(Robert Gwilym)
Max became the consultant in Holby A&E between series 12 and 13. He had relaxed attitude and an addiction to sweets.
Max's personal life wasn't too good. He was separated from his wife and his son Frank was a heroin addict. He and Frank did not get on; Frank was brought into the department a few times. But when Frank was stabbed trying to save a friend and was hanging between life and death Max was desperate. He told Duffy he'd never told Frank he loved him. Frank came round, Max said the words, and they made their peace.
Max came under pressure from Gary Milton, the CEO, to produce a paper on the research he was doing into MI screening. By this time rumours were flying about the closure of one of the A&E departments in the area, and Gary told him that his paper would help Holby A&E. Max got George Woodman to help. He was feeling the stress and started turning to drink. Duffy was the only one to find out, and by the end of the series it looked as if their friendship would develop into something more. In series 14 it did, and their relationship started with a bit of passion on Max's desk. But when Charlie found out and told Duffy to think about what she was risking losing, Duffy decided to call things off. Max, angry and upset, accused Charlie of interfering because he was interested in Duffy himself.
Although he was upset over losing Duffy, it wasn't long before Max started showing an interest in Tina Seabrook. They kissed during the heat of the moment after a sponsored parachute jump, and finally got it together in the lift on Christmas day. They had a few problems when Duffy found out and told Tina about her and Max's affair, but things were going well. However, Sean, who had been asking Max's advice on how to get back together with Tina, discovered that Max was seeing her and he lost it and smashed the window of Max's new car.
Max's son Frank was now working for a drugs rehabilitation centre, and Max was proud of him. But Frank started standing up to his ex-drug dealers when they were pestering addict Angie; in the end they poured petrol over him and torched him. Max found out when Frank was brought into Holby A&E; despite the team's best efforts they failed to save him. Later one of the dealers was brought into A&E after an RTA, and Max helped to save his life. He later discovered from Angie, who had witnessed some of what happened to Frank, that the man he had saved had killed his son. Max wanted to confront the men himself, but in the end decided to go to the police. However, he was later told that what Angie had witnessed might not be enough to put down Frank's killers - that would be up to the jury.
When he was back at work after Frank's death, Max asked Tina to marry him, saying that Frank's death had given him time to stop and think. Tina turned him down, but it wasn't until Max saw her reaction to Sean's departure that he realised that something had been going on between them. Tina decided to leave, to follow Sean to Australia; Max told her that one day she would look back and realise what a good thing they had. When Tina called from Australia to tell Max that she and Sean were getting married, she told him that she was the happiest she'd ever been and that in some ways it was down to Max. When asked if he was OK after hearing the news, Max said he was; he said it wasn't Tina he really missed.
Memories of Frank were stirred up for Max when in series 15 a young addict, Ben, came into the department looking for needles. Max, unable to give him methadone and realising that Ben wasn't going to stop injecting, gave him clean needles. Later, Ben was brought into A&E after taking an overdose, and told his mother Amanda where he got the needles. Amanda complained, and came to the hospital to talk to Dan and Max about it. After the meeting Max told her about Frank. Later, he asked her out, and Amanda agreed.
When Charlie found himself homeless after selling his house, Max offered to put him up for a while. Things were awkward with Amanda around though, and Charlie offered to move out. Max, who had been thinking about asking Amanda to move in with him, was grateful but when he realised Charlie had nowhere else to go he said he could stay.
At the beginning of series 16, Max asked Amanda and Ben to move in with him, and they agreed. Soon afterwards, however, Max discovered that Ben, now claiming to be clean, was still taking drugs. They both knew that this would destroy Amanda, and Ben used this against Max, and blackmailed him into giving him methadone - Max was hoping that he would be able to control it and get Ben clean. Oblivious to this, Amanda propsed to Max, who accepted. When Ben was brought into A&E after an overdose, the story abotu the methadone came out. Patrick Spiller, seeking revenge for what he thought was a bad reference from Max, went to Chief Executive Jan Goddard with the news, and Max was suspended. And when Amanda found out, she broke off the engagement and moved out.
Later in the series, when the hospital was brought to crisis point by the Norwalk virus, Max made a decision not to ventilate the son of MP Justine Walker. The press had a field day and were calling for Jan's resignation when the story appeared in the paper about Max giving out methadone - they nicknamed him "Doctor Drugs". Max guessed that it was Jan who had leaked the story to clear her own name. suddenly the eyes of the press were on Max, and he was called in front of the board and asked to take 'gardening leave' until the story had died down. Fuming that he was taking the blame, Max resigned, but saved the life of a drug dealer before leaving the hospital. As he said to Charlie, 'Drug dealer saved by Doctor Drugs” – whatever will they make of that?'