Phil Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden) begins to regret his fallout with Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) after discovering his long-time mate has fled from Albert Square on EastEnders (7:30pm - see our TV Guide for listings)...
Phil is especially worried, since he just found out that Nigel plans to end his own life before the dementia truly takes hold...
Phil is joined by friend Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), and they begin a desperate search for missing Nigel.
Phil still refuses to accept Nigel's end-of-life plan and Linda attempts to reason with him over Nigel's devastating decision.
After a dramatic turn of events, Nigel returns home to No.55 with Phil.
But he makes it clear that he hasn't changed his mind...
With the friends on the edge of another fallout, Phil finally reaches an unexpected decision after some words of advice from Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter).
WHAT does Phil decide?
"Nigel wants to face the whole thing without burdening anyone," explains EastEnders star Paul Bradley who plays Nigel. "He wants to keep his independence and be himself as far as he can be because he knows the condition is going to make him lose parts of himself. Nigel makes this difficult decision because he believes, wrongly, that this will be better for his loved ones...
"But I think Phil feels betrayed because in The Arches, when he considered taking his own life, Nigel told him not to do it because he was ill and needed Phil. Nigel’s plea was part of the reason that Phil decided to go and get help. So, he feels betrayed and hurt. "
EastEnders continues Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One.
All the latest episodes are also available to stream on BBC iPlayer
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
