Latest news with #KarenHenthorn
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Karen Henthorn returns to EastEnders as Nigel Bates' wife Julie arrives in Walford
Karen Henthorn is reprising her role as Nigel's wife Julie Bates in EastEnders this summer - 27 years after she was last seen in Albert Square. Nigel left Julie last year without explanation and returned to Walford, initially telling friends that they had separated. Later, Nigel admitted that he didn't want to become a burden to Julie, so he chose to disappear and deal with his dementia alone. However, Julie is set to discover the truth when she arrives in Albert Square. Watch EastEnders on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist Karen last appeared in the show in 1998 when Julie and Nigel moved to Scotland to start a new life together. Executive Producer Ben Wadey says: 'We are delighted to have Karen Henthorn returning to reprise her role as Julie, who arrives looking for Nigel. Julie hasn't seen Nigel in almost two years and is unaware of his diagnosis and reasons for leaving, so her arrival will pose questions for the pair of them.' Karen Henthorn says: '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's voice was heard on-screen earlier this year when viewers saw Nigel listen to a voicemail message from Julie. CT3 Follow For More
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EastEnders legend returns to soap after 27 years off screens for 'awful surprise' - as star admits 'it's scary how fast the time has gone'
EastEnders legend Karen Henthorn is set to return to the BBC soap after 27 years off screens for an 'awful surprise'. The actress, 62, played Julie Bates on the show between 1997 and 1998. Karen did make a voice cameo in Walford again this year, but now she's back for good. Her alter-ego was last seen in Walford 27 years ago when she moved to Scotland with her husband Nigel (Paul Bradley). But as viewers will know, Nigel returned to the Square in 2024, and told everyone that they had split... but it was actually he wanted to deal with his dementia by himself. The cafe worker felt as if he was weighing his wife down. However she's about to make it clear that she's around to help - by returning to the Square. Karen said of reprising her role: '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.' Executive Producer Ben Wadey added: 'We are delighted to have Karen Henthorn returning to reprise her role as Julie, who arrives looking for Nigel. 'Julie hasn't seen Nigel in almost two years and is unaware of his diagnosis and reasons for leaving, so her arrival will pose questions for the pair of them.' EastEnders isn't the only role that Karen has held on a soap over the years - she also played Teresa Bryant on Coronation Street between 2007 and 2009. She's also been in Doctors, Heartbeat and Trollied. The star also played the school inspector in Young Dracula. More recently she took on the role of Emily in The Listeners.
The Sun
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
EastEnders legend returning after 27 years – but co-star won't be with her
AN EASTENDERS legend is making a shock return after 27 years - but her co-star won't be with her. The BBC soap has announced a huge comeback for a star last seen in the cobbles in 1998. 5 5 5 Actress Karen Henthorn is reprising her role as Nigel's wife Julie Bates this summer - 27 years after she was last seen in Albert Square. Nigel left Julie last year without explanation and returned to Walford, initially telling friends that they had separated. Later, Nigel admitted that he didn't want to become a burden to Julie, so he chose to disappear and deal with his dementia alone. However, Julie is set to discover the truth when she arrives in Albert Square later this summer. Karen last appeared in the show in 1998 when Julie and Nigel moved to Scotland to start a new life together and was briefly heard last year in a phone call. Executive Producer Ben Wadey said: 'We are delighted to have Karen Henthorn returning to reprise her role as Julie, who arrives looking for Nigel. 'Julie hasn't seen Nigel in almost two years and is unaware of his diagnosis and reasons for leaving, so her arrival will pose questions for the pair of them.' Karen Henthorn said: '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.' 5 5 However Karen will not be arriving with her on-screen step-daughter Gemma Bissix as Nigel's daughter Claire Bates. Now back in Hollyoaks as iconic villain Clare Devine, Gemma told The Sun how BBC bosses hadn't approached her for a return despite Nigel's storyline. She said: 'No, they didn't ask me. I think they did fantastic with their 40th birthday celebrations. 'They brought so many characters back from the '90s. I think that Paul Bradley is doing fantastically well with his dementia storyline. 'And you know, realistically, had that sort of that had come on the cards, that storyline would have probably been, you know, Claire Bates going and taking his money from a dementia sufferer character, which actually probably isn't something I would want to do either.'
