EastEnders baby Ethan’s parents finally revealed after flashforward paternity twist

Jack Branning discovers a pregnancy test in upcoming scenes of BBC soap EastEnders as fans will finally learn the parents of baby Ethan who was mentioned in the flashforward episode

EastEnders has seemingly confirmed the identity of Baby Ethan’s parents.

Fans will remember Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) was seen caring for a baby during the flashforward episode of the BBC One soap which aired on New Year’s Day to 2026 which jumped to events on the same day in 2027.

The special instalment centred on Max Branning (Jake Wood) as he prepared for his latest wedding, but many components were a mystery, even before he found himself under arrest and then discovered his children in peril.

One aspect of the flashforward episode was the addition of a baby boy named Ethan, who is staying at Jack’s house. His children Penny, Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) and Ricky Branning (Frankie Day) were all absent from the episode.

However, Jack’s nephew Oscar Branning (Pierre Moullier) revealed that Max, at some point, saved the lives of Jimmy Beale and baby Ethan but there was no detail given as to how he did this or how the two infants’ lives were threatened.

Executive producer Ben Wadey confirmed fans will be drip-fed information which pieces together the events of New Year’s Day 2027 and the the parents of baby Ethan seem to have finally been revealed.

The Branning family congregates for Sunday lunch in upcoming scenes set to air next week but there’s intrigue when Jack discovers a pregnancy test.

He and Denise Fox (Diane Parish) try to figure out who it belongs to and eventually assume it’s Lily Slater’s (Lillia Turner) However, the mystery deepens when Lily denies it until Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) admits it’s hers.

Later, Penny takes the test and lies that it’s negative, sparking relief from Jack but when he later realises his daughter is pregnant, she blasts him for his attitude towards her.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

Penny talks to her cousin Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) about her pregnancy and how she’s feeling about potentially changing her life so radically.

Jack comes to apologise for the clumsy way he’s handled Penny’s news but soon offends her again. Oscar later accidentally tells Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) that Penny had a pregnancy scare and he rushes over to see her.

Penny allows Vinny to accompany her to a doctor’s appointment to discuss her options but she gets irritated when the doctor appears to sideline her in the conversation as he explains what support they can expect if she decides to keep the baby.

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am