EastEnders legend Jake Wood has stirred up the rumour mill after he shared a huge hint that he may be returning as Max Branning.
Jake played the notorious womanizer for 15 years until 2021, when Max decided to leave Walford after he was rejected by Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) following their affair.
However, if his latest Instagram post is anything to go by, we could see Max back on the Square to cause some trouble.
Jake posted a picture of him and his former EastEnders co-star Scott Maslen, who plays his on-screen brother Jack Branning as they posed in some funny looking wigs.
In the background, they appear to be in a dressing room as two pictures of the EastEnders cast are seen framed on the wall.
Jake captioned the image: "He Ain’t Heavy @mrscottmaslen ❤️❤️🤣🤣"
The backstage image sparked rumours amongst fans, with one commenting: "He gotta be coming back," while another asked: "Special appearance in EastEnders this Christmas???"
Meanwhile, others added: "This best be a sign you’re coming back!" and "Can’t wait to see you back on eastenders."
It would be an apt time for Max to return to the soap given that he has a lot of unfinished business on the Square.
Max is oblivious to the fact that Linda fell pregnant with his baby, a daughter called Annie and the landlady has vowed to keep it a secret from him ever since, with his brother Jack also in on the secret.
A few months after Max's exit, Jack visited him in France with his granddaughter Abi Branning Jr, only for Max to run off with the tot.
In 2022, Max's daughter Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) returned for Dot Cotton's (June Brown) funeral where she revealed that she had disowned her dad after he had an affair with her best friend while living with her in New Zealand.
Now that Lauren is coming back to the Square permanently alongside her cousin Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) could this encourage Max to return and make amends with his family?
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
