Ever since Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) faced the very real possibility of seeing out his days in prison after gravely injuring Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) and Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) when he hit them with his beloved car after the symptoms of his young-onset dementia overwhelmed him.
Though the aftermath of the accident saw wife Julie (Karen Henthorn) determined to take the rap for the accident, a vital clue unlocked the door in Nigel’s memory of that night, and he honourably saw to it that he’d face the music, coming clean to Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) about his role in the incident.
With the case reaching court, best friend and carer Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) called in his incredibly trusty (and incredibly dodgy) lawyer, Ritchie Scott (Sian Webber).
Though the CPS threw the case out when it was made apparent how much Nigel was suffering with his condition, Ritchie’s harsh words, ‘mentally incompetent’, wounded Nigel deeply.
Nigel has found solace in bringing an old film script, re-discovered by Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown), to life, bringing the community together as Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy), Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), Callum Highway (Tony Clay), Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) vie for a starring role in the piece.
Amid the production, though, Nigel is still facing the harsh realities of his conditions, a condition preyed upon by a desperate Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf).
After the scheme unravels, Julie is keen to book Nigel a GP appointment to update them on the current symptoms Nigel is facing, much to the chagrin of Phil, who’s determined for things to remain as they are. At the appointment, Phil purposely keeps shtum regarding some of Nigel’s issues and there’s upset when Nigel himself makes a further discovery.
Later, Nigel loses his prized cufflinks and, as Julie and Phil set out to help him find them, he’s gradually overwhelmed by confusion and lashes out, knocking Julie.
Discussing potential alternative care options with Phil, Julie is soundly shut down and utterly refuses to engage with any suggestions she makes.
With Nigel’s dementia symptoms intensifying and Phil burying his head in the sand, will it land entirely on Julie’s shoulders to manage Nigel’s care?
