FAMILY FEUD EastEnders’ Cindy Beale and Max Branning set for epic Christmas showdown ahead of flashforward twist
EASTENDERS fans are in for a treat this festive season as Max Branning and Cindy Beale will finally come face to face.
The two characters, played by Jake Wood and Michelle Collins, have never met, but Cindy has a HUGE grudge against Max and now it’s set to come to a head.
In a look ahead to the action in store, the pair will come face to face at Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) and Peter Beale (Thomas Law)’s son Jimmy’s christening.
Before that, on Christmas Day Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and Peter manage to stop them meeting, much to everyone’s relief.
But as the Beales and Brannings get together to celebrate Jimmy’s christening, in the episodes that follow, things soon change,
Cindy has a grudge against Max after finding out he was responsible for her son Steven’s death, while she was hiding in witness protection.
He is then uninvited but turns up to the church anyway, and things go from to bad to worse.
Cindy is of course left fuming and it soon all kicks off.
Heading into New Year’s Eve and Max gets his son Oscar to arrange a meeting with his daughter Lauren.
However she is furious he used her little brother to get to her and Max fears he has lost everything.
As Albert Square gets ready to welcome the New Year, EastEnders leaps forward a year into the future.
Fans will see Max and his family involved in huge drama on New Year’s Day 2027 – which will lead to clues about Max’s future.
SPLIT LIP
The Sun previously reported how will see Max get a split lip following a fight at the christening as part of the Christmas Day special.
He, is seen with blood on his face after an argument with his brother Jack, played by Scott Maslen.
In scenes filmed at a church in Hertford in September, a fight will break out at the christening.
ALBERT SQUARE RETURN
Max returned to the Square earlier this year after a five year absence.
Fans were shocked to see that, during his time away, Max had started a relationship with Zoe Slater (played by Michelle Ryan).
Speaking about their surprising relationship at the time, Jake said in September: “I mean, from my point of view, I think the relationship between them is genuine.
“I think there are genuine feelings between them.
“But I think by the time Max comes back onto the Square, it’s just become very complicated in terms of in terms of where Max is at and what he’s at that moment to be able to commit to her.
“But I do feel like they do have a connection, and I think a lot of that was down to Zoe’s looking for her son that she gave up for adoption and that Max helps her financially to pay for the PI to help look for her.”
He added: “I think he really sort of felt empathy towards her in what she was trying to do and supported her at that time.
“So I think her relationship was genuine, I think there were real feelings between them, so yeah, where it goes in the future, I don’t know.
“But for me, it just felt there was a connection, a real connection between them.”
