The whispers, the rumours — they’re all true. Max Branning is making a dramatic comeback to EastEnders, and Jake Wood has just confirmed the exact date: 16 December 2025.
Radio Times
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🎬 What We Know So Far

 

 

Max will return full-time starting 16 December 2025, after earlier flashes this year.
Radio Times
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Yahoo News UK
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His comeback aligns with the return of Linda Carter — set to reappear the day before. Linda’s return matters, because her daughter Annie Carter is actually Max’s child — a secret that’s bound to blow up in people’s faces.

 

Radio Times
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According to Wood, “That’ll be a big betrayal for Max.” The tension is already building.
Radio Times

🧨 What to Expect: Drama, Secrets — and a Flashforward Special

The writers aren’t holding back. Max’s return is just the start of what promises to be a chaotic few months for the Branning clan and beyond. Executive producers are teasing high-stakes conflict, family betrayals, and psychological reckoning — classic Max.
Media Mole

 

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The Independent
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But perhaps most intriguingly: the show has confirmed a special flashforward episode scheduled for New Year’s Day 2026. In this milestone episode — the first true flashforward the series has done — we’ll jump ahead to New Year’s Day 2027 to see how much Max’s life has unraveled after a turbulent 2026.
Parade
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expressandstar.com
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According to Wood:

“Max is in a lot of trouble in the lead-up.” The cast themselves are already speculating — what could possibly happen between now and then?
Radio Times

🧑‍👪 What This Means for the Brannings (and Company)

Max’s return isn’t happening in isolation. His family — better brace themselves. Among those likely to be impacted:

Lauren Branning — Max’s daughter, whose life has changed drastically while he was gone.
digitalspy.com
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Oscar Branning — Max’s son, returning after years away. His reappearance alone raises the stakes.
The Standard
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Linda Carter & Annie Carter — with Annie being Max’s secret daughter, the familial fallout could be explosive once the truth comes out.
Radio Times
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Under the return, expect long-hidden skeletons to tumble out — lies, betrayal, revelations. Pure soap-opera gold.

❓So — Why Now? And Why Bring Max Back?

Back in July 2025, the producers of EastEnders officially confirmed that Max, after four years away, would return to Walford.
Media Mole
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From the show’s perspective: Max Branning is drama incarnate — his return guarantees tension, unpredictability, and storylines with emotional weight. From Max’s side: he left unresolved business, and many relationships (family and otherwise) have changed drastically during his absence.
The Independent
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As Wood himself said: returning felt like “a very warm hug,” but he warned — this return won’t be “friendly and warm.”
The Independent
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🗓️ Your Guide to the Upcoming Drama
Date Event
16 December 2025 Full-time return of Max Branning on EastEnders
Radio Times
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25–31 Dec 2025 (Christmas period) Likely ramp-up to major conflict, family secrets, emotional showdowns
tvguide.co.uk
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1 January 2026 Special flashforward episode (set in 2027) drops — offering a dramatic glimpse into what’s ahead
expressandstar.com
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Parade
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If you like — I can also throw in 5–7 spoiler theories about what might go down based on Max’s history and the state of his relationships now.

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