OMG SHOCKING!!! Unexpected new EastEnders romance ‘confirmed’ for Max as he is left in shock

Max Branning (Jake Wood) receives some attention in EastEnders next week as newcomer Bea (Ronni Ancona) takes a shine to him.

Viewers of the BBC One soap will first encounter Bea this week as Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) sets her sights on the character, a former classmate, at a school reunion.

The former Queen Vic landlady isn’t sure that she wants to attend the reunion in question and thus asks Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) to accompany her.

In a bid to get Honey access, Linda claims that the market inspector is on the guest list – and is named Bea.

However, the real Bea soon arrives, which leads to some home truths about what Linda was like in her school days, leaving the former publican in shock.

The following week, Bea is staying at Peacock Palace – and it isn’t long before she gets her feet under the table. The newcomer is especially taken with Max, who is also a guest at the boutique hotel.

Linda offers to pick up the rest of Bea’s things from her old flat but when she discovers that Ollie has an issue at school Max steps in, taking Bea out so that Linda can focus her attention on her son.

Bea is quietly thrilled at the prospect of a ‘date’ with Max. Max, however, is less so but agrees to keep up the pretence for Linda’s sake.

Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) and Oscar (Pierre Counihan-Moullier), meanwhile, discuss doing something to mark Abi’s death and Max vows to be there – but he gets waylaid by his so-called date, which inevitably leads to more conflict with his children as Max is banned from attending.

And as for Bea, the newcomer confides in Honey that she thinks Linda orchestrated the whole ‘date’ thing to humiliate her.

The question is: could this ‘date’ lead to romance with Max?

It’s safe to say that any such encounter that Max has in the coming months will be analysed by fans in great detail, given the flashforward episode that aired on New Year’s Day.

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The offering in question, which was set one year down the line, saw the resident lothario getting set to wed a mystery woman. And not only that, but he was also seen in bed with another unknown resident, who is pregnant.

Speculation has been rife about the identity of his new bride and the pregnant woman, so could Bea factor into the events of the future?

EastEnders fans see Max and Lauren Branning go head-to-head at work next week, as they fight for control of the car lot.

As the father and daughter duo continue to clash over their differing sales methods, the pair are pitted against each other in a fierce challenge. Who will shift the most motors and claim victory?

“Max and Lauren are at each other’s throats again,” begins our EastEnders insider. “But this time it’s as colleagues. There’s a proper power struggle at the car lot that is making it tricky to get anything done, so something needs to change – and fast. Will a sales showdown bring them together, or tear them further apart?”

While Lauren was grateful for Max coughing up the money for her to buy the car lot from Jay Brown, she assumed he would be a mere silent partner. So, it was quite the shock when her dad vowed to be a hands-on manager and started treating her like his assistant.

Lauren has been running the business single-handedly for months and wants nothing more than to prove herself to everyone. But she hasn’t had much chance to do so, with Max returning to his old stomping ground and getting his feet under the table straight away.

What becomes clear this week is that Lauren and Max are from different generations, so they have very different ideas about how to sell a car – but they do share a love of a challenge. Call in Oscar Branning…

“There’s no better person than Oscar to judge this competition, as he’d love the idea of putting his dad and his sister through their paces,” continues our spy.

“He suggests a friendly competition to decide once and for all who is the better salesperson, and Lauren and Max are more than up for the fight…”

As the Brannings lock horns in the car lot, Max decides to make things even more interesting. He tells his daughter that if she sells £80,000 worth of cars within a month, he will give her half the business. Can Lauren rise to the occasion and make her dream come true?