EastEnders fans in tears over heartbreaking Nigel death as Paul Bradley leaves after 34 years
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
Paul Bradley as Nigel Bates(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
It’s 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 fans weeping.
Since the start of the week, fans have known the end was near for Nigel (Paul Bradley), who first joined the show 34 years ago. He was put on end-of-life care seemed to be slowly slipping away.
While his loved ones gathered to say goodbye, his best friend Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) 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.
Nigel died with Phil and Julie in the room(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
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 didn’t 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…”
Julie and Nigel in the care home(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
In the real world, Nigel’s lifeless hand dropped the stone as his wife Julie (Karen Henthorn) burst into tears, and Julia’s theme, last used when Martin Fowler (James Bye) died, played.
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 & crew. One of the best episodes I’ve watched! Rest in peace Nige, love ya!”
A fifth likened the episode to two other heartbreaking deaths that have been on the soap. They said: “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 (June Brown) and Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) were best friends on EastEnders, and they were completely dependent on each other. But 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 (Adrien Edmondson) was Jean Slater’s (Gillian Wright) boyfriend. They both had cancer at the same time, and Daniel’s condition worsened as Jean’s got better. 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.
