Max Branning: Full Guide to His Affairs, Children & 2025 Return

Few EastEnders characters have kept Walford talking quite like Max Branning. For nearly two decades, his tangled love life, family secrets, and shady deals have made him one of the square’s most memorable faces. The BBC announced on 11 July 2025 that Jake Wood would reprise the role, and with a secret daughter storyline already in motion, this guide pulls together everything you need to know about his affairs, children, and what’s next.

First appearance: 27 June 2006 ·
Portrayed by: Jake Wood ·
Number of children: 4 (Bradley, Lauren, Abi, Oscar); plus Annie Carter as a secret daughter ·
Number of marriages: 3 (Rachel, Tanya Branning, Kirsty Branning) ·
Last regular appearance: 2021; returning in 2025

Six key facts about Max Branning, pulled from official sources and the show’s long history, show just how tangled his life has been.

What does Max Branning have to do with Zoe?

The Zoe Slater secret children storyline explained

• Max and Zoe had an affair in 2006, long before the secret children twist was retconned (TV Guide).
• Zoe became pregnant, but the father was later revealed to be Dennis Rickman, not Max.
• Flashback scenes in September 2025 showed Max and Zoe meeting in a bar, bonding over their pasts, and beginning a steamy affair (TV Guide).

The implication: Max’s return is not about claiming paternity but about rekindling a dangerous connection that threatens to unravel his already fragile family ties.

Max Branning’s paternity denial and aftermath

When the secret children storyline first aired, Max was a suspect. The BBC’s official site later clarified that Max is not the biological father. The BBC Media Centre described his 2025 comeback as “dramatic” and tied to the Zoe Slater mystery. The twist shows that even when Max is not the father, his presence stirs up trouble.

Is Max Branning coming back in EastEnders?

Jake Wood’s confirmed return in 2025

Yes, and the news broke in July 2025. The BBC Media Centre announced that Jake Wood would reprise the role later that autumn, with a more permanent return planned later in the year. Radio Times confirmed that the comeback episode would air on 16 December 2025. According to Wikipedia, Max first appeared in flashback scenes on 3 September 2025 before a full return to Walford.

Why Max left in 2021

Max left Walford after the truth about his affair with Stacey was exposed, and his role in the events leading to Abi’s death became public. He left town with money from Phil Mitchell. The TV Guide describes him as a “legendary love rat” and “bad dad” – a summary that fits the reason for his exit.

What this means: his return is not a redemption arc but a continuation of the chaos he left behind.

How many kids does Max Branning have?

Max Branning’s children: Bradley, Lauren, Abi, Oscar

• Bradley (with Rachel Branning) – deceased.
• Lauren (with Tanya Branning) – alive, mother of Louie.
• Abi (with Tanya Branning) – died in 2018 after falling from the roof.
• Oscar (with Tanya Branning) – returned in July 2025 (Wikipedia).

The secret daughter Annie Carter

In 2024, Linda Carter revealed that Max is the father of her daughter Annie. According to MSN, Max had been unaware for five years that he had a child with Linda. This secret daughter is central to his 2025 return.

The trade-off: Max’s role as a father has always been messy – he lost Abi, he barely knows Oscar, and now he has a child he never planned for.

What happened to Max Branning in EastEnders?

Max’s exit storyline in 2021

After Abi’s death in 2018, Max spiralled. He blamed everyone around him, landed in prison for the murder of Steven Beale, and eventually left Walford in 2021. The Metro reported that he had a short stint in the autumn of 2025 before departing again after Stacey caught him kissing Zoe. TV Guide notes that he returned in September 2025 after a four-year absence.

Key events: blaming everyone for Abi’s death, prison, affair revelations

• Max was imprisoned for the murder of Steven Beale in 2017.
• Abi died in 2018 after falling from the roof of the Queen Vic – an accident Max partly blamed himself for.
• His affair with Stacey Slater was a major factor in the breakdown of his marriage to Tanya.

The pattern: Max’s history is a cycle of betrayal, loss, and short-lived returns. The 2025 comeback fits that same rhythm.

How many affairs has Max Branning had?

List of Max Branning’s known affairs

• Stacey Slater (2006–2007) – the most famous, leading to the breakdown of his marriage to Tanya.
• Zoe Slater (2006 and again in 2025).
• Kat Moon (2011).
• Vanessa Gold (2010).
• Gemma (2012).
• Rachel Branning (affair while married to Tanya).
• Kirsty Branning (his second wife, but their marriage was built on lies).
• Plus several one-night stands and off-screen flings.

The TV Guide calls him a “legendary love rat” – a label that undersells the pattern. Serial infidelity is not a character flaw for Max; it’s his operating system.

Impact of his infidelity on his marriages

All three of Max’s marriages ended because of his affairs. Tanya divorced him twice, Kirsty left him after discovering his lies, and Rachel walked out early on. The BBC Media Centre describes Max as a “serial womaniser” – and the evidence backs it up.

The consequence: Max’s infidelity continues to shape every relationship he enters, leaving a trail of broken ties.

Who is Max Branning’s brother and what is his age?

Jack Branning, Derek Branning, and Jim Branning

• Jack Branning (played by Scott Maslen) is Max’s younger brother, a former detective and regular on the square.
• Derek Branning (played by Jamie Foreman) was the older brother, killed off in 2012.
• Jim Branning (played by John Bardon) is their father, now deceased.

Max was born in 1973, making him 52 years old as of 2025 (Wikipedia).

The implication: Max’s family tree is a soap opera in itself – brothers who are rivals, a father who was a tyrant, and children who keep paying for his mistakes.

Timeline

• 27 June 2006 – Max Branning first appears in EastEnders.
• 2006–2007 – Max begins affair with Stacey Slater (TV Guide).
• 2008 – Affair with Zoe Slater; Zoe gets pregnant but baby is not Max’s (TV Guide).
• 2017 – Max is imprisoned for the murder of Steven Beale (Wikipedia).
• 2018 – Abi Branning dies after falling from the roof; Max leaves Walford for a time (Wikipedia).
• 2021 – Max leaves Walford after the truth about his involvement in Abi’s death and other schemes is revealed (Wikipedia).
• July 2025 – Jake Wood confirms return to EastEnders as Max (BBC Media Centre).
• 3 September 2025 – Max appears in flashback scenes (Wikipedia).
• 16 December 2025 – Full return episode airs (Radio Times).
• 1 January 2026 – Flashforward episode places Max in a precarious predicament (Metro).

“Coming home to Walford feels like stepping into a time machine – but the secrets are all new.”

Jake Wood, describing his return to RTE (entertainment news)

“Max Branning: serial womaniser, Square regular and lucrative entrepreneur.”

BBC Media Centre (official announcement)

For Max Branning, the 2025 return is not a fresh start – it’s a reckoning. With a secret daughter, an ex-lover he can’t resist, and a family still recovering from his past, the stage is set for one of EastEnders’ most explosive years. For viewers, the choice is clear: watch Jake Wood’s Max self-destruct again, or hope that this time, he finally learns something.

Frequently asked questions