Max Branning

Tanya's taken him back time and time again, but her forgiveness wore thin after his affair with Stacey – she buried him alive. She may run a beauty parlour, but that’s one extreme mud pack!

• Football team: Supports Arsenal
• Music tastes: Led Zep
• Likes: Watching snooker and women (not necessarily in that order)
• Dislikes: Chocolate and bowling
• Favourite sweets: Lemon sherbets
• Drinks: Whiskey and larger
• Bad habits: Enjoys an occasional cheeky fag, especially when stressed!

You can't keep a good man six feet under though, and after a brief exile, Max waltzed back to Walford - only to find Tanya giving his sexy sibling Jack a bit of brotherly love. After another round of on again off again, Tanya saw the light, divorced naughty Max, and married his polar opposite – nice Greg.

But before she'd made it up the aisle, she was back under Max's spell and it wasn't long before Greg was out the door. We've seen another side of Max as he's supported her in her battle with cancer, but there were always doubts whether Max could be a one woman man. On Christmas Day, minutes before he was due to marry Tanya again, Max’s estranged wife Kirsty knocked on the door!

Max and Kirsty met after he had been thrown out by Tanya, and the pair were instantly smitten. A quickie wedding soon followed. When Tanya took Max back, he knew that if he ever saw Kirsty again he would be powerless to resist her, so he simply told her by phone that it was over.

On Christmas Day, Kirsty came back to claim her man. While Max insisted that he was no longer interested, there still seemed to be a spark between the two, and they even indulged in a cheeky snog on the day of Derek's funeral. Kirsty finally succumbed to the pressure of being seen as "the other woman" and signed divorce papers for Max before leaving The Square... but this gesture seemed to make Max realise that he was actually still in love with her, a fact which he admitted to Tanya in a rare moment of honesty! Understandably, Tanya was not best pleased with this admission, and realised that enough was enough, and threw Max out.

Under the pretence of giving her some home truths, Max decided to track Kirsty down, and got himself involved in a scrap with her abusive ex! However, this seemed to bring the pair back together and Max returned to The Square with Kirsty in tow, seemingly to give their marriage another go.

It's not all been smooth sailing for this couple though, as although Kirsty finally bagged her man, the fact that his ex and kids live a few doors down does not make a girl feel secure! When Kirtsy reveled she was pregnant, it looked like her and Max were set for a happy ending... but Max wasn't too keen on being a dad again, mainly, it seems, as it would be the final nail in the coffin for his and Tanya's relationship. But just as Max finally came round to the idea of being a dad again, Kirsty revealed to Kat that she wasn't actually pregnant... there's only so long she'll be able to keep that one secret! And does this mean there might still be hope for Max and Tanya? Time will tell.

Jake Wood

• Jake's an Arsenal supporter and also enjoys boxing and running.
• Jake enjoys all kinds of music from classical to rockers Brian Jonestown Massacre.
• His acting heroes include Stacy Keach and Jon Voight (Angelina Jolie's dad).
• He features in Ed Norton's period romance film The Illusionist.
• Jake appeared in detective drama Mayo alongside Alistair McGowan.
• In cult comedy Red Dwarf, Jake played psychotic prisoner Kill Crazy.