EastEnders producer Ben Wadey has offered new clues about the flashforward storyline, suggesting that Max Branning will cause plenty of trouble before the mystery is resolved on New Year's Day 2027.
The soap opened 2026 with a flashforward to January 1, 2027, teasing a wedding, an affair, a murder, new babies and a hostage situation. While some plots are becoming clearer, Wadey confirmed there is still much to unfold.
Max Branning's autumn of chaos
Speaking about the upcoming episodes, Wadey said: 'We have been building to this for well over a year now. It was so satisfying just watching these wonderful storylines coming together and having the scripts planned and getting so excited about them, with some of our longest-serving and most talented writers putting their biggest brains across the episodes. They are quite something.'
He added: 'There's going to be a lot going on, and we can play a game over autumn called "How many people can Max Branning p*** off before New Year's Day?" The answer is quite a lot actually, so tick them off on your bingo list!'
With Max seemingly set to upset many people in the coming weeks, the identity of the mystery gunman holding Lauren and Oscar Branning at gunpoint remains unknown. The gunman is forcing Max to choose which of his children should live, raising questions about what Max has done to provoke such a situation.
Wedding plans for Max and Cindy
Before that, Max has a wedding to get through with Cindy Beale. Wadey teased: 'We do a bit of wedding wars. Cindy and Max – what can possibly go wrong?'
Kim Fox is also set to marry Howie Danes, with Wadey noting the Fox-Truemans are facing difficulties as Denise undergoes chemotherapy for leukaemia. He said: 'There's a real sustained effort on the part of the Fox-Truemans to keep the family buoyant and afloat. Is it because they need to get it done so Denise can actually be there and witness the wedding?'
Wadey added: 'I love these scenes because you've got Cindy and Max throwing money at it but it's not going quite as smoothly as they would like, while Kim and Howie can't afford that massive lavish wedding, and they'll have obstacles in their way. But some of those scenes in September, on the day of their actual wedding had me crying with laughter, so I think you'll really enjoy that.'
Given that Max is also expected to tie the knot on New Year's Day, it seems unlikely his wedding will go smoothly, and an annulment could be on the cards if vows are exchanged.
