BBC Share By Kerry Barrett Jan 1 2026 By Kerry Barrett Jan 1 2026 Max's wedding day, Lauren's hostage horror and Jack's baby mystery: what the future holds for EastEnders in 2026 Who's the bride? And who's the pregnant mistress?! Max Branning Max Branning's New Year flashforward Share By Kerry Barrett Jan 1 2026 By Kerry Barrett Jan 1 2026 EastEnders treated us to a flashforward episode tonight (Thursday, January 1), focused entirely on Max Branning as he woke up on his wedding day on New Year’s Day 2027. Max didn’t get married. But he was supposed to. We just don’t know who he was marrying. And we have a lot more other questions too! It’s a new approach to soap storytelling, there’s no doubt! And we’ll be gripped throughout the rest of 2026 as we try to piece together everything that’s going to happen in January next year. So here’s what happened in the EastEnders flashforward episode tonight. Max looked out over the Square (Credit: BBC) Max’s mystery woman We never saw his companion – she was still asleep when he got up. But we did learn one very important thing about her – she’s pregnant! She had a baby scan picture and pregnancy vitamins next to her bed. Article continues below Read all the latest spoilers And we also learned pretty quickly that it was Max’s wedding day. And that his pregnant lady friend was NOT the bride! Because he phoned the bride – whoever she is – and told her he loved her. But a wedding and a pregnant mistress weren’t the only things Max had to worry about because the episode began with a man in a car with a gun. Uh-oh. Already we could tell this wedding wasn’t going to go to plan! Max watched Lauren go somewhere – but where was she heading? (Credit: BBC) The Branning family take centre stage Meanwhile across the Square, the rest of the Brannings were getting ready for the big day. As it turned out, Ian was Max’s best man. Ian. Max’s sworn enemy. He even said that a year ago he’d have been angry with his nemesis but not now. Interesting! And it seemed Lauren was up to something too. She got a mysterious message asking her to meet someone in the usual place, and off she went. Her dad watched her from his window, convinced she was up to no good. But was she? Poor Oscar was having trouble with his tie. Patrick gave him a hand, telling him he was a Trueman now, so he had to look the part. And he even gave Oscar his tie pin to wear. Aww. Does this mean Oscar and Jasmine are together and Jasmine’s parentage is out in the open? Or is Oscar married to Kim in 2027? We’d love to see that! The police arrested Max on his wedding day (Credit: BBC) Armed police! Of course, Max didn’t make it to the wedding because suddenly the Square was full of armed police. They stormed their way into the flat, but Max escaped out of the window and fled to Lauren’s. Meanwhile the police demanded Max’s shocked and somehow oblivious woman open the bathroom door. But we still didn’t get to see who she was. And though Max begged Lauren to help him, she opened the door when the police came calling and Max was arrested. Max isn’t the only Branning man in the heart of the drama (Credit: BBC) Jack’s got a baby! Sort of! Lauren went off to ask Uncle Jack for help even though, as it turned out, Max and Jack weren’t speaking. But what was the cause of this upset? We don’t know. We do know, however, that there was a BABY in Jack’s living room, happily kicking his little feet and cooing away to himself. Lauren called the tot Ethan and said that though he wasn’t Jack’s, they were all he had. Intriguing. She also pointed out that Ethan and her own son, Jimmy, wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for Max. And Jack reluctantly agreed to help. EastEnders flashforward: Who’s the bride? At this point, the Albert Square residents were worried that the bride didn’t know what was going on. We were treated to three tantalising glimpses of Walford women getting ready for the wedding. Or a wedding, at least. Who knows if it was the same wedding Max was meant to be going to. We saw Chelsea, Linda and Cindy all admiring outfits and doing their make-up. Is one of them the bride? But we also didn’t see Denise. And everyone was looking for her, and she’d clearly been getting ready, because there was a half-drunk glass of fizz next to her bits and pieces. AND, Libby was there! LIBBY! Chelsea’s sister and Denise’s daughter. Lauren’s in danger (Credit: BBC) Max was released as a gunman took Lauren and Peter hostage Max was accused of soliciting to murder – a serious offence that means he had encouraged someone else to kill someone. But the police didn’t tell him who was dead, nor who he’d encouraged. It was very mysterious. Instead, they simply let him go. Even Jack was surprised. The brothers – still at loggerheads – hopped into Jack’s car, with Max determined to make it back to Walford and get married despite everything that had happened. Meanwhile, as Oscar and Lauren were chatting at the house, things took a dark turn. Lauren left the room and came face to face with a gun! It was the chap from the opening scenes, with his leather gloves gripping the gun as he held it to frightened Lauren’s head. As Max and Jack arrived back in the Square, Max received a shocking message of his children tied up and being held at gunpoint and asking him to choose Oscar or Lauren. We’re just sorry we’re going to have to wait a year to find out what happens next! Read more: Who’s leaving, joining and returning to EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns. Share Good to Know Share By Kerry Barrett Jan 1 2026 By Kerry Barrett Jan 1 2026 Next Story
