Max Branning wasn’t the first EastEnders character played by Jake Wood (Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeMax Branning, EastEnders’ notorious ladies’ man, made a splash when he first arrived in June 2006. The rebellious son of Jim Branning landed in Albert Square with his wife Tanya and their children Lauren and Abi, and it wasn’t long before he was stirring up drama. He quickly got involved in numerous steamy affairs, was buried alive, and became a dominant figure in Albert Square’s business world. As actor Jake Wood celebrates his 52nd birthday today (Friday, 12 July), a clip had been uncovered of him acting in the BBC soap as a teenager – long before Max was introduced. The young actor landed a role on EastEnders after minor parts in Only Fools and Horses, The Bill and Red Dwarf, according to the Irish Mirror. In a brief but pivotal role, Jake appeared in EastEnders’ first ever flashback episodes during a hard-hitting storyline in 1990.
Jake Wood is best known for his role as scheming ladies’ man Max Branning
(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)
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Teenager Diane Butcher (played by Sophie Lawrence) ran away from home on her birthday, fed up with her life. Diane was angry with how her father Frank Butcher (portrayed by Albert Square legend Mike Reid) treated her like a child, so she ran away to London. After months living on the streets, with her frantic father Frank unaware of her location, Diane finally returned home. But it was only during two unique flashback episodes that viewers discovered exactly what had happened while she was gone. This was when viewers were first introduced to a youthful-looking Jake, who sported a full head of red hair. During the flashbacks, Diane made friends with a homeless girl named Disa (Jan Graveson), who introduced her to other street kids. One of them was a young lad named Jackson, who turns out to have been played by Jake when he was just a teenager.
Jake Wood played the role of homeless teen Jackson
(Image: Twitter)
Jake looks almost unrecognisable as a teenager on the hit soap
(Image: BBC)
It would be another 16 years before the actor returned to the EastEnders set as the cheeky chappy with a roving eye. Reflecting on his teenage role during EastEnders: Secrets From the Square, Jake said: “I was a jobbing actor, I think it was when Diane Butcher ran away. “She met this other girl called Disa who was living on the street. [My character] was Disa’s boyfriend. That was 30 years ago, so I was probably 17, 18.” Jake had been in the acting industry since his teens, featuring in various shows before making it big in Walford. He continued: “I started working professionally when I was about ten and I was just a jobbing actor for years and years. “I’d do bits in EastEnders, The Bill, Casualty,” he revealed. He even scored three separate roles on Casualty. I think I died three times on Casualty in the space of about four years.”
Max left EastEnders in 2021
(Image: BBC / Dan Goldsmith)
The soap star seemed proud of his past soap role when a fan tweeted about it earlier this year. While his first character Jackson didn’t stick around for long, Max has been a fixture on the square for over 14 years. Despite his major red flags, including his inability to remain faithful, Max became one of the soap’s most popular characters. Over the years, he has been involved in some of the biggest storylines in the show’s history. He famously tore apart his marriage to wife Tanya, was wrongfully imprisoned for Lucy Beale’s murder and helped villain James Willmott-Brown take down the Square. The former car dealer also painfully lost two children, Abi and Bradley, who tragically fell to their deaths off the roof of the Queen Vic. Yet, it was Max’s steamy secret with Stacey Slater that really hit the fan during the explosive Christmas episode of 2007. In February 2021, the star left the soap after his relationship with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) broke down. Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnCasualtyEastEndersJake WoodKellie BrightLinda CarterMax BranningStacey Slater
