EastEnders' Max Branning is about to become embroiled in a whodunnit mystery in a fortnight's time as he's mown down in a dramatic hit-and-run at Halloween. After trying to set up his brother Jack (Scott Maslen) for his attempted murder, Max realises the trouble he's caused his family over the last number of months when he speaks to his daughter, Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald). In the hope of putting the past behind him, Max heads across to Tanya's (Jo Joyner) but doesn't make it across the Square as he's run down by Darren's (Charlie G. Hawkins) car. Here, DS chats to Jake Wood about his character, Halloween week and the car stunt.

Max is at the lowest point he's ever been, isn't he?
"Yeah, he's a desperate man at this point because he wants his family back. It's the lowest we've ever seen Max since the first time we met him."

The relationship between Jack, Tanya, Max and Ronnie is just wrong, isn't it? You can tell that Tanya and Jack should be together…
"For me, I certainly think Max and Tanya should be together. They're destined to be together. Whether they will get back together, I'm not sure. As for Jack and Ronnie, I'm not sure. They are quite well suited in some ways. But Jack and Tanya, that's just wrong!"

Did you not think that Bradley and Stacey were destined to be together, though?
"Yeah, you would have thought so, wouldn't you? Max and Tanya have been together for such a long time and from such a young age. In some ways, it's the same kind of dynamic between Bradley and Stacey as it was for Max and Tanya. I think if Max had never appeared, Bradley and Stacey would still be together."

And Lauren finally loses all respect for him this week, doesn't she?
"Yeah. Max has lost all perspective by this point. He's trying to regain some control. For Max, a big thing in his life is being in control. He's very uncomfortable otherwise. With Lauren, though, he takes it a little bit too far. She refuses to say goodbye to him before moving to France with Jack and Tanya. It's when he sees her saying goodbye to Peter that he loses it. He grabs her by the wrist and then Peter. It's really difficult for him to come to terms with his kids moving away."

There's a gunshot heard across the Square in the week's first episode. What's happened?
"Basically, Max is trying to set up Jack for trying to kill him. Because Jack's fingerprints are all over the gun, he lures Jack around to the house. He later ransacks the house, tipping over all the furniture to make it look like there was a struggle and when the police turn up, they find a bullet hole in the wall."

We know the basis of Max and Jack's animosity, but there must be something deeper which is plaguing their relationship?
"Yeah, there's definitely more to come. There's more about their past which is revealed in their final confrontation later in the week."

There are some great exchanges between Max and Tanya this week, aren't there?
"I've missed working closely with Jo over these last few months, but the storyline dictated that. We have a fantastic working relationship and there's a great dynamic between the characters of Max and Tanya. Hopefully it's one that the audience want to see more of."

During the Halloween episode, Jack's out to teach Max a lesson, isn't he? What happens?
"Jack gains access to the gun in a great twist to the storyline and suddenly the tables are turned quite dramatically. I don’t want to give it all away, but Jack bundles Max into a car which leads to a showdown between the brothers in a remote location."

Max does make it back to the Square, though, doesn't he?
"Yeah. Tanya finds him in a right state and there's a very touching exchange as they talk about the good times they had together and they do share a kiss. It's incredibly potent writing."

He realises what he's done to his family and goes to make amends, doesn't he?
"After the traumatic events of the night, Max is happy to see Abi standing at his front door. When she reveals that Jack wants them all to leave for France that night, he completely regrets his actions towards his brother and his wife. He wants to put things straight with Tanya and the kids before they leave, so he heads across the Square but as he is nearing the house a car swerves around the corner from nowhere and runs him down. Needless to say, he's left fighting for his life."

What was it like filming the stunt?
"It was great. It's always good to get a stunt team on board. I haven't seen it yet, but thankfully, I had a stunt double. They all did a great job."

EastEnders hasn't had a good whodunnit in a while…
"Not in recent years, no. It's really exciting to be at the centre of such a big storyline like this. I remember the classics like 'Who Shot Phil?' and Sharon's baby saga. As they went on to prove, if they're handled well, they can really capture the public's imagination. Hopefully that'll be the case this time around, too."

You must have had it easy for a few days, having to lie there on a hospital bed.
"It's pretty uncomfortable actually! You've got a tube in your mouth and you can't go to the bathroom for hours on end! I couldn't go to sleep, unfortunately. Luckily, though, they did most of the hospital bed scenes in a day."

Do you know who runs down Max?
"I think in the whole of the building, only two people know and I'm not one of them. Everyone else has been left in the dark."

Do you think EastEnders stands a good chance at the NTAs this year?
"Yeah, I think EastEnders has had an incredible year and it has been on a roll with the British Soap Award and the Inside Soap awards. Diederick [Santer] has done a fantastic job with all the storylines this year. I hope we are in with a really good chance. It's usually a good night so lets hope we win."