Max Branning (Jake Wood)

[tammyy2j]

EastEnders' Max Branning has been at the centre of some speculation on our forum in recent days after intriguing remarks made by his brother Derek in Pat's death episode.

After Derek (Jamie Foreman) angered Tanya (Jo Joyner) by taunting Pat on her deathbed, Max felt compelled to take her side - until his bad boy sibling issued him with a subtle warning.

Derek said: "Never choose a woman over your brother, Max. Remember I know things about you. Your little mistakes - things you don't want her indoors to know about. Or am I wrong?"

Immediately afterwards, Max's tone towards Derek changed and he backed down - seemingly scared of what Derek could potentially reveal to Tanya.

Could Derek have been referring to something that happened long ago, or was he talking about the time that Max spent away from the Square after Tanya rejected him last year?

You may remember that when Digital Spy asked Jake Wood about Max's time away in our interview back in November, he replied: "You get to hear bits and pieces [about what went on], but I think me and Jamie know a bit more about the backstory than what's explained on screen. So there's things they've been getting up to which might come out later, but isn't explored just yet.

"Essentially, Derek has just come out of prison and the two brothers have found each other again. It's been good for Derek to see Max again at this time, and it's the same for Max as he was at a bit of a loose end when he left the Square.

"The two of them have been getting up to no good - we know that much. Derek is the biggest, baddest Branning brother yet, so they've been getting up to some dodgy activities. There's some really good stuff coming up for the Brannings."

Could this be the hold that Derek has over Max? And if Max is hiding something, how long will he be able to keep it from Tanya?

I'm thinking it could be that Max helped Stacey escape and that he is still in love with her and visited her while he was away