The New Year’s Day flashforward episode of EastEnders is almost upon us, and the BBC have teased what lies ahead for the Branning’s with a brand new image containing key details
21:00, 31 Dec 2025Updated 21:37, 31 Dec 2025
BBC reveals key details about Branning’s future ahead of EastEnders flashforward(Image: BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
EastEnders have shared a huge update on Max Branning’s future. Ahead of the New Year’s Day flashforward to 2027, EastEnders execs have released new artwork that contains key hints about what’s to come.
The flashforward will air on New Year’s Day at 19:30 with no early release on iPlayer. In it, viewers will watch as Max Branning prepares for his wedding, taking place a year from now.
To hint at the episode’s events, the BBC have released a new image that shows Max staring at the camera whilst in his wedding suit, with a blood-splattered rose on his lapel. Behind one shoulder, his son Oscar Branning is screaming into the distance. Behind the other, Lauren is crying.
READ MORE: EastEnders 2026: Every hint at explosive year from Max Branning wedding to major deathREAD MORE: EastEnders ‘reveal’ Max Branning’s mystery bride ahead of New Year flash forward
The BBC’s new artwork contains key hints about Max’s future(Image: BBC)
In front of the Brannings, there is a sonogram, a SWAT officer pointing a gun at something we can’t see and a white Rolls Royce, decked out for a wedding.
At the end of the New Year’s Eve episode, the show also teased the sonogram and the Rolls, but only showed the gun being pointed, not who was pointing it.
What could bring a SWAT team to Walford is not known, but as the sonogram and Rolls are both likely to be about Max and his womanising ways, one of the Brannings is likely to be the person drawing such attention.
Max is getting married(Image: PA)
With the blood on Max’s rose, could it be a murder? Max has attempted to murder other Walford residents before. In 2017, he tried to force Steven Beale to kill his adoptive stepmother, Jane. Max had realised that Steven was lying to Lauren about having a brain tumour and blackmailed him into helping get revenge on Jane, who had framed Max for the murder of Lucy Beale, which Bobby Beale was really responsible for.
Max got Steven to start a fire whilst Jane was inside the building. Steven wanted to help Jane, but Max ordered him to leave her to die. When Steven tries to help Jane anyway, Max pushed him and Steven ended up hitting the corner of a table and dying from a fatal bleed.
Max was involved in Steven’s death(Image: BBC / Kieron McCarron)
Just a few months later, he tried to strangle Ian Beale in revenge for framing him for Lucy’s death and was only stopped when Lauren got involved. That same day, he tried to kill Phil Mitchell and was stopped by Stacey Slater.
Max has also been connected to several deaths. He helped cover up the fact that Stacey Slater killed Archie Mitchell in 2009, letting his dead son Bradley Branning take the fall.
In 2012, he, along with his brother Jack, nephew Joey and Kat Slater, let Derek Branning die when he had a heart attack in front of them. All four of them decided not to help Derek, even though they knew what was happening to him.
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