It’s not exactly going to be a heartfelt father-son reunion.
EastEnders is set to air the long-awaited return of Max Branning this week, and you can be sure that basically every resident of Albert Square is going to have quite a strong reaction to him being back.
One person who we’re sure fans are excited to see interact with Max is the new version of Oscar Branning, who has been reintroduced as a chaotic teenager who feels like both of his parents have abandoned him.
in Walford, and Oscar tries to get his dad’s attention in the Vic.
Tragically for him, Max is distracted when he sees Zoe (who we know from flashbacks he had a fling with and was present when she thought she had killed a man).
It will also be the first time that Jake Wood and Oscar actor Pierre Moullier will be sharing the screen together, and the newcomer admitted to us that he was genuinely nervous acting opposite someone so iconic.
Jake himself admitted that it was “quite weird” to see Oscar all grown up (and “embarrassing” that he’s now taller), as he remembers filming Oscar’s birth scenes, which famously had Max deliver the baby as he and Tanya couldn’t get to the hospital in time.
Related: EastEnders‘ Natalie Cassidy reveals the one thing that would bring her back to the soap
Max’s return is due to daughter Lauren’s very last-minute wedding to Peter Beale. But she will be furious to see Max there.
Max is also set to have a showdown with Cindy upon his return, as she blames him for the death of her son Steven.
Then there is Stacey, who will feel very conflicted about Max’s return, and that’s before she sees him kissing Zoe…
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
