EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders has confirmed another major character return from beyond the grave as the BBC One soap heads into Christmas. But Albert Square isn’t being haunted by some festive ghosts, it’s actually part of quite a sad ongoing storyline.
Earlier this year, classic character Nigel Bates returned to the Square, and it was soon revealed that he is living with dementia. As his symptoms continue to get worse in December, he will ‘see’ two former characters.
We already knew that the legendary Pam St Clements will be back as Pat for the special episode, now it’s been announced that Shaun Williamson will be joining her.
Yes, that’s right! Barry from EastEnders is back in EastEnders!
Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron//BBC
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Barry famously met his end on 2 January 2004, where his wife Janine (who only married him for his money) pushed him off a cliff.
When Janine was playing the devastated widow act, she blamed Barry’s choice of footwear for causing him to fall and uttered the iconic line: “If only he’d worn slip-on shoes!”
Barry and his step-mum Pat didn’t get on, as he blamed her for the death of his father Roy.
However, this special episode will see these imagined versions put aside their differences to help Nigel during his time of need.
BBC
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Williamson, who appeared as a fictionalised version of himself in Extras and performs across the UK doing ‘Barrioke‘, said: “It was a complete shock getting the call to go back to Albert Square, but so exciting!
“I have to admit to a few nerves (loads!) when I walked back onto the set of The Queen Victoria, but it was so great to work with old friends and colleagues on such a brilliant episode. Just goes to show, you never know what’s around the corner!”
The soap’s boss Ben Wadey added: “I’m delighted to welcome Shaun Williamson back to EastEnders for Nigel’s special episode.
“Barry Evans was renowned for being one of Walford’s unluckiest residents, most notably for his choice of shoes, and so it was a privilege to welcome him back alongside Pat for these special scenes in The Vic.”
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.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
More information about dementia is available via organisations including the NHS and Dementia UK. Resources for readers in the US are available via the National Institutes of Health.