EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders has shared more details of Clare Bates’ comeback as part of Nigel Bates’ ongoing dementia storyline. Clare, played by Gemma Bissix, was last seen in Walford in 2008, leaving after her manipulative money-making scheme – that saw her con the likes of Bradley Branning, Jack Branning, and Ian Beale – was exposed.
Now that her father is back in the soap and battling dementia, Clare is set to arrive in some of the BBC soap’s most emotional scenes in a very special episode.
Airing on 5 March, the EastEnders episode will solely focus on a party held for Nigel at The Queen Vic before he is taken to a care home.
BBC
Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 — including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV+
It begins with Nigel’s wife Julie being furious that Clare and Lexi Pearce discharged Nigel without telling her.
Meanwhile, Kat and Zoe Slater are busy getting the Vic ready to honour Nigel alongside his loved ones.
Chelsea Fox supports Clare as she and Julie struggle to resolve their differences, while the local community rallies around Nigel as he arrives at the pub for one last time.
As the night draws to a close, Yolande Trueman provides a shoulder for Julie to cry on, while Clare and Phil Mitchell take Nigel to the care home to settle him in.
BBC
Soon after, the enormity of Nigel’s situation takes a heavy toll on all three of them and is sure to prove hard to navigate over the coming weeks.
Speaking about Clare’s return to the soap and how Nigel’s condition affects her, Gemma said: “It’s really heartbreaking for her.
“Clare feels like Julie only called her at this late stage as a punishment to get back at her. In Clare’s mind, it feels quite cruel because I think Clare really wanted the chance to apologise to her dad.”
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
For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – featuring Carla and Lisa’s baby shock, Clare Bates’ return and more!