EASTENDERS legend Jake Wood has confirmed his return date as Max Branning – and it’s just days away.

The actor is returning for a full-time stint as the scheming lothario after his short appearance earlier this year where it was revealed Max had been in a secret relationship with Zoe Slater.

Filming pictures have shown Jake filming on location for his big comeback, but now he’s also revealed exactly when fans will see him again.

Speaking on The One Show he said: “I came back a couple of months ago to do a few eps, but I think Max is back on screen on December 16.

“We’ve got the build up to Christmas. Lots of drama this Christmas. Never a settled time and then we’ve got New Year and the really exciting episode we’ve just finished filming.”

The episode will be a special flashforward that will air a full episode from New Year’s Day 2027.

“Max is in a lot of trouble in the lead-up,” teased Wood. “Those episodes are amazing.”

He explained: “Then, suddenly, we cut to The Vic, and it’s not New Year’s Day 2026, it’s New Year’s Day 2027.

“We see Max, obviously, he’s had a very busy year; he’s been in lots of drama; there have been a lot of events that have happened.

“I think the audience is really going to love it. There’s gonna be so much speculation.

“And it’s just a really interesting way of telling the story because over the next year we’re going to build up to what we’ve seen with a whole half hour episode of a flashforward.”

Jake added: “Honestly, it’s so jam-packed. Full of questions

“We already the cast are trying to guess what’s happening, the speculation is off the scale. We don’t know what’s going to happen over the next year, it’s exciting.”

The actor also teased the inevitable reveal that Max has another child on the Square with Linda Carter’s daughter Annie being Max’s.

And when he finds out his family knew and have kept it from him, he won’t be happy.

“That’ll be a big betrayal for Max,” Jake added.