Has the moment arrived for Nigel’s family to return?
In tonight’s EastEnders episode (Tuesday, June 24), Nigel Bates’ dementia symptoms worsened, making his condition harder for Phil Mitchell to handle. This prompted Kat to urge the return of Nigel’s family members, Julie and Clare.
Phil’s ex, Kat Moon, grew concerned after witnessing how overwhelmed Phil was—especially now that he’s injured from a serious accident involving Nigel and a pan of hot water the previous night.
Kat grew concerned for Phil as Nigel’s symptoms worsened in EastEnders tonight.
Just yesterday, Phil caught Nigel trying to leave the house barefoot. He managed to prevent that mishap, only to discover Nigel almost set the house on fire while attempting to cook alone.
Seeing Phil injured and overwhelmed, Kat urged him to seek help for Nigel before the situation deteriorated further. Phil, however, refused. As the episode went on, Phil became increasingly frustrated by Nigel’s confusion and erratic behavior.
Nigel mistook Lexi for his daughter Clare again, which upset him and required him to be taken home to rest. While Nigel relaxed watching a horror movie, Kat suggested to Phil that he should consider contacting Julie before it’s too late.
By the episode’s end, Phil appeared to be seriously weighing her advice. Will he listen to reason and reach out to Julie and Clare?
Will Julie and Clare be coming back for Nigel?
EastEnders spoilers for the rest of this week don’t reveal whether Phil finally informs Nigel’s wife, Julie, about his whereabouts and dementia diagnosis. However, with Julie and Clare mentioned several times in this episode, it seems likely that at least one of them will make a return.
Before the episode ended, there was a close-up shot of a photo of Julie—portrayed by Karen Henthorn. The actress reprised the role with a voice cameo over the phone back in January, so a face-to-face appearance might not be far off.
Regarding daughter Clare, Gemma Bissix is currently tied up with her role in Hollyoaks, where she also plays a character named Clare. In May, she told The Sun that she hadn’t been asked to return for EastEnders’ 40th anniversary.
“I think they did a fantastic job with their 40th celebrations, bringing back so many ’90s characters. Paul Bradley is doing an excellent job with the dementia storyline,” she said.
“And realistically, if Clare Bates were to return, the storyline might have involved her taking advantage of a dementia sufferer financially, which isn’t something I’d want to portray.”
But could Gemma be keeping her true intentions under wraps? With Nigel’s storyline ongoing, there’s still room for both Julie and Clare to come back. Whether Phil will make that call, however, remains uncertain…
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