![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1767181688_160_543374-dea6.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe flashforwards begin\u2026 (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tThe flashforwards begin\u2026 (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron)<\/p>\n
This article contains spoilers for tonight\u2019s episode of\u00a0EastEnders<\/a>, which airs on\u00a0BBC<\/a>\u00a0One at 7.30pm or can be streamed now on iPlayer.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not fun to be Max Branning<\/a>\u00a0(Jake Wood<\/a>)\u00a0right now. With not a friend in the world and a family that are desperate to see the back of him, Walford is a lonely place for the lothario-turned-Billy-no-mates at present.<\/p>\n Crashing back into Walford like a red-headed wrecking ball a few months ago to attend daughter\u00a0Lauren<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0(Jacqueline Jossa<\/a>)\u00a0surprise wedding to Peter Beale<\/a>\u00a0(Thomas Law<\/a>) did nothing but cause carnage<\/a>, and while Lauren disowned her father and told him to do one, his leaving further broke son Oscar<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0(Pierre Counihan-Moullier<\/a>) heart.<\/p>\n Upon his latest return, he continued to act as a lightening rod for the dramz. <\/p>\n When he learned that his brother, Jack<\/a>\u00a0(Scott Maslen<\/a>), had agreed with Linda Carter<\/a>\u00a0(Kellie Bright<\/a>)\u00a0to not tell him that he\u2019s the father of her daughter, Annie (Lois Hawkins) and then learned that, in his absence, he\u2019d also had an affair<\/a>\u00a0with his previous lover,\u00a0Stacey Slater<\/a>\u00a0(Lacey Turner<\/a>), a nasty festive punch up dominated the Beale\/Branning Christmas dinner. Ho ho ho, indeed\u2026<\/p>\n \t\t Heading to the Albert, he seduced Cindy Beale<\/a>\u00a0(Michelle Collins<\/a>), with the two unaware of each others true identities. Had Cindy known that she was bunking up with the man responsible for the death of her son<\/a>, she\u2019d perhaps have thought twice.<\/p>\n After taking a thumping from both Cindy and Peter (and after giving Peter a swift one right back) at his grandson\u2019s christening, Max was finally dismissed from the proceedings by young Louie (Jake McNally). Finding him alone and drowning his sorrows, Linda tried to get through to him, but he cruelly snapped back at her and sent her packing.<\/p>\n Clearly, while possessing the ability to seduce every woman he\u2019s ever clapped eyes on, he\u2019s also mastered the art of narking off every human being in that same radius.<\/p>\n His run of making people hate him carried on when he attempted to throw the lips on Linda later when she again tried to comfort him.<\/p>\n \t\t While it appeared that Max would make headway with his children with an apparently genuine apology and a promise to do better, the appearance of Elaine Peacock<\/a>\u00a0(Harriet Thorpe<\/a>)\u00a0put an end to that when she informed them of his antics the previous night.<\/p>\n After telling son Peter that he\u2019d formulated a plan, Ian Beale<\/a>\u00a0(Adam Woodyatt<\/a>) found Max and offered him a fat envelope of cash to get lost, reiterating three or four times that nobody wants him around. It appeared that Max was going to follow his advice when Linda found him packing his bags.<\/p>\n Saint Linda, she who refuses to give up on Max, tried to convince him to stay and fight to regain the love of his family, even chasing him out onto the Square in a bid to get through. And she did.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDon’t miss a Soaps scoop! Add us as a Preferred Source\t\t\t<\/p>\n As a loyal Metro Soaps reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories. We have all the latest soaps news, spoilers, videos, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> and tick\u00a0Metro.co.uk\u00a0to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t \t\t Max found a large portion of the Beale\/Branning contingent celebrating New Years Eve in Harry\u2019s Barn and, tossing the cash back at Ian, promised to be the father that his children deserve.<\/p>\n Lauren and Oscar, clearly sick to death of their dad and his enormous declarations, exited the club and headed home. Max chased them down, guaranteeing that in 2026, he\u2019ll be the father that they deserve. Lauren and Oscar remained unconvinced and left Max as the fireworks started to explode.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tCan’t wait for the next twist?\t\t\t<\/p>\n Hi, I\u2019m Stephen Patterson, Metro\u2019s deputy soaps editor.<\/p>\n If you want to stay up to date on the latest spoilers from Hollyoaks, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Corrie and more, sign up to\u00a0our daily Soaps Newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t From the big moments to the gossip you can\u2019t miss, it\u2019s all in your inbox every morning.\u00a0Sign up now<\/a>.<\/p>\n With each bang, we were given a glimpse into the future. The first, a sonogram of a baby. The second, a metal angel. The third, a gun being pointed. As Max looked up, \u20182026\u2019 had been replaced with \u20182027\u2019 on the Vic\u2019s sign, as we ready ourselves for the upcoming flashforward episode.<\/p>\n Incredibly eerie, but also incredibly significant, as it looks like a new baby Branning and an incredibly angry and armed enemy lie in Max\u2019s future. With tomorrow\u2019s flashforward episode set to catapult us a year into the future, will any of those glimpses make sense? Or are they simply teasers of what to expect throughout the year?<\/p>\n Who\u2019s pregnant? Who\u2019s waving a gun?! What\u2019s going on?!<\/p>\n Well, there\u2019s only one way to find out, isn\u2019t there?<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1767181689_224_543342-ffcd.jpg\")
\n\t\tMax\u2019s night with Cindy came back to haunt him (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron)<\/p>\n![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1767181690_60_543346-5571.jpg\")
\n\t\tHe made a show of himself at the Christening (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron)<\/p>\n![\"Soaps](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1767181690_355_SEI_278522320-46a3.jpg\")
\n\t\tNow you can ensure you never miss a story from the Soaps team<\/p>\n![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/543379-fea2.jpg\")
\n\t\tWhat Max was selling\u2026 (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron)<\/p>\n![\"Oscar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/543378-7f07.jpg\")
\n\t\t\u2026Oscar and Lauren weren\u2019t buying (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Stephen-Patterson-September-2023-16a4-3acb.webp\")
\n\t\tWake up to the latest storylines with my reporting (Picture: Stephen Patterson)<\/p>\n
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