EastEnders confirms return of S Club 7 star for Nigel Bates's emotional funeral scenes
A familiar face is returning to Walford after 28 years.
S Club 7 star Jon Lee is reprising his former EastEnders role after almost three decades away.
Lee, who shot to fame in the late '90s as part of the pop group responsible for hits such as "Don't Stop Movin'" and "Reach", starred in 18 episodes of the BBC soap between 1997 and 1998.
His comeback, will coincide with the funeral of beloved character Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley), who passed away earlier this week in heartbreaking scenes. With wife Julie (Karen Henthorn) and best pal Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) by his side, Nige' envisioned his final moments to be taking place in a idilic beachside setting.
His character Josh Saunders is Julie's son, first introduced as a love interest for Nigel's stepdaughter Clare (Gemma Bissix), who will also stage a return for the funeral.
Ahead of his return, Lee said: "It was quite surreal stepping back on to Albert Square after so many years as it’s so familiar to so many of us. It was lovely to see my onscreen family again".
Bissix added: “When I returned earlier this year, we always knew Clare had to come back for Nigel’s funeral. He meant so much to her, and it felt right to be there for the conclusion of his story, as everyone came together to say their final goodbyes”.
He initially prevented a group of bullies from harassing her, and she spent the following weeks trying to gain his attention. When Clare realised his maternal connection to their teacher Julie, she was mortified and called off the relationship.
However, some weeks later, the pair reconciled and despite the odd dynamic, was pleased when Nigel pursued his own romance with Julie.
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Before long, Julie announced her plans to move to Scotland, something which angered Josh's father Eliot. He tried to force him into having a Bar Mitzvah ceremony before he departed for the new beginning, despite his lack of interest in the Jewish religion.
Eventually, in a bid to appease his family, he went ahead with the coming-of-age ritual, which was attended by Clare. She was devastated to see him leave with Julie, though at the last minute, Nigel asked if they could join them.
Upon Clare's return a decade later, she told Dot Branning (June Brown) that Nige' had become more fond of Josh as they grew older. As we now know, their complex relationship stems from Clare's decision to sell her late mother Debbie's (Nicola Duffett) jewellery.
Ahead of Nigel's death, Julie had told Phil that Josh was working in China and therefore couldn't offer his support.
Read more:
- 7 EastEnders spoilers next week: Twisted villain Eddie Knight returns and drops a huge bombshell
- EastEnders first-look pictures reveal Grant's return – and Mitchell family reunion after 10 years
- EastEnders reveals Vicki and Zack's blackmailer in early BBC iPlayer release - and it's not who you'd expect
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Authors
Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
