EastEnders’ Phil Mitchell wrestles with his emotions later this month, as he withholds details from the doctor about Nigel Bates’s condition. Could Phil’s behaviour signal a worrying reluctance to be honest about Nigel’s health issues?

After Julie books Nigel in with the GP to discuss his current symptoms, Phil is clearly unsettled by her decision. Still, Phil joins Nigel and Julie for the appointment, where he makes the immoral choice to hold back information about Nigel…

“Phil wants the best for Nigel, but this is far from it,” reveals our Walford source. “Knowing Nigel the way he does, Phil should be open and honest with the doctor about absolutely everything.

“The situation will make you worry that Phil is struggling to face the reality of what his best pal is going through, which is understandable, but concerning at the same time.”

After the trip to the doctors, Nigel makes a discovery that leaves him feeling stressed out. What has he found that causes him to fret?

Later in the week, Julie and Phil work together to help Nigel locate a pair of cufflinks that he has misplaced. However, their efforts end in disaster as Nigel’s state of confusion leads him to accidentally knock Julie.

Subsequently, Julie tries to open a conversation with Phil about alternative care options for Nigel, but he isn’t yet prepared to have this difficult conversation and refuses to give her the time of the day.

Will Phil eventually come to terms with Nigel’s tragic trajectory? Or will Phil do all he can to avoid the facts of the matter?

Meanwhile, filming gets underway for Nigel’s movie, after an audition process that involved casting Ian and Elaine as a husband and wife and Phil as ‘angry man’.

But it’s been revealed that when the community hosts a screening for the film over Christmas, things go wrong and Nigel gets overwhelmed when his dementia symptoms intensify further.

As he struggles through a difficult time, Nigel is given a helping hand in The Vic by the ghosts of Pat and Barry Evans – with Pam St Clement and Shaun Williamson reprising their roles for a very special episode.