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EastEnders airs surprise Christmas Eve return for classic character in early BBC iPlayer release

Spoiler warning for Tuesday 24th December 2024.

Tameka Empson as Kim Fox leads the Walford choir in singing in the Square gardens on Christmas Eve in EastEnders.

BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Published: Tuesday, 24 December 2024 at 10:08 am

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Warning: contains spoilers for EastEnders' episode airing Tuesday 24th December on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

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EastEnders has aired a surprise comeback on Christmas Eve.

The BBC One soap has been gearing up for its explosive festive season for some time now but there was one unexpected return that many would not have foreseen for this Christmas.

In Tuesday’s episode, Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) experienced a beautiful rediscovery of faith after visiting a survivors group created by those impacted by serial sexual abuser Pastor Gideon Clayton, who recently ended his own life.

After a poignant moment of rediscovery of faith, Yolande was later seen returning to the Walford Community Centre soup kitchen and dished food and drink for the homeless or needy.

However, a further surprise lay in store in the soup kitchen.

*Spoiler warning for the special return in EastEnders on Christmas Eve*

A smiling Yolande stands in front of some flowers as Delia stands behind her in EastEnders

Yolande begins to heal in EastEnders on Christmas Eve...then meets a familiar face... BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

One of those she served was the classic character Nigel Bates, played by Paul Bradley, now looking somewhat dishevelled and saddened.

As Yolande asked what brought Nigel to Walford, he answered wistfully: “Memories.”

The pair shared a sherry toast, as they wished each other ‘Merry Christmas’, but what brings Nigel back to Walford?

It had previously been reported that Nigel would make a surprise return for the 40th anniversary celebrations but no one foresaw him making a comeback at Christmas.

We’ll have to wait and see how this pans out…

Who is Nigel Bates in EastEnders?

Paul Badley as a bearded Nigel Bates in 2024 in EastEnders.

Paul Badley as Nigel Bates in 2024 in EastEnders. BBC

Nigel Bates, played by Paul Bradley, was an EastEnders character from 1992 to 1998.

Introduced as a comic relief sidekick to the Mitchell Brothers from their school days, Nigel visited Phil (Steve McFadden) and Grant (Ross Kemp) in Walford before moving there following the death of his mother.

A key relationship featured during Nigel's time in Walford was the one he shared with Dot Cotton (June Brown) who he lodged with, becoming the first of many waifs and strays that she befriended on the show. In fact, Nigel became like a surrogate son to Dot and this earned him the hatred of her villainous biological son Nick Cotton (John Altman).

Nigel's key story during his time on the show was his romance with employee Debbie Tyler (Nicola Duffett) and his journey as a step-father to her daughter Clare (Gemma Bissix) despite her abusive biological father Liam (Francis Magee) trying to come between them.

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Sadly, Nigel's short-lived marriage to Debbie came to an end when she was killed in a hit-and-run, prompting Nigel to battle the abusive Liam for custody, which ultimately Nigel won.

Later, Nigel found himself falling for Lorraine Wicks (Jacqueline Leonard) which caused issues due to her own romance with the married Grant, Nigel's best friend.

Ultimately, Nigel found love once more with school teacher Julie Haye (Karen Henthorn) but his continued grief about Debbie almost stopped this. Thankfully, as Julie planned to move to Scotland with her son Josh Saunders (Jon Lee), Nigel saw the error of his ways and professed his love for her, leading to Nigel and Clare joining them for a new life in Scotland.

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Following this, Nigel was mentioned multiple times and Dot even visited him. Clare returned to Walford for a stint in 2008 as a very troubled and spiteful individual who had become estranged from her stepfather before eventually leaving Albert Square once more.

Nigel was absent from Dot's funeral in December 2022 and his absence went unexplained.

So, what brings Nigel back to Walford now?

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EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.

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Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Lewis Knight, smiling against a lime green background.

Lewis KnightNews and Trends Editor

Lewis is the news and trends editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.

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