EastEnders star Jake Wood has confirmed the exact date he will return to the BBC soap as Max Branning ahead of the New Year flashforward episode. Max is set to make a comeback to the soap this festive season, having previously returned earlier this year.

Viewers know that Max returned in September having formed a connection with fellow returnee Zoe Slater. After being turned down by his ex-lover Stacey Slater, Max left Walford again.

In a special New Year’s Day episode, the soap will flash forward to 2027, with the action following Max a year on from the present day.

Appearing on tonight’s episode of The One Show, Wood opened up about his exciting return, telling hosts Alex Jones and Clara Amfo how it all came about.

He said: “[I] had lunch with the new boss in January, Ben Wadey, and one of the writers, Simon Ashdown, who outlined the plans to come back, and that’s when I started to really think about it seriously and get excited about coming back.”

Confirming exactly when his return will air and teasing fans with what’s to come, Wood said: “I think Max is back on screen on 16 December. So, obviously got the build up to Christmas… lots of drama at Christmas, never a settled time!”

Speaking about the special flashforward episode, the soap star said: “And then we’ve got New Year and this really exciting episode that we’ve just finished filming. It’s amazing, it’s incredible.

“It’s the first time EastEnders has done anything like this. They’ve got a whole [special] episode on New Year’s Day – you’ve got New Year, Max is in a lot of trouble [and] there’s a lot of drama.”

Describing what happens in the episode, Wood said that viewers will see the soap cut to New Year’s Day in 2027 where it will become obvious that Max has “had a very busy year” in which “lots of events” have transpired.

“I think the audience are really gonna love it,” he teased. “I think there’s gonna be so much speculation. Over the next year, we’re gonna build up to what we’ve seen. It’s jam-packed, full of questions.”

He continued: “He’s obviously in some sort of trouble, we don’t know what. Intriguing and confusing. We already as a cast are all guessing and trying to work it all out. It’s gonna be fascinating.”