Next week on EastEnders: Max's exit revealed, plus Peter's hospital dash and Ruby exposed (spoilers)

It’s goodbye to Max Branning, while Peter takes a tumble and is rushed to A&E. Plus Ruby feels the full force of Stacey’s wrath.

It’s your spoilerific guide to a big week on EastEnders 15-19 of February 2021:

Exit Max Branning

So, this is it for Max Branning. Having ruined the springs of each bed in the neighbourhood and angered every woman’s husband, he’s decided to call it a day. His trajectory in Walford has been a familiar one: arrive full of vim and vigour, leave a desiccated husk.

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But there’s still one last punch-up to be had before his departure date of Friday 19th February, as he has a final face-off with Mick over the affections of Linda. And he also manages to rile Phil when he presents him with a rather incriminatory USB stick.

Watch: Eastenders spoilers

However, by the week’s end, all is lost and as Max walks away from his life in Walford, holding little Abi, he makes a momentous decision. (Please, I’m begging, let it not involve the Queen Vic roof.)

As for the future, it seems that Max’s exit will have a big impact on Jack, who is now basically the last Branning standing. For years, this was a family who were able to fuel no end of cliffhangers. Now, all that remains is one man with a permanently pensive expression whose roll-neck pullovers appear to be restricting the blood flow to his brain.

Peter is taken to hospital

Since when was Peter Beale such a doofus? When he arrived home from New Zealand, he’d gained half a foot in height but lost nearly all his nous. And all he’s done in the last 12 months is go on heavy nights out before stumbling into various one-night stands.

He’ll be seen next enjoying another evening of hedonistic fun, this time in the company of Ash, who he encourages to come back to his place. But when she politely declines, Peter opts to get her attention by – wait for it – running laps of the Square dressed only in a superhero cape. It’s yet to be revealed what his special power would be – maybe an ability to change his face every three years?

Anyway, things go wrong when Peter trips, knocks himself unconscious and ends up having to be taken to hospital, where he decides to declare his feelings for Ash. I can’t help but feel that they’d make a sweet couple. After all, she’s called Ash and he’s a bit of a plank.

Ruby’s plotting exposed

Martin and Ruby’s relationship has never seemed like it was built to last. Their pasted-on grins can barely last the length of a conversation and Martin hasn’t exactly been rushing out to buy sleep suits and scratch mitts since Ruby dropped her pregnancy bombshell.

Now, the stage will be set for a showdown when Iqra reveals it was Ruby’s fault that Martin got attacked last September. And when Martin then asks Kush for advice, he admits that she also masterminded his and little Arthur’s recent escape plan.

A furious Stacey (who, let’s face it, is now always approaching nine on the Richter scale where Ruby is concerned) then decides to take matters into her own hands, convinced that her former friend is lying about being pregnant too. So, is Ruby really up the duff-duff?