Episode 7246

"Episode 7246" of the British television soap opera EastEnders was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 23 December 2025. The episode was directed by Richard Lynn and written by Richard Davidson. The plot focuses on Nigel Bates' (Paul Bradley) worsening dementia symptoms as his memories become confused with his reality and he believes he is in the 1990s encountering people from his past. The episode concludes with Nigel's wife, Julie Bates (Karen Henthorn), and best friend, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), realising Nigel needs professional care.

When devising the soap's Christmas and New Year episodes, the show's story team decided to follow a "past, present, future" theme across a series of episodes. "Episode 7246" forms the theme of the past with former cast members Pam St Clement (Pat Evans), Shaun Williamson (Barry Evans) and Nicola Duffett (Debbie Bates) reprising their respective roles, having each been previously killed off in the soap. Ben Wadey, the show's executive producer, wanted the episode to celebrate Christmas while also portraying the reality of Nigel's story.

"Episode 7246" was filmed in October 2025 and primarily set in The Queen Victoria pub with scenes set in both the present day and the 1990s. Lynn wanted to use the set creatively to reflect what Nigel would be thinking as he deteriorates. The show's art department replicated many elements of the Vic for the 1990s scenes by either hiring, purchasing or creating items. Senior designer Jonathan Smith examined episodes from the 1990s to ensure consistency in the episode. The modern Queen Victoria bust differs from the one used in the 1990s, so the designers had to repurpose a spare bust by painting it grey to match the 1990s bust.

The episode received an overnight audience of 2.1 million viewers. It received a positive reception from television critics and viewers who praised its emotional script and enjoyed the returns of former characters. Yasmin Vince from the Daily Mirror called the episode "the show's most powerful episode ever". Erin Zammitt of Digital Spy commended the performances of Bradley, Henthorn and McFadden, but said the episode's "underrated highlight" was the appearance of Daniel Delaney and Teddy Jay as the younger versions of Phil and Grant Mitchell.