Nigel Bates
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Nigel Bates is a fictional character from the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
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soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
'' EastEnders'', played by Paul Bradley from 1992 to 1998. Introduced in 1992 by
Leonard Lewis Leonard Jack Lewis (29 November 1927 – 2 December 2005) was a British producer and director. He was most active in television. He was the Executive/Series Producer for BBC's ''EastEnders'' during the early 1990s, though he had success with ...
, the character was incorporated gradually and brought back as a regular following a brief stint due to a popular reception. He is depicted as a
lovable loser The lovable loser is a character archetype portrayed as a sympathetic, likable, or well-meaning person for whom bad luck continually prevents their various efforts from succeeding, and from obtaining the things they feel will bring them happiness,S ...
and a nerd. Bradley quit the role and Nigel was written out of the serial in April 1998 and was given a happy ending. The door was left open for a possible future return.


Storylines

Nigel attended school with
Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root ter ...
and Grant Mitchell ( Steve McFadden and
Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...
) and starts frequenting the Mitchells' home town of
Walford Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work ...
in 1992, before finally moving there himself following the death of his mother later that year. He lodges with
Dot Cotton Dorothy "Dot" Branning (also Cotton) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by June Brown. In a special episode entitled ''EastEnders: Dot's Story'' (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in fl ...
(
June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the '' ...
) and is known in the community for his extravagant shirts and ties, and his mop of shaggy curly hair. Dot comes to think of Nigel as the son she never had because he is the complete opposite of her own son
Nick Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Place ...
( John Altman). This causes trouble between Nigel and Nick when Nick bullies Nigel, jealous of Dot's friendship with him. In 1993, he falls in love with Debbie Tyler ( Nicola Duffett). Debbie is estranged from her abusive husband,
Liam Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William. Etymology The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these ele ...
(
Francis Magee Francis Magee (born 7 June 1959) is an Irish actor. He portrayed Liam Tyler in British soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1993 to 1995. He has also appeared in numerous television shows and feature films, including ''Sahara'' (2005), ''Layer Cake' ...
); however, Liam returns in 1993 to reunite with Debbie and visit their young daughter Clare (
Gemma Bissix Gemma Bissix (born 6 June 1983) is an English actress. She has been acting since the age of 9. Her most prominent roles have been in soap operas, as Clare Bates in ''EastEnders'' (1993–1998, 2008) and Clare Devine in '' Hollyoaks'' (2006–20 ...
). He reacts with fury when he realises Nigel is seeing Debbie and bullies both in an attempt to split them up. Eventually, Liam is frightened away by Grant. Nigel and Debbie marry in 1994 and are happy until 1995, when Debbie is killed in a
hit and run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be a ...
accident. Nigel is devastated for some time. Liam returns and fights Nigel for custody of Clare but is unsuccessful because of his history of violent behaviour towards Debbie and his current girlfriend Caroline Webber (Franesca Hall) admitting that Liam has been abusive toward her; Nigel legally adopts Claire after being awarded custody. Following a long period of mourning, Nigel grows close to
Lorraine Wicks Lorraine Wicks is a fictional character from the British BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jacqueline Leonard between 2 April 1996 and 14 November 1997. Storylines Lorraine first arrives in Albert Square in April 1996 when she comes in se ...
( Jacqueline Leonard) and attempts to ignite a relationship. This goes awry as Lorraine does not return Nigel's romantic feelings and is instead attracted to Grant, which deeply hurts Nigel. In 1997, he meets Julie Haye (
Karen Henthorn Karen Henthorn (born 1963) is a British character actress who portrayed the role of Teresa Bryant in the long-running British soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She appeared in the role briefly in 2007 and became a regular character in 2008. Her ...
), Clare's school teacher, who occasionally dropped into Nigel's video shop to rent French films. Their friendship blossoms into romance but Nigel remains reticent believing he is tarnishing Debbie's honour. He almost loses Julie after she announces she is moving to Scotland, but on the night of her departure, Nigel sees sense and pledges his love for Julie and in April 1998, he and Clare leave Walford for Scotland to be with Julie and her son,
Josh Saunders Josh Saunders (born March 2, 1981) is an American former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He last played for Orlando City in Major League Soccer. Career College Saunders, the younger brother of Shawn Saunders, spent the f ...
( Jon Lee). Dot occasionally visits Nigel off-screen. Clare returns to Walford in February 2008 to stay with Dot. Nigel is meant to visit her in July 2008, but does not arrive. This upsets Clare and she confides in
Bradley Branning Bradley Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Charlie Clements. He made his first appearance on screen on 24 January 2006 and last appeared on 22 February 2010 after he was killed off in the show's ...
(
Charlie Clements Charlie Clements (born 5 June 1987) is an English actor known for the role of Bradley Branning in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from January 2006 to February 2010. He has won several soap and magazine awards for his performance. Biograph ...
) that her and Nigel's relationship had become strained in her time away from Walford. According to Clare, Nigel had transferred his affections to Julie's son Josh as he struggled to cope with Clare's teenage dalliances. In October 2009, Pat reveals that Nigel had suffered a heart attack and Dot goes to visit him.


Creation and development

Nigel was one of several introductions occurring in 1992. Executive producer
Leonard Lewis Leonard Jack Lewis (29 November 1927 – 2 December 2005) was a British producer and director. He was most active in television. He was the Executive/Series Producer for BBC's ''EastEnders'' during the early 1990s, though he had success with ...
took a tentative approach to introducing new characters in 1992. Most were introduced gradually, making an initial appearance and then joining the programme full-time a couple of months later. This allowed the producers and writers to create new characters and see them brought to life by the actors before committing them to a longer contract. Characters introduced in this way included
Mandy Salter Mandy Salter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Nicola Stapleton. Introduced on 12 March 1992 by producer Leonard Lewis, Mandy was portrayed as a teenage tearaway. She was featured in storylines about tee ...
(
Nicola Stapleton Nicola Kathleen Stapleton (born 9 August 1974 in Elephant and Castle, London) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in '' EastEnders'' as Mandy Salter and ''Emmerdale'' as Danielle Hutch. A graduate of the Sylvia Young Theat ...
), Christine Hewitt ( Lizzie Power) and Nigel Bates, played by Paul Bradley. Nigel first appears in March 1992 as a friend of established characters
Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...
(
Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...
) and
Phil Mitchell Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant Mitchell (EastEnders), Grant (Ross Kemp), s ...
( Steve McFadden), when he comes to Walford and buys
Frank Butcher Frank Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Mike Reid (actor), Mike Reid. Frank makes his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987, but due to a positive viewer reception, he is reintr ...
's ( Mike Reid) Mercedes. After a successful first appearance, Nigel moves to the soap's setting permanently later in the year following the death of his mother and became the lodger of
Dot Cotton Dorothy "Dot" Branning (also Cotton) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by June Brown. In a special episode entitled ''EastEnders: Dot's Story'' (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in fl ...
(
June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the '' ...
). Paul Bradley has discussed his casting in Larry Jaffee's book, ''Albert Square & Me: The Actors of Eastenders'', conducted in 1994: "I was only supposed to do three episodes and I think they just liked the character. Nigel is kind of light and funny and arrived just after Gill owler(Susanna Dawson) had died of AIDS and the show was accused of being a bit gloomy. I came back for one more episode and then I've been back ever since." Bradley has described Nigel as "harmless and amiable ... I suppose he's a bit of a wallie. Nigel is very well-meaning. He was best mates at school with Phil and Grant. Where they would use their fists, he would use jokes to get out of trouble." Author Kate Lock has described him as "a lovely, lovely man with two flaws: his inability to say 'no' to a fry-up and his faith in Grant Mitchell." Lock suggested that Nigel and Grant were diametrically opposed personalities. Lock added, "Nigel was overweight, shy, had the world's worst taste in shirts and ties and sported a mop of shaggy curls reminiscent of 70s footballers, so it wasn't often he found success with the opposite sex, although women were drawn to his gentleness and humour more than he realised." Author Rupert Smith classified Nigel as a "soft touch" character, the type of characters who were " confused, sexually bungling men ..These poor souls exist to be trampled, disappointed and taken for a ride by any crook or schemer that crosses their path." In 1993, two characters central to Nigel's narrative are introduced: A love-interest Debbie Tyler ( Nicola Duffett) and her daughter Clare (
Gemma Bissix Gemma Bissix (born 6 June 1983) is an English actress. She has been acting since the age of 9. Her most prominent roles have been in soap operas, as Clare Bates in ''EastEnders'' (1993–1998, 2008) and Clare Devine in '' Hollyoaks'' (2006–20 ...
). Their introduction stems around a storyline focusing on spousal abuse, when it is revealed that Debbie is being abused by her estranged husband Liam Tyler (
Francis Magee Francis Magee (born 7 June 1959) is an Irish actor. He portrayed Liam Tyler in British soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1993 to 1995. He has also appeared in numerous television shows and feature films, including ''Sahara'' (2005), ''Layer Cake' ...
). Nigel and Debbie's eventual marriage is the focus of ''EastEnders''' celebratory episode on 12 July 1994, which marked the show's 1000th episode. ''EastEnders''' writer
Colin Brake Colin Brake (born 1962) is an English television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programmes such as '' Bugs'' and '' EastEnders''. He has also written spin-offs from the BBC series '' Doctor Who''. He lives and w ...
has selected it as 1994's episode of the year. Off-screen the show's Series Producer
Barbara Emile Barbara Emile is a British television producer. Emile contributed to the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for several years. She first started working on the serial as script editor underneath producer Leonard Lewis, and she began producing the pro ...
decided to mark the 1000th episode with a celebration and the wedding of Nigel and Debbie was chosen as the event. It was scripted to be a happy occasion in the soap, with Debbie and Nigel's ceremony going ahead despite threats of intrusion from Liam. The Bateses happiness was short-lived on-screen, as in 1995, Debbie's actress Nicola Duffet requested to be written out of the soap; Debbie was killed off in the serial leaving Nigel a grieving widower, fighting for custody of his step daughter, Clare. In December 1996, it was announced that Bradley decided to quit ''EastEnders'' for fear of being typecast as a nerd and "lovable loser". He was the third senior cast member to quit in as space of two months, following the announced departures of Jacqueline Leonard and Paul Nicholls who played
Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...
and Joe Wicks. Bradley said, "I have made a decision about leaving EastEnders and I have told the BBC about it. I know it is regular work and you are in the public eye, but it is time to move on. Much as I love playing Nigel, I would not like people to think that was all I did. I did a lot of work before EastEnders and I will after. I don't want to be like some people who've been in TV soap opera Coronation Street for 20 years - I'm much too restless." A BBC insider commented, "It's a real blow that Paul wants to go, but we hope that he doesn't close the door altogether. It's very worrying that so much of the top talent is wanting out of Albert Square." The character remains on-screen until April 1998 and was given a "happy ending", leaving to begin a new life with a newfound love Julie Haye (
Karen Henthorn Karen Henthorn (born 1963) is a British character actress who portrayed the role of Teresa Bryant in the long-running British soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She appeared in the role briefly in 2007 and became a regular character in 2008. Her ...
), allowing for a future return. Henthorn has suggested that because Nigel was "such a popular character", and because he had such an unsuccessful love life throughout the course of the show, the producers of ''EastEnders'' felt that the viewing public would not want him to have anything other than a "happy ending".


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Nigel EastEnders characters Television characters introduced in 1992 Male characters in television Fictional shopkeepers