EastEnders fans were left in tears watching Phil Mitchell said goodbye to his beloved best friend Nigel Bates, as the beloved character breathed his last breath. Nigel, one of EastEnders oldest characters, first appeared in the soap in 1992. Played by Paul Bradley, the character was established as a friend of the Mitchell brothers: Grant ( the recently returned Ross Kemp ) and Phil (Steve McFadden). While Bradley’s original run on the BBC soap ended in 1998, he returned as Nigel in 2024. Since his comeback, the character has been plagued by a series of health problems; he was diagnosed with dementia and, in scenes airing earlier this month, hospitalised with pneumonia for a second time. Phil Mitchell (left) says goodbye to Nigel in Wednesday’s episode (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron) In Wednesday (29 April) night’s episode of the soap, which is released on BBC iPlayer the morning before it airs, Nigel dies.…