Max Branning
Max Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Jake Wood and first appeared on 27 June 2006. Wood departed the role in 2021 after 15 years, with his final scenes airing on 19 February. In July 2025, it was announced that Wood would reprise the role, with Max returning on 3 September. On 1 January 2026, Max was the focus of a flashforward episode to one year in the future, New Years Day 2027, with the events of 2026 set to focus on the Branning's and Max's journey towards 2027.
Many of Max's storylines focus on his numerous relationships, including his marriages to Tanya (Jo Joyner) and Kirsty Branning (Kierston Wareing) as well as Tanya's sister, Rainie Cross (Tanya Franks), and several romances, many of which are extramarital affairs, including his daughter-in-law Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and landlady of the Queen Vic, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).
In 2008, Max was the subject of a whodunit storyline after being run over, with the culprit revealed to be his daughter Lauren. He later struggled with the death of his son Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements) and was wrongfully convicted of Lucy Beale’s (Hetti Bywater) murder in 2015; the true killer was later revealed to be Bobby Beale. Following his release from prison, Max orchestrated a revenge plot against those he blamed for his imprisonment alongside notorious villain James Wilmott-Brown (William Boyde) that culminated in the death of Lauren's partner Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell) and a rooftop confrontation at the Queen Victoria public house in which his daughter Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) died and Lauren survived. In 2025, Max returned in flashback scenes involving Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) before making his full return to Walford. His storylines since his return include discovering he had a daughter with Linda, feuds with Oscar's girlfriend and Zoe's long-lost daughter Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness), Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and his son Mark (Stephen Aaron-Sipple), as well as a relationship with Steven and Lucy's mother, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins). In June 2026, Max and Cindy get engaged. However, shortly afterwards, Max begins an affair with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy).