EastEnders has started to unveil how Mark is connected to the Branning family after he was first seen with them as Max was arrested in the New Year’s Day flashforward episode
20:00, 12 Mar 2026Updated 20:10, 12 Mar 2026
EastEnders airs Mark’s connection to Branning family as Lauren is attacked(Image: BBC)
EastEnders have finally started to embed Mark Fowler Jr into the Branning family, but this spells trouble for Lauren as her connection to Mark puts her in danger.
Fans have been waiting to see how Mark (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) is connected to the Brannings after he was seen with them in the New Year’s Day flashforward. In his first appearance on the show in years, Mark was spotted with the family during the time jump to January 2027, as they grappled with Max Branning‘s (Jake Wood) arrest.
Until the episode that aired on 12 March, Mark hadn’t interacted much with the Brannings. However, this all changed in tonight’s episode. During the show, Mark was told that if he could raise £100k, he could leave the drugs gang he was working for without any consequences. That money seemed impossible to get… until Mark spotted a car at Max and Lauren Branning’s (Jacqueline Jossa) car lot.
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When Mark shows interest in a car, Lauren takes him for a test drive(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Mark showed interest in the vintage red car and it took little convincing to get Lauren to agree to a test drive. But while he stepped away from the car, a mystery man attacked Lauren and took the car, leaving her bleeding on the floor. Mark later met with the man, revealing that he had gotten him to steal the car so that he could sell it on for the money he needed.
In other scenes, Mark was seen with Lauren and her family as she tended to a cut on her cheek, showing this to be the start of his connection to them. Fans also noticed how much chemistry was there between him and Lauren, leading some to suggest that his real connection would be an affair with her.
“I thought it was just a potential set up for the start of an affair between Mark and Lauren,” one fan wrote after another said Mark stealing the car was obvious.
Another added: “Lauren and Mark are definitely going to have an affair, aren’t they?” A third said they didn’t think Lauren would be the only woman for Mark though.
Lauren is later attacked(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
“I’m not the biggest fan of Lauren but bloody hell Mark and Max today were something else,” they said. “I still think she’ll have an affair with Mark but I also think Priya (Sophie Levy) will too and if Priya does end up being the pregnant woman in Max’s bed the baby could be his which could result in Ravi (Aaron Thiara) spiralling further.”
The New Year’s episode featured several bombshells about what will happen for the Brannings in the next year. Not only was Max seen in bed with a pregnant woman, but he was also getting married – to a different woman.
Several women were suggested as potential brides for Max, including Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) and Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams). However, some are now wondering if a character could make a comeback.
Following the revelation that Max’s niece Penny (Kitty Castledine) is pregnant, some wondered if her mother, Selina (Daisy Beaumont), would come to the Square to support her daughter and fall in love with her former brother in law in the process.
One fan said: “If Penny is pregnant, do you think her mother Selina might appear on the Square at some point? Could she be a possible love interest for Max, seeing as how the Branning men have a tendency to share lovers at different times in their lives (Stacey, Rainey, Tanya, etc.).”
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