EastEnders' Clare Bates is set to return after a whopping 18 years and the BBC has teased the drama to come with shock first-look images. 

Played by Gemma Bissix, now 42, she will briefly be returning to the square as part of her on-screen dad Albert's heartbreaking battle with dementia. 

The character previously left the soap when she was 14 to train to be an electrician in 1993 - leaving the door firmly open for a return - which happened briefly in 2008 when she had seemingly transformed into a maneater. 

Gemma said: 'It's been an absolute pleasure to be back, and a privilege to be involved in Nigel's poignant dementia storyline.

'I think it's a storyline that sadly resonates with so many people and it's been a real full circle moment for me, as EastEnders is where I learnt my craft as I was on the show from the age of 9.'

In case your memory needs refreshing, Clare was a big character on the show between 1993 and 1998 and she was involved in various hard-hitting storylines tackling the likes of domestic violence and custody battles. 

The actress explained that the reunion gave her a unique opportunity to reconnect with one of her oldest colleagues.

She explained: 'It was a long time coming, and I was just so chuffed because I haven’t seen Paul Bradley [Nigel Bates] in over 20 years and so to be able to reconnect with him and work with him again felt like time had stood still.

'It was like no time had passed at all, and Paul is exactly the same lovely person he was before.

'Paul was sort of like a stepfather to me in real life at work, as we spent six years on screen together from 1993 to 1999, and Karen and I were close as well.

'They make me feel like I'm a child again, in the best possible way.'

Gemma said that it was also 'lovely' to work with Steve McFadden again. 

She added: 'I was also really close to Barbara Windsor when I worked there before, and she got me my agent when I left, and I’m still with that agency to this day, so there’s such a legacy for me there.

'The funniest thing is the people who really haven’t changed to me are Jane Slaughter who plays Tracy, Ulric who plays Winston, and some of the actors in the market as they've been there for the best part of 20 years.'

Gemma's return will see Clare open up about her long absence from Albert Square - and there will be plenty of drama with Julie once she realises how unwell her father is. 

She said of the storyline: 'Clare has always wanted to come back and see him, and when she does find out he's got dementia, I don’t think she realises how advanced it is.

'Clare feels like Julie has done it to get back at her; she feels like Julie has only called her at this late stage as a punishment.

'In Clare's mind, it does feel quite cruel because I think Clare really wanted the chance to apologise to her dad. 

'The last time we saw her in the show, she was a bit of a maneater, and a bit more of a con artist, and those actions probably came from her inner trauma, and having no one to discipline her because her mum died when she was young, and when Nigel met Julie, I think Clare felt really pushed out.

'All Clare wants is the love of her dad, and she can see that she might not have that again, and she's missed her opportunity, so it’s really heartbreaking for her.'

Gemma's returning role is of personal significance too as she understands the impact of early-onset dementia first-hand after her close friend's father was diagnosed at the age of just 54.  

EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.