone from Albert Square – Julie, Clare, Josh, the whole lot. Julie did a lovely eulogy, and then Phil and Grant really got to me with their tribute to Nige. It was emotional, and after that, everyone just started heading home.

Looking at Nigel’s chicken coop, Phil told Julie she would always be considered family and was welcome to live with him. However, she shared that she planned to go back to Scotland, as that’s where she had the fondest memories of her late husband.

Sam pulled Phil aside and told him and Grant to go to The Arches to celebrate Nigel. While there, she confessed that the watch she’d given Delaney originally belonged to Billy, and she’d been hiding the genuine watch all along.

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Authors

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at TopMob, giving readers all the latest news and spoilers from popular shows like Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks. Before joining TopMob, he was a Soaps Reporter at Metro for two years, and he also worked directly on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

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2026-05-20 09:05