Iconic EastEnders character Pat Butcher is set to make a return to Albert Square, reprising her role as part of the soap’s special dementia storyline centred on Nigel Bates.
Pam St Clement will once again embody the feisty matriarch, renowned for her vibrant outfits and distinctive earrings, in scenes transporting Nigel (Paul Bradley) back to the 1990s as his memory fades.
Scheduled for broadcast in December, this special episode will see Pat reappear at The Queen Vic, offering support to Nigel as his dementia symptoms escalate following an emotional festive film screening.
The beloved character, who died of cancer in 2012, previously made a brief return in 2016 as a figment of Peggy Mitchell’s imagination on the night of her death.
St Clement, 83, said: “I was both surprised and excited to be asked back to tread the streets of Walford once again and to be involved in Nigel’s touching dementia storyline.
“It was lovely to be welcomed back by those with whom I had worked for so long. It was just like coming home.”
Ben Wadey, EastEnders executive producer, said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to welcome Pam St Clement back to EastEnders for a special episode in Nigel’s ongoing dementia storyline.
“Pat Evans is one of the most cherished and iconic characters to have graced the streets of Walford, and I know I speak on behalf of everyone when I say what a delight it was to see Pat and Pam back in The Queen Vic as she helps Nigel in his time of need.”
The soap has worked with Dementia UK for the ongoing storyline, which has seen Nigel reveal his diagnosis with young onset dementia.
Dementia is described as “young onset” when symptoms of the neurological condition develop before the age of 65, according to the charity.
