Nick Bates (Emmerdale)

Nick Bates
Emmerdale character
Portrayed by	Cy Chadwick
Created by	Kevin Laffan
Duration	1985-1996, 1999
First appearance	16 November 1985
Last appearance	1999
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Date of birth	3 September 1969
Home	Prison
Family Father Malcolm Bates Mother Caroline Bates Sisters Kathy Brookman Half brothers William Bates Daughters Alice Bates

Nicholas Malcolm "Nick" Bates was a fictional character in the British Soap opera Emmerdale portrayed by Cy Chadwick. He first appeared on the 16 November 1985 and became the fiance of Elsa Feldmann, father to their daughter Alice, and the best friend of Archie Brooks.

Storylines

Nick first appeared in 1985 as a 16-year-old to visit his mother Caroline Bates. Nick immediately became good friends with two other young residents, Jackie Merrick and Archie Brooks. Nick began regularly going for drinks in the Woolpack with Jackie and Archie.

Two years later, Nick and Caroline were visited by Nick's alcoholic father Malcolm. Malcolm was violent towards Caroline and accidentally set their cottage on fire. Nick stood up to his father, and threw him out.

During the years that followed Nick and Archie caused trouble for the Woolpack landlord Alan Turner and barman Amos Brearly. However, when Amos threatened them, they stopped.

In 1989, Jackie went into the woods with gamekeeper Seth Armstrong, and was accidentally killed when his rifle went off when he was taking it out of their jeep. Nick, along with Archie, blamed Seth for his death, and decided to start a fire in the woods that belonged to Seth. However, the police arrived and Nick fled, not realising Archie had been caught.

Nick went to visit Archie in jail, after he was imprisoned for three months. Nick apologised for abandoning him and Archie forgave him. Nick was then given a letter by Archie. Nick delivered the letter to Seth, leading to the gamekeeper going into prison at visiting time to forgive Archie.

In 1990, Elsa Feldmann arrived in Beckindale and Nick immediately fell for her. However, she rejected him at first. However, later on in the year, both Elsa and Nick got drunk in the Woolpack. They stumbled back to Nick's. Nick offered Elsa a spare room for the night, but instead Elsa slept with Nick. When Nick woke the next morning with Elsa lying a sleep beside her, he got dressed and woke her. She got dressed and they went down stairs and Elsa left.

However, Nick received news from Elsa's mother, Elizabeth Pollard, that Elsa was pregnant and that Archie was the father. Nick, knowing the baby was his, went to confront Elsa. Elsa told him it was his, but preceded to tell the people of Beckindale that Archie was the father. However, Elsa's snobbish father Eric Pollard, treated both Nick and Archie like nobodies, and he confronted Archie, threatening to sew him for rape.

Nick decided to do the right thing, and left a note to Eric explaining how he was the father. However, Nick was then also threatened by Eric to stay away from Elsa, and so Nick and Elsa did the right thing and get married on Valentine's Day. Nick and Elsa went to the register in February 1991 but as they arrived, Elsa went into premature birth. Zoe Tate, a vet who was present, delivered the baby which was named Alice Rose Bates. The wedding had to be postponed.

Nick decided to allow Archie to move in with him, Elsa and Alice following the destruction of Archie's home Markham Cottage in a fire.

In mid-1991, Nick witnessed Elsa shout in Alice's face. This resulted in a row between the two which ended with Archie taking things into his own hands.

Later the same year, on Christmas Eve, Elsa bought Alice an expensive ornament for her birthday. Nick was angry at Elsa for her carelessness, resulting in a second row, and with no-one there to stop the fight (as Archie had gone to his sister's for Christmas) and Alice up in bed, Elsa walked out waking and taking Alice with her, despite Nick's pleading for her and his daughter to stay.

A few weeks later however, Elsa returned to Nick and handed Alice over to Nick, stating that caring for Alice prevented her social life.

In December 1993, Nick and Archie went to the Woolpack for some drinks, leaving Alice to be babysitted by her grandmother Elizabeth Pollard. Nick got into a row with Alan Turner in the Woolpack after he blamed Archie for being a bad influence on Nick. As Nick walked back towards his home with Archie, they were blinded by jet fuel and fire balls and wreckage fell around them. Nick ran blindly, but was not hit. However, a ball of fire landed right in front of Archie, and he was engulfed in flames. Nick searched everywhere for Archie but could not find him dead or alive. Nick returned to the village to find many buildings destroyed. He was told by Frank and Kim Tate that a plane had crashed on the village and had already taken the lives of Leonard Kempinski and Mark Hughes. Nick was determined to be sure of Alice's safety. However, he was still unable to see so Frank and Kim forcefully took him to hospital.

Nick spent several weeks in hospital, during that time he learned that his house had collapsed but Alice had been pulled out of the rubble alive but her babysitter and grandmother Elizabeth Pollard had been killed after suffering from a fractured skull, internal bleeding, spleen damage and a brain haemorrhage. Nick also learned that Alice was in Elsa's care. This angered Nick as he was infuriated that Elsa could just walk out on him and Alice and keep taking her away from him whenever it suited her.

Nick was discharged from hospital and confronted Elsa. He discovered Elsa had decided her custody over Alice to become a permanent arrangement. Nick was infuriated when Elsa claimed that he and Archie had been gay lovers who had put Alice in danger numerous times. However, Alice's custody was handed over to Nick after the court disagreed with Elsa's claims and Nick was relieved when Elsa emigrated to Spain.

In April 1996, Nick caught a poacher snooping around on Home Farm land. Nick wrestled the poacher to the ground, breaking the man's arm in the process. The poacher eventually gained the upper hand and held Nick hostage at gunpoint with his own rifle. However, Nick hit the man on the head with a lump of wood. Nick then hastily picked up the rifle but accidentally squeezed the trigger and the gun went off, killing the poacher, just as the police arrived after being called by Jack Sugden who had been going to visit Seth, and saw the struggle between the two men.

Nick was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to ten years in prison. He asked Kathy to raise Alice. Kathy was initially reluctant to take on the full responsibilities of a child. However when she tried to track down Elsa, she discovered that Alice's mother had moved to Australia without telling anyone. Realising that she was all Alice now had and how un-caring Elsa really was, Kathy became determined to look after Alice herself.

When friends and family of the man Nick had killed began threatening Kathy and Alice (including trying to burn down Kathy's Tea Rooms), Caroline Bates wanted to take her granddaughter to live in Scarborough with her. Kathy however, was determined to abide by Nick's wishes and this involved keeping Alice with her. Kathy became very attached to Alice and loved her as if she was her own daughter.

Nick returned for one episode in 1999 when Kathy went to visit him in prison to tell him that Elsa had returned to the village and wanted to take Alice back with her to Australia. Much to Kathy's disappointment, Nick agreed that Alice should go live with Elsa.

When Kathy emigrated to Australia in 2001 to be nearer to Alice, Nick was still said to be in prison.

References

External links

• Cy Chadwick's official website
• Cy Chadwick at the Internet Movie Database