Very EMOTIONAL News!!! EastEnders airs heart-wrenching special episode as Nigel dies in iPlayer release

EastEnders has aired a heartbreaking final episode as Nigel Bates dies, and Phil and Grant Mitchell race to say goodbye to their friend in time. This week, Nigel has been in hospital with pneumonia, and the doctor recommended stopping his treatment and taking him back to the care home for end-of-life care.

Despite looking after Nigel since he revealed his dementia diagnosis, Phil hasn’t felt able to visit him in the care home. But as Nigel approached the end, Grant – who returned this week – found his brother at the beach, trying to find a skimming stone like the one Nigel requested.

In an extended standalone episode, Grant urged Phil to return to Nigel, but he explained he was trying to find the right stone. A huge row broke out between the brothers, with Grant’s surprise passion with Sharon last year even being brought up by Phil.

As things escalated, Phil begged Grant to hit him, but instead their shared grief brought them to a truce, and they had an honest chat about family. They headed to see Nigel together, but before they left, Phil finally found the perfect stone.

However, they faced a huge obstacle when Grant’s car broke down. Grant convinced a pizza delivery man to give Phil a lift to the care home, sacrificing his own chance to say goodbye to Nigel for his brother.

Meanwhile, members of the community such as Lexi, Callum, Yolande, Linda and Sam visited the home to say goodbye to Nigel – but Julie struggled to find the words for her dying husband.

Yolande encouraged Julie to tell Nigel she would be okay, so she did just that, breaking down in tears as she told him it was okay to let go. But as Nigel clung on to life, Phil finally arrived to see his friend one last time.

Phil gave the carefully selected stone to Nigel, and against all odds, his hand closed around the treasured item. In his final moments, Nigel pictured himself sitting on the beach with Phil, in a series of beautiful scenes that flitted between the imagined and the real.

On the beach, Nigel told Phil that the stone meant so much to him as it reminded him of a fleeting, treasured moment with his dad. In the care home, Phil apologised to Nigel and Julie for not visiting, but Julie understood that he was grieving in his own way.

Julie urged Phil to tell Nigel that he was going to be okay, and while Phil found this difficult, he eventually opened up to his dying friend in an emotional final speech.

“You showed me how to be a different kind of man,” he said. “You showed me how to be strong without using my fists. You showed me how to laugh when there weren’t much to laugh about. You’re the best mate I’ve ever had, Nige. I love you. And I’m going to be okay.”

On the beach, Nigel gave Phil the stone back, saying that he’d always wanted it for him. Assured that he could let go, Nigel ran towards the sea and became a child again as he gleefully skimmed a stone across the water.

Back in the care home, Nigel very peacefully passed away, and while Julia’s Theme played in the final moments of this special episode, Julie and Phil hugged and mourned the loss of their dear husband and friend.