Viewers were left fearing the worst for the character(Image: BBC)
EastEnders fans are calling on the writers to ‘ease up’ after a beloved character was left for dead after a vicious attack.
It’s been a frantic period on the BBC soap, with fan favourite sisters Bianca Jackson and Sonia Fowler departing Walford last week.
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Despite the programme going through a period of change, things don’t look like they’ll be slowing down on Albert Square any time soon.
One major storyline has seen Nicola Mitchell attempting to stop her murder of Shireen Bashar from coming to life.
However, the story that continues to catch the hearts of viewers is Paul Bradley’s Nigel Bates’ ongoing battle with dementia.
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Last year saw the return of Phil Mitchell’s best friend Nigel, with the popular character not seen on Albert Square since leaving in 1998.
With viewers suspecting not all was as it seemed with Nigel, he later revealed that he was sadly diagnosed by doctors with early-onset dementia.
Nigel was attacked by a group of teenage thugs(Image: BBC)
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In scenes that aired on Tuesday (April 22), Nigel attempted to calm Phil down after he discovered that he was planning on taking his own life if his condition worsened.
Initially frustrated with Nigel, Phil returned to his home to make amends but is stunned to discover his goodbye letter.
After weeks of struggling with his memory and telling his loved ones about his condition, Nigel encountered a group of teens at Walford tube.
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The group called Nigel a ‘homeless loser’ in the heartbreaking scene as they attempted to take his bag off of him.
The episode concluded with Nigel falling and hitting his head off of the pavement, leaving his fate uncertain heading into the next instalment.
Those watching at home rushed to X, previously known as Twitter, to express their sadness and manifest that everything is going to be okay.
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@lambrinimami said: “Nah these EastEnders writers need to ease up man – my precious angel Nigel.” @slashedsummer added: “If he dies i’ll never be the same i love that mousy old man.”
@aotalks wrote: “Idiots, injuring our Nigel. Now watch when he can’t remember what happened.” @mrsjaclong stated: “Can’t believe @bbceastenders brought Nigel back just to break our hearts #Eastenders #EE.”
@RyanSoapKing25 commented: “Nigel’s storyline is being handled with such care. The writers really want to get this storyline right and portray it realistically #EastEnders.” @barilace posted: “Can we just keep Nigel forever? You could kill off 90% of the new people. Just keep Nigel around longer.”
