EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders’ executive producer Ben Wadey has confirmed the show’s plans to explore the unresolved story of Annie Carter’s paternity.
Max Branning is returning to Walford on a full-time basis later this year – and looks set to finally find out that he has a daughter he knows nothing about.
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Annie was born on the show in 2021 following a short-lived affair between Max and Linda Carter.
Several people on the Square know that Annie’s father is Max, rather than Linda’s beloved husband Mick, who was lost at sea nearly three years ago. So with Max finally heading back, he surely can’t stay in the dark forever…
Jack Barnes//BBC
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Speaking to us at an EastEnders press event this week, Wadey shared some teasers on the future for the Branning family.
“I won’t tell you much, but there is plenty of drama ahead,” Wadey promised.
“Because the Brannings have so many connections into the other amazing families as well, it brings in a lot of other characters.
“Max has got a lot of history on the show, but there’s a lot of secrets that Max doesn’t know about and other characters – including his own family – do know about.
“So, secrets tend to have a way of coming up in Walford at all the wrong times! I imagine there’s going to be some things that come up that’s going to create some drama in this family…”
BBC
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Asked whether Max is still oblivious to the truth about Annie, Wadey replied: “He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know he’s got another kid out there. There’s lots for him to come back and find out.
“Because Max is such a big personality within the Square, he’s got friends there, but he’s got a lot of enemies as well.
“So he’s a joy to have back because everybody has a different reaction to seeing him in their lives again – not all of them positive…”
BBC
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Max’s brother Jack, daughter Lauren and son Oscar are among those who know the truth about Annie – how will he react to their silence over the secret? All will be revealed in the coming months.
This week’s episodes saw Jake Wood briefly reprise his role as Max ahead of his permanent return. The story explored his secret history with Zoe Slater, told through flashbacks to earlier this year.
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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