A major New Year's Day flashforward episode has been confirmed for EastEnders, placing the spotlight squarely on the legendary lothario Max Branning, played by Jake Wood.
The New Year's Day Flashforward
The special episode, scheduled to air on 1st January 2026, will catapult viewers exactly one year into the future to New Year's Day 2027. It finds Max, who made a dramatic return to Walford in September 2025 after a four-year absence, embroiled in a characteristically sticky situation. While the exact nature of his predicament remains under wraps, a promotional image released by the BBC shows Max dressed in a sharp suit, fuelling immediate speculation that a wedding is on the cards.
This theory gained further traction earlier this year when Max caught the bouquet at his daughter Lauren Branning's (Jacqueline Jossa) wedding, a classic soap omen for the next to tie the knot. The question on every fan's lips now is: who could the potential bride be?
Is Stacey Slater the Bride-to-Be?
Given Max's extensive romantic history, the list of candidates is long. However, one name stands out as the most compelling possibility: Stacey Slater, portrayed by the award-winning actress Lacey Turner.
Although Stacey departed Albert Square in September 2025, her exit was heavily signposted as temporary. The BBC confirmed Lacey Turner would return "when the time is right", a sentiment echoed by the soap's social media channels which bid "goodbye to Lacey Turner… for now". Notably, Stacey did not receive the poignant 'Julia's Theme' in her final scenes, a musical cue typically reserved for permanent departures.
Most tellingly, Stacey's exit storyline was intrinsically linked to Max. Her final moments on screen involved listening to a voicemail from him, in which he pondered, "maybe one day we will see each other again". This line of dialogue now seems a deliberate piece of foreshadowing with the flashforward episode announced.
What This Means for 2026
The flashforward strongly suggests that Stacey Slater will make a comeback to Walford at some point in 2026. The episode will likely reveal whether she and Max have reconciled their turbulent past, which ended with Stacey discovering his fling with Zoe (Michelle Ryan) and leaving in a black cab.
If the wedding speculation proves correct, the New Year's Day 2027 scene could show Max preparing to marry Stacey, setting up a year of explosive drama leading to that moment. It promises a gripping narrative arc for one of the soap's most iconic and volatile couples.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and is available to stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
