EastEnders’ legend Jake Wood looks almost unrecognisable in forgotten BBC role
Jake Wood played EastEnders' bad boy Max Branning for 14 years before he departed in 2021, but this wasn't his first time he appeared on the long-running BBC soap
Walford womaniser Max Branning took the square by storm when he arrived in June 2006.
Jim Branning’s wayward son joined EastEnders with wife Tanya and kids Lauren and Abi – and it wasn’t long before he was causing trouble on the show. He quickly became embroiled in affairs, was buried alive and dominated the business world in Albert Square.
As actor Jake Wood celebrates his 52nd birthday, Daily Star has taken a deep dive inside his forgotten role on the BBC soap. Almost two decades before Max was introduced, Jake appeared on screen as a completely different character when he was just a teenager.
The young actor made it onto EastEnders after small parts in Only Fools and Horses, The Bill and Red Dwarf, reports the Irish Mirror. In a brief but crucial role, Jake featured in EastEnders’ first ever flashback episodes during a hard-hitting storyline in 1990.