EastEnders actor John Bardon has filmed what are reportedly expected to be his final scenes in Albert Square.
According to The Mirror, emotional cast and crew watched as Bardon filmed scenes for a plot which will see his wife Dot Branning (June Brown) finally make the decision to move Jim into full-time care.
The 71-year-old suffered a serious stroke in 2007, which was then written into his plots to allow Bardon to appear at various stages over the last few years.
The paper claims that some of the BBC soap's staff believe that the storyline marks the end of the character on the show.
"Dot's been struggling for a while and realises that she can no longer give Jim the care and attention he deserves and is forced to make the heartbreaking decision that he should move into a home," a source told the paper. "She fell down the stairs and her friendship with Edward is also growing which makes the situation with Jim difficult.
"It was very emotional on the set for the scenes where Dot discusses her decision and talks to Jim about him going into care for good. There were a lot of tears."
The insider added: "The feeling is that this is the end of Jim as a character because he won't leave the home and won't ever be a regular in Albert Square again."
However, Jim could still be shown in his care home, if Bardon's health permits him to film scenes.
An EastEnders spokesperson said: "We would love to continue working with John in the future and we hope to see Jim on our screens again."
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