Time jump, betrayals, and secret children — Max Branning’s return leads to chaos across 2026 and beyond

EastEnders is gearing up for a groundbreaking New Year’s Day event that promises to shake up the Square like never before — and Max Branning is at the centre of it all.

In a TV first for the BBC soap, the January 1, 2026 episode will take viewers one year into the future, offering a full flashforward to New Year’s Day 2027. And according to returning star Jake Wood, Max’s life will be spiralling out of control.

Max Is Back — But He’s Not Welcome

Max’s reappearance this winter has already rattled Walford. His arrival without an invite to daughter Lauren Branning’s wedding stirred instant tension. The only warm reception? A hug from his son Oscar — a reunion short-lived after Max issued a final warning to stay away.

But fans were shocked to learn via flashback that Max was secretly sleeping with Zoe Slater earlier in the year. That relationship fell apart after Zoe, traumatised from an assault, accidentally stole £5,000 from him.

Now, Max is back. And while Stacey initially seemed open to rekindling things, the second she discovered his affair with Zoe, she jetted off to Brazil. Once again, Max has destroyed every meaningful connection around him — and this time, there may be no way back.

Flashforward: What We Know

Appearing on The One Show, Jake Wood teased the soap’s first-ever flashforward and the role Max plays in the 2027 storyline.

“Max is in a lot of trouble,” Jake confirmed. “It’s a really exciting episode we just finished filming. It’s not like anything EastEnders has done before.”

The New Year’s Day 2026 episode will feature a dramatic time jump, revealing a disoriented and broken Max in an unknown situation — with no explanation yet of what happened over the previous year. The show will then spend all of 2026 unraveling the mystery, leading up to that fateful moment.

“Even we as a cast don’t know what happens. We’ve just seen Max in this wild future scene and we’re trying to piece it all together. The speculation’s off the charts,” Jake added.

The Linda Bombshell

Meanwhile, more drama is brewing for Max — and it could blow up his life all over again. He’s set to reunite with Linda Carter, who never told him that her daughter Annie is his child, a result of their 2021 affair. That betrayal, when revealed, is expected to ignite yet another Mitchell family war.

With secrets piling up and enemies circling, Max may have burned his last bridge.