21 EastEnders questions we have following that epic Max Branning flashforward episode
Max Branning is even more trouble - and he faces losing even more children in 2027...
Wow, have you caught your breath again yet, EastEnders fans?
The BBC One soap certainly pulled out all the stops in the much-anticipated flashforward episode on New Year's Day 2026, which jumped to events on the same day in 2027.
The instalment centred on Max Branning (Jake Wood) as he prepared for his latest wedding, but many components were a mystery, even before he found himself under arrest and then discovered his children in peril.
With hints and ambiguities in almost every scene and line of dialogue penned by legendary EastEnders writer Simon Ashdown, there is so much to unpack for EastEnders fans – and probably more than one would notice on a first watch!
So, here are all the major questions we have from the EastEnders flashforward episode...
**Full spoilers for EastEnders' New Year's Day episode**
21 EastEnders questions we have following that epic Max Branning flashforward episode
1. Who is Max Branning’s bride?
Of course, the big event of the episode was that Max Branning is set to marry his fifth wife. However, throughout the episode, the bride remained a mystery.
We were presented with a series of potential brides as Jack Branning placed a call to the ‘lucky’ lady:
- Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams)
- Linda Carter (Kellie Bright)
- Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins)
- Denise Fox (Diane Parish, absent from the episode)
Or is the bride none of these potential ladies? Could his 'true' loves, Tanya Cross (Jo Joyner) or Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), return? Or is the bride a character we’ve never met?
2. Who is the pregnant woman in Max Branning’s bed - and what's their connection?
Of course, the other mystery lady in the episode is the pregnant woman who sleeps in and showers in Max's flat with her ultrasound scan on the bedside table.
The episode makes clear that this woman is not the bride, as Max goes on to have a phone call with the bride from the apartment. So, just who is this woman?
Once again, could Tanya or Stacey return as this mysterious person?
Naturally, we would assume that Max has a romantic connection to the woman in his bed or is even the father of her unborn child.
However, Max does wake up fully clothed and not hungover, so perhaps this was a totally platonic situation? Is Max actually redeemed?
We'll have to wait and see, but we could be adding another addition to the Branning fold.
3. Who is Max Branning accused of soliciting the murder of?
The episode saw police swarm Albert Square – armed to the nines – and break into Max's flat to arrest him for solicitation of murder.
Max tries to get away but is turned over by his daughter, Lauren Beale (Jacqueline Jossa)
We never find out who Max stands accused of plotting to murder – and neither does Max in the episode (bizarrely), as he maintains his innocence and DI Wren (Bob Cryer) remains unprofessionally ambiguous.
Max is subsequently released, but it's clear he's not out of the legal woods yet...
4. Who is 'Man'?
During the episode, Max nods from his window to a man on the street in a look of apparent recognition.
Later in the episode, this same man is seen in the background of a group discussion between the Beale-Brannings following Max's arrest.
So, just who is he? The Beale-Brannings certainly seem fine with him around.
The 'Man' is credited as being played by actor Stephen Aaron-Sipple, an East-End London actor who stars in small roles in The Witcher season 4 and Silo.
He previously played a delivery guy in EastEnders in 2020, but somehow we doubt he's the same guy...
Is this a future regular character on the show? Could he be an existing character recast? We'll have to wait and see...
5. If Max Branning is being set up as he claims, then who has framed him?
Of course, if Max really is innocent as he claims, then who is it that is harbouring a grudge against the roguish Walford resident and would want to send him to prison? There's certainly a long list of enemies.
It's not the first time that Max stands accused of a crime he didn't commit, as he was wrongfully imprisoned for months for the murder of Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater), and later sought revenge on many for this throughout 2017.
If Max is being framed, his enemy will likely face some comeback of their own...
6. What secrets are being hidden by Lauren Beale?
Max isn't the only Branning with something to hide in the episode, as it appears that his oldest living child, Lauren Beale, is exchanging messages with someone who wants her to slip away from the wedding planning.
Our first thought, naturally, is that Lauren is having an affair, but could it be something more than that? Is Lauren betraying Peter as her father did to her mum, Tanya? Or is something even more insidious in store?
Lauren also gives up her father, Max, to the police - even after he namechecks her late sister Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) and notes Abi would have helped him in her place - no lie detected though!
Either way, this 2027 version of Lauren is certainly feeling very confident in herself and seemed shocked at the charge against her father.
7. Why is Peter Beale so estranged from Max Branning?
Despite the rest of the Beales heading to Max's wedding, Peter Beale (Thomas Law) is absent from the preparations as it seems he has yet to get over something that his father-in-law did.
Later in the episode, Peter returns to Walford just after Lauren has handed her father over to the police, and the couple share a moment of support and a knowing look.
Why does Peter hate Max so much (this time, anyway), and could he be involved in setting him up?
8. Which "Trueman" is Oscar Branning involved with?
A sweet scene in the flashforward episode showed Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) being helped with his tie and gifted a tie pin by Walford legend Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker), showing that their friendship is going from strength to strength.
However, Patrick now refers to Oscar as a "Trueman", suggesting Oscar is romantically involved with a Trueman.
So, just which member of the family is Oscar involved with? Is Oscar now in a full-time relationship with Patrick's granddaughter, Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness)? Or could Oscar even be involved with Jasmine's twin brother? Now that would be a love triangle!
Either way, given all that Patrick has been through recently with losing his son, Anthony (Nicholas Bailey), we're glad to see him looking so happy again. He mournfully comments on not teaching his sons, Anthony and Paul Trueman (Gary Beadle,) how to do their ties when growing up.
9. What is the identity of baby Ethan?
One curious aspect of the flashforward episode was the addition of a baby named Ethan, who is staying at Jack's house, and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) appears to be struggling to care for the baby.
The natural assumption would be that Ethan is Jack's son, but could he be related to Jack in another way, perhaps as his grandson? Or could Jack just be caring for the child for someone else?
Notably, Jack's children, Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine), Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd), and Ricky Branning (Frankie Day), are all absent from the episode.
10. How did Max Branning save the life of Jimmy Beale and baby Ethan?
Oscar revealed that Max, at some point, saved the lives of his grandson Jimmy Beale and also baby Ethan, but there is no detail given as to how he did this or how the two infants' lives were threatened.
The reminder was enough to move Jack to help his older brother, though.
It seems danger awaits the babies of Walford in 2026.
11. What did Max Branning do to upset Jack Branning (again)?
Despite Jack coming to his older brother's aid in the episode, it seems that Jack is somewhat estranged from Max due to something the older Branning apparently did in 2026.
The pair have a long and difficult history, but it seems whatever it is wasn't enough to break the pair just yet, with Jack stepping up for his brother regardless.
It seems it remains swings and roundabouts for the surviving Branning brothers.
12. Why did Denise Fox walk out on Jack Branning?
Curiously absent from the episode was Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Jack's partner.
When Lauren visits Jack's house, the front door is open, and Jack reveals that Denise walked out the night before. Have the pair split once again? Is it connected to baby Ethan? Or could this all be related to whatever Max has done?
Denise's phone rings towards the end of the episode, too, so it seems we can't rule her out as a potential bride for Max either, despite being Jack's ex-wife and present-day partner in 2026.
Given we only voted for them to get back together this year, it would be a shame for them to split so quickly...
13. Why is Libby Fox back in Walford?
A gasp-worthy surprise return also occurred near the end of the episode as Denise's younger daughter, Libby Fox (Belinda Owusu), was seen at Jack's house looking for her mother and picking up Denise's ringing phone.
As a reminder, Libby was last mentioned in 2023 as having reunited with ex-boyfriend Darren Miller and holidaying in the Cotswolds.
Is Libby back for good or on a flying visit? Could she be visiting as Max is marrying her sister, Chelsea, or even her mother, Denise?
Whatever happens, it seems 2026 will be a big year for the Fox-Trueman clan, too.
14. Are George Knight and Nicola Mitchell now a true couple?
A scene in the Queen Vic in the episode sees Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) and George Knight (Colin Salmon) sitting and drinking in a booth together.
In the present day, the pair are expecting a baby together, so have they really managed to make a go of things? It certainly looks that way.
And what has happened with Nicola and George's present-day pregnancy?
The episode also ruled out Nicola as a potential bride for Max, as some may have theorised.
15. Why has Nicola Mitchell fallen out with Chelsea Fox?
One key exchange of dialogue sees George ask Nicola if she is going to speak to Chelsea, and Nicola responds: "I'd rather eat glass."
Considering Chelsea currently manages the bar at Harry's Barn, and the pair seem cordial currently, what could have caused such strong feelings from Nicola towards Chelsea?
Also, why is Chelsea being brought up here by George? Is Chelsea the bride?
16. Why is Nicola Mitchell’s foot in a cast?
Another interesting detail is that Nicola's ankle is in a cast, and she's resting it in the Queen Vic, with Patrick even asking how it is.
How did Nicola get this injury? Could Chelsea be to blame?
17. Who is running the Queen Victoria pub?
In the episode, we see the iconic barmaid Tracey (Jane Slaughter) tidying and preparing the pub for the festivities of Max's wedding reception, but there remains no sign of any other members of staff, nor do we know who is running the Queen Vic. The sign above the door is also obscured.
Ian bemoans the absence of the landlords amid the event at the Queen Vic, and Tracey explains that "they" left her in charge.
In the present, the Slater-Moons run the public house, but will this still be the case by the time we get into 2027?
18. Why is there a smashed Queen Vic pub window?
Eagle-eyed fans will have spotted that there is a broken window in the Queen Victoria pub that is boarded up during the New Year's Day episode.
It looks recent, so did it occur the night before in some kind of brawl? Time will tell.
19. Why is Ian Beale acting as Max’s best man?
There is certainly a messy history between Walford stalwart Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and Max Branning, which makes Ian being his best man seem very strange.
Chief among their past issues was Max's affair with Ian's daughter, Lucy Beale. Then Ian let Max get sent down for her murder to protect Ian's youngest son, Bobby Beale (Eliot Carrington, Clay Milner Russell). Max later sought vengeance and was responsible for the death of Ian's adopted son, Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell), in 2017. As if that wasn't enough, Max engineered the end of Ian's marriage to fourth wife, Jane Beale (Laurie Brett), and has since become passionate with Ian's first wife, Cindy Beale.
The pair now share three grandchildren, however, in the form of Lauren and Peter's sons, Louis (Jake McNally) and Jimmy Beale, along with Abi "AJ" Branning Jr, the orphaned daughter of Abi Branning and Steven Beale. Louis and Jimmy live in Walford with their parents, while AJ is currently living with her maternal grandmother, Tanya.
The episode alludes to their history and also hints at further discord in 2026, leaving Ian's mother, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), baffled that Ian is stepping up as Max's best man. Could there be even more to Kathy's confusion? Either way, we're as perplexed as she is.
20. Who is the leather-gloved gunman stalking Max’s family?
The fifth of the mysterious figures in the episode, outside of the bride, the pregnant woman, the mystery man, and whoever Max is accused of conspiring to kill, is the leather-gloved gunman, who arrives in Walford in a white van at the start of the episode and texts Max throughout.
We later see them break into Lauren's home while she and Oscar are inside, and later point their gun at Lauren's head and hold both her and Oscar hostage.
Who on earth is seeking to punish Max so gravely? The episode hints that he is involved with some dodgy people – are they seeking reprisals?
21. Who will Max Branning choose to save: Lauren or Oscar?
Of course, this is one mystery that definitely won't be solved until 2027 – who will Max choose to save: Lauren or Oscar?
It may be that both Branning scions survive the dark ultimatum, but what if one does indeed die and Max seals their fate either directly or indirectly?
Max has already lost his eldest son, Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements), in 201,0 and his second eldest daughter, Abi, in 2018, both in gruesome circumstances. Could he handle the loss of another child?
It would certainly be a crying shame to lose one of the best family dynamics in the show at the moment.
We have a long wait to discover the fate of the Brannings...
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Lewis is the News and Trends Editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.
