Clare Bates (also Tyler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gemma Bissix. Bissix originally played the character as a schoolgirl from 1993 to 1998. She left the serial with her adoptive father Nigel Bates, when his actor Paul Bradley opted to leave. Following a ten-year hiatus, Bissix returned to the role in February 2008. The character was transformed from "cute and sweet" into a gold digging "maneater", chasing wealthy men for their money. The British media focused on the character's penchant for revealing clothing, and while she was praised by some critics, it was suggested that she was underused upon her return. Bissix again left EastEnders at the end of her contract in mid 2008. Her departing episode aired in August of that year. The character appeared in May 2025 in an uncredited cameo as a vision within Nigel's mind. The following year, Bissix reprised the role for a short stint when Clare returned to Walford on 4 March as part of Nigel's dementia storyline.

Clare Tyler (later Bates) was introduced by the executive producer of EastEnders, Leonard Lewis. Gemma Bissix was cast in the role. Reflecting on the casting process in 2001, Bissix said, "I was nine when I started on EastEnders. I did drama classes after school and my mum took me to an audition. There were about 50 others. I read through the script and by the time I was home they had phoned my dad to tell him I had the role. I was only supposed to be in it for three episodes, but it turned into five years." It was her first acting job and she had received no formal training. In 2008, Bissix stated, "that was my training [...] quite a lot of people [attend] drama school, I was trained by EastEnders." The character made her first appearance in July 1993 as the daughter of Debbie Tyler (Nicola Duffett), a love interest for an EastEnders regular character, Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley).

Clare's introductory storyline focused upon domestic violence – her father Liam Tyler's (Francis Magee) physical abuse of her mother Debbie – and being caught between her feuding parents. Later storylines involved the death of her mother, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in 1995, and a subsequent custody battle between her father and stepfather, which ultimately led to Nigel being given custody of Clare. After six years in the serial, the character was written out in 1998 as a result of Paul Bradley's decision to leave, reportedly for fear of being typecast in the role of Nigel the "nerd". The writers of EastEnders wanted to give Nigel a happy ending, so a character named Julie Haye (Karen Henthorn) was invented to be a love interest for Nigel, whilst her son, Josh Saunders (Jon Lee), was invented to be a love interest for Clare. In the storyline, Nigel fell for Julie, Clare's teacher, as they tried to sort out Clare's problematic behaviour at school. Simultaneously, Clare fell for Julie's son Josh, and when the storyline reached its climax in April 1998, the Bates family relocated to Scotland to begin a new life with Julie and Josh. Since her initial departure, actress Gemma Bissix has commented on her character's exit from the soap: "it was the right time for the character to go. Besides, when you get to 15 and haven't been able to cut your hair for six years, you want a change."

"Prepare for the return of an old face, as Gemma Bissix returns to Walford in the New Year to reprise her role as Clare Bates...Drama always followed Clare when she was in Walford, and her return promises no change. Clare comes back to stay with Dot, who is thrilled to see her. But why does Clare behave so strangely when she's asked about Nigel?"

In September 2007, an official BBC press report announced that actress would reprise the role of Clare ten years after her initial departure. Bissix was approached about returning by the executive producer of EastEnders, Diederick Santer, following her successful stint as soap villain Clare Devine in Channel 4's Hollyoaks. Commenting on her reintroduction, Bissix has said, "To be able to reprise the role of Clare, who I played when I was a child, is such a great compliment. It's fantastic to grab something that once was and try and develop it into something different. I'm loving every minute." Bissix made her reappearance as Clare on 1 February 2008 — in her first scene, she was seen being thrown out of the back of a car by her lover, the CEO of a big company.

Unlike the "cute, sweet" character she appeared to be during the 1990s, Clare was transformed into a "man-eating bitch" upon her reintroduction in 2008; a gold digger, chasing after wealthy men for their money. Bissix has said, "Myself, Diederick [Santer] and [story producer] Dominic [Treadwell-Collins] had a characterisation session and we discussed what Clare's been doing and how she's got to where she is now. Her back story has played a big part in how I'm developing the character."

As part of the character's new look, Bissix was required to wear revealing clothing regularly. She has commented, "That is her character. She thinks she looks sexy and she reckons that's what it takes to get blokes on their knees. You can't blame her – it works for most."

Explaining the reasons for her character's personality change, Bissix said "I think it's just the fact that she's lonely. When she was in Scotland Nigel and Julie were getting on with their own thing. Through no fault of Nigel's she just got pushed out of the family. She's not his real child, her mum's dead and her dad was in prison and is a bit of a wrong un. She went to university and was mistreated by a few men. Now she uses her looks to her advantage. Now she's using the men and treating them badly...she's never felt settled. Her mother died, her father was abusive and she doesn't even know him. She's never felt like she's fitted in. Clare's 'mystery' is brought about by her looking for that father figure and needing that kind of attention, which then leads her into preying on the men of Walford. That's how she makes her money. Her forté is finding men with money and using her assets to entice them and rip them off..."