EastEnders fans may be in for a treat this festive season, as more details of the big Christmas plot line, in which a HUGE Branning family secret will be revealed, has now been rumoured to include the departure of Derek Branning!

Fans of the show will know how Albert Square favourites, Tanya (Jo Joyner) and Max Branning (Jake Wood) are planning to tie the knot for a second time this Christmas, where a huge family secret will be uncovered and ruin yet another Branning Christmas.

Already there are seeds being set as to the start of all the trouble, especially regarding Tanya’s hostility toward Max’s brother, Derek (Jamie Foreman), which is all in build up to the big event.

And now it would seem, adding even more fuel to the fire that the secret involves Derek, the Daily Star newspaper reports that Derek is set to leave the soap during the stories dramatic climax this Christmas period!

It is said that the loathsome character, who joined the soap last year, may finally see his dark past catch up with him.

A BBC spokesperson commented: “Everyone working on the show is confident viewers will be on the edge of their seats once again over the festive period,” a source told the paper. “It’s going to be a corker.”

Foreman, who in real life is the son of real-life ex-gangster and Krays associate, Freddie Foreman , has previously commented that he wanted to take his role as the oldest Branning brother to exceptional heights, making him the most notorious soap villain the nation had ever encountered, before leaving EastEnders with a bang.

Producers of the show are keeping very tight-lipped about the storyline, however Foreman, who is one of the only people to know the details of his exit, was spotted filming on location last week with a gang of thugs chasing his character, the outcome of which is said to be one of the main plot line conclusions over this festive season.

“The Branning family are going to be huge this Christmas,” the source confirmed.

“Apart from Derek’s dramatic ­departure there’s the matter of one of the Branning brothers being ­revealed as Kat Moon’s secret lover. We will also see the return of Derek’s sister Carol Jackson, daughter Bianca Butcher and her kids for the ­nuptials.”

Also playing a big part in this year’s Christmas Chaos is Derek’s son, Joey (David Witts), who is about to embark on a secret affair with his cousin, Max Branning’s daughter, Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa). Already icky to be snogging her cousin, we can’t help but wonder if a rumour we heard at the beginning of the year could be true after all, that Derek is actually Lauren’s father, making the relationship downright incestuous and illegal! Now that would be a big family secret, wouldn’t it?

Viewers can also look forward to finding out what it is exactly that Derek has over max, and his big secret involving repeated pay-outs of cash!

“Plus there’s Max and Tanya’s ­wedding,” the source added. “Derek has spent months ­tormenting Tanya about what he and Max got up to in Manchester ­together and this will all come out over Christmas.”

Whilst we can only speculate about Derek’s departure, EastEnders is notorious for killing off major characters at Christmas, making a happy ending for the chase seem incredibly unlikely!

Last Christmas, viewers saw doctor Yusef Khan (Ace Bhati) burn to death after setting fire to the B&B as well as Pat Evans die from cancer on New Year’s Day, so watch out Derek!

A spokesman for the soap refused to acknowledge the pattern and simply said: “We don’t want to comment and spoil it for the viewers.”

Eastenders can be seen Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings on BBC1/BBC1 HD.