EastEnders Julie Bates is going to threaten to take Nigel away from Albert Square upon her big return after 27 years.

When Paul Bradley reappeared as Nigel Bates last year on the BBC soap, Phil Mitchell’s best friend said they had gone their separate ways.

It later emerged that Nigel didn’t want to become a burden to his wife, so he decided to disappear and deal with his dementia alone.

However, it was announced last month that Julie actress Karen Henthorn is reprising her role, for the first time since 1998 when Julie and Nigel moved to Scotland to start a new life together.

“It’s very surreal to be back in Albert Square after 27 years and working with the delightful Paul Bradley again - it’s scary how fast the time has gone!

“Julie has got some awful surprises ahead of her after the initial relief she feels to discover Nigel is still alive.

“It’s been great to film with Paul and Steve (McFadden), who are such lovely actors, as Julie discovers Nigel’s dementia diagnosis and why he chose to hide it from her,” Karen said.

Karen’s voice was heard on-screen earlier this year when EastEnders viewers saw Nigel listen to a voicemail message from Julie.

The storyline kicks off on Monday, July 14, when Nigel gets emotional when Lexi Mitchell sees a photo of him and Julie on their wedding day and Jay Brown is shocked to discover the reason that he’s no longer in touch with her.

Phil insists that Jay should leave it but after chatting to Callum Highway and Kat Slater, Jay decides to search for Julie online and discovers she’s frantically looking for Nigel.

Jay returns to speak to Nigel but Phil steps in again, prompting Jay to take matters into his own hands as he makes a call to Julie.

Tuesday, July 15, will see Julie arrive in Walford and demands to know what has happened to Nigel, as Jay braces himself to put her in the picture about the full extent of his dementia.

Nigel and Phil are shocked when Julie rushes over to them in the Square, especially as Nigel doesn’t recognise her and quickly becomes overwhelmed by the situation.

Phil and Julie begin to argue, provoking an angry outburst from Nigel. Later, Phil shares a video with Julie that Nigel made for her, so she can understand his decision to leave. However, later that day, Julie tells Phil that she is taking Nigel back home to Scotland.

The following episode, set to air on Wednesday, July 16, will see Phil and Julie continue to clash over her plans, with Linda Carter trying to support Phil as he grapples with difficult emotions.

Later, Julie discusses the close relationship between Phil and Nigel with Jay and discovers more about their recent past. During another argument, Nigel begs Phil, who has been his carer in recent months, and Julie to stop and rushes out.

On Thursday, July 17, Linda invites Phil for a chat upstairs at The Vic, but he catches Callum and Johnny Carter together and implodes, grabbing Johnny until Jay, Callum and Billy shout at him to stop.

Later, Callum goes to see Phil and begs him not to tell his son Ben Mitchell and Lexi about this but gets nowhere. When he and Jay try to reason with Phil later, a nasty argument breaks out that leaves the family more divided than ever.

After finally getting himself back on track following an attempt on his own life, will Phil be able to fight for his friend or are more dark times on his horizon?