EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders broke the hearts of fans all over the country last week, when it aired Nigel Bates’ tragic death after years of suffering with dementia and a bout of pneumonia. Fans dubbed it “one of the best episodes, ever” while we at Digital Spy called it “soap at its best”.
And now the BBC has confirmed when Nigel’s funeral will take place, and we’re sure it will bring tears to everyone’s eyes all over again.
BBC
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The funeral itself will take place in exactly two weeks, on Wednesday, 20 May, although Thursday’s episode will see Julie receive “a final gift” from her late husband.
What could it be? Money or some other sentimental item left to her in his will? A letter? The spoilers haven’t revealed that yet, but we do know that Jon Lee and Gemma Bissix are returning as Nigel’s kids Josh Saunders and Clare Bates, respectively.
Elsewhere in that week’s episodes, there will be more drama for Oscar Branning and his love interests/siblings Jasmine Fisher and Josh Goodwin.
There’s also more turmoil for Grant Mitchell, as the Mark Fowler Jr situation leads him to turning to the bottle.
BBC
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Here are the advance spoilers for the week’s episodes.
Monday, 18 May
Lauren makes a risky decision, Jasmine, Oscar and Josh spend the day together, and Gina fears for her dad.
Tuesday, 19 May
Vicki and Grant try to stage an intervention, Mark grows desperate, and Josh makes Oscar jealous.
Wednesday, 20 May
Walford gathers for the day of Nigel’s funeral, Grant worries about Mark, and the Mitchells head off on a mission.
Thursday, 21 May
Grant drowns his sorrows, Nigel leaves Julie a final gift, while Lauren puts her family first.
Speaking about his return, S Club star Jon 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 on-screen family again.”
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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