EASTENDERS’ Jake Wood has shown off a huge beard after filming his final scenes as clean-shaven Max Branning.
The 48-year-old star’s character will be leaving the BBC One soap this month, but Jake wrapped on the show last year.
And he has wasted no time in ditching his Walford alter ego for good, completely transforming his image with the impressive facial hair.
Taking to his Instagram page, Jake posted a selfie taken from a low angle to show off the true extent of his beard.
Covering the entirity of his chin, upper lip, and his lower cheeks, Jake has kept his fuzz trimmed and well groomed.
He simply captioned the post: “#BeardWatch 
.”
And the look was a hit with followers, who flocked to the comment section to share their appreciation.
One swooned: “Suits you 
”
Another wrote: “Looking good, Jake!”
One more echoed: “Now that’s an impressive beard
”
A fourth commented: “Oh my days ”
Jake first joined EastEnders in 2006, with his character Max always being either completely clean-shaven or having very minimal stubble.
However, the attention-grabbing beard had started to emerge by the time he filmed his final scenes in December.
The star announced in September that he will be leaving Walford – although confirmed that Max is not going to be killed off so he can return in the future.
He wrote on Instagram at the time: “I have loved playing Max Branning who amongst other things in that time has had 4 marriages, 10 affairs, 4 children (2 dying from falling from the roof of The Queen Vic), been buried alive, watched unwanted DVDs at Xmas and perhaps most traumatising of all… Shared a hot tub with Ian Beale.
“I have made some truly great friends whilst on the show and I’ll miss everyone there. I’m grateful they have left the door open for Max and I’m excited to see what new horizons are around the corner.”
He has since teased fans with a glimpse into what the future holds, including taking on the role of director for a new project.
