EastEnders confirmed yesterday that a flashforward episode is going to air in 2026, that teases major storylines in 2027.

A special 30-minute instalment that will hit screens on New Year’s Day 2026 will follow Max Branning (Jake Wood) exactly one year into the future (early 2027), where he finds himself in a sticky situation – one that, in typical Walford fashion, will not only have huge consequences for himself but also for his family.

 

 

Multiple events will unfold simultaneously, which means that 2026 will be one to watch for audiences, with many secrets waiting to be discovered alongside a plethora of drama that would be hard for anyone – yes even Max! – to talk themselves out of.

The episode in question will provide clues about what is yet to unfold for Max – and those around him – in 2026.

 

 

Discussing the storyline, EastEnders boss Ben Wadey said: ‘For the first time in the show’s history, we’re going to be offering our viewers an entire flashforward episode set on New Year’s Day 2027.

‘2026 is going to be full of drama in Walford, especially for the Brannings, and the episode is sure to raise plenty of questions on how Max has got himself, and his family, into such predicaments, but all is not what it seems, so stay tuned for 2026 to find out how and why…’

 

 

I’ll be honest, when the press release arrived in my inbox yesterday, I didn’t leap out of my seat with excitement.

I don’t want it to seem as though I’m an old, grumpy woman trapped in the body of a 27 year old, but I struggle to see how EastEnders expect us to get excited about storylines that are so far into the future.

 

 

Put simply, so much could change between now and early 2027.

The flashforward sequence that aired in February 2023 saw six female characters staring at a dead body in the Queen Vic on Christmas Day. Audience members then spent ten months searching for clues in episodes, trying to work out who would lose their life in December, and who would be responsible for killing them.

It was epic, there’s no denying it, and watching the instalment on Christmas Day was event television – a phrase that is often referenced this days, given so many of us watch shows on demand.

The Six storyline worked as well as it did because the time between the flashforward and the murder taking place was the perfect amount of waiting. It was exciting, agonising in some places and as the nights drew in, the buzz from fans was immense.

Should the soap have waited longer than this to air another flashforward that’s absolutely going to be compared to The Six story? 100%.

Watching the Max-central flashforward in January isn’t going to get me setting up an evidence board and enthusiastically noting down every single clue that’s dropped between then and 2027…because it’s pointless.

There’s no denying it, this move is bold, and a very good way of saying to viewers hey, keep watching! Right now, for me, it hasn’t landed.

Scripts and storylines can get changed so many times when creating a show which does certainly suggest that if you’re remotely close to being correct with your Max based theory in March, it’s possible there will be no reason for it to exist towards the end of 2026, let alone 2027.

Sorry to be a killjoy, but tell me I’m wrong?

Of course, I hope to be proved otherwise. The world we’re living in today sees us press the Netflix button or the Disney+ one on our remotes far more frequently than switching a mainstream channel on to watch a soap. It’s imperative right now that soaps take risks to keep us engaged and entice new viewers in.

The three standalone Emmerdale episodes that aired recently, which focused on April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan), Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) and Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) were a huge hit with fans.

The set up for all of them was simply to air one storyline, allowing the cast and crew to put all of their focus on a single thing and create a powerful end result.

These worked because they stepped away from the usual structure of a soap episode, and none of them overcomplicated the future of the characters.

Realistically, I feel the number of people who are consistently going to be intrigued about the flashforward between now and 2027 is small. For a few months yes, but that hype will fizzle out.

What’s been confirmed by the soap is a tall order and right now, I’m struggling to see how it can be executed.