Max Bennett

Max Bennett is a member of the Cornley Drama Society. His first production was The Murder At Haversham Manor, during which he was a first year studying Human Geography and Crime at Cornley Polytechnic.

Personality
Max is a happy-go-lucky member of the society. He is often a supporting player but has a passion for acting nevertheless. He's actually one of the better actor of the bunch (when he's not too busy mugging for the audience) but is relegated to bit roles. In The Goes Wrong Show episode "The Cornley Drama Festival Part 1", Robert ranks the 8 Cornley members in terms of acting ability and is placed at number 5, just before those he considers "sub-actors." He has the habbit of often breaking character to smile and interact with the audience and also in the habit of labelling his stage props with his name. Despite not being a great actor, he remembers all of his lines has a high amount of enthusiasm on stage.

Max isn't above trying causing promblems during performances if he thinks things are funny. He will often break character or play to the audience, often repeating actions which made them laugh. In "The Most Lamentable..." Max and Chris's character are meant to be idential twins that look and sound alike and when they first meet there is a scence where Chris must say he's lines the same way as Max had just said his. Max realises that he can control Chris's performance and starts intentionally changing his voice to higher and lower pitches and enthasing random words, knowing that Chris must match his tone when he performs his lines.

He's probably the kindest member of the Company, and yet still comes off rather dim, though this is more likely due to his childlike naivety, given he is able to competently play most of his roles, rather than out and out stupidity like say Dennis. Max wrote the script for Doctor Frog, a sketch about a frog who is a doctor. He took it as a compliment when Robert called it dross. Max likes bubblegum and takes milk sachets from the studio canteen, as evidenced in the Goes Wrong Show episode Harper's Locket.

His family is affluent, with large portions of his inheritance and donations from other family members often being the only thing keeping the Cornley Drama Society afloat. In Peter Pan, it is revealed that his aunt runs the BBC, which is why CDS are allowed to perform "Peter Pan". After the disaster of Peter Pan it seems that even with his Aunt they don't get hired to perform the Christmas show, resulting them to forcibly take over A Christmas Carol. His Aunt may still being pulling string for them as the crew is able to get a regular slot on the play of the week (The Goes Wrong Show) despite all their plays going badly.

Sandra Wilkinson
During The Murder At Haversham Manor, Max did not seem to hold any romantic feelings for Sandra. During the filming of Peter Pan there are several incidences where private conversions with Chris are played, one of these being a recording of Max asking to play Peter Pan and another one where Chris and Robert talk about Max having a crush on Sandra. These recording are played during the play resulting in Sandra hearing them and Max getting embarrassed. At the time of the play Sanda is in a relationship with Jonathan which ends when she catches him kissing Annie. At the end of the play the boat crashes into the bedroom set and Max pushes Sandra out of the way before it hits her. She realises that Max saved her from getting hurt and kisses him.

By the time of "A Christmas Carol" they are still dating though it is unknown how much time has passed since Peter Pan. During the filming of a Green screen effect, the effect fails and instead plays a small clip from Dennis's birthday party. Sanda is seen talking to Annie where she says that she wants a grown-up relationship and Annie asks when she's going to do it which Sandra replies after the show. Max sees this and took to mean that she was breaking up with him which isn't helped by another clip being played later where it looks like Chris is kissing Sandra at the same party. At the end of the play Sandra intrupts and says that there is something that she wants to say to Max which he takes as her trying to break up with him on air. However, she meant that she wanted their relationship to be more serious, and she was going to propose to him. When Max realised this, he accepted and they kissed.

Chris Bean
He seems to like hanging around Chris, but Chris only keeps him around because his parents put a lot of money into the society.

Trevor Watson
Max hypes up Trevor on stage in The Murder At Haversham Manor when both Annie and Sandra get knocked out, and plays opposite Trevor's Florence Colleymore for a short scene. Because Max showed no interest in kissing Sandra's character during the play of The Murder at Haversham Manor and tried to avoid her persistent attempts to seduce him (though his character Arthur The Gardener is supposed to fall in love with Florence and be keen in intercoursing her) we can assume that Max might be gay. This is especially evident when Trevor is forced to play Florence for a brief moment. In this scene Florence tries to seduce Arthur The Gardener so he could cover for her. But since this role is now played by Trevor he says that he won't kiss another man and that spectators don't want to see that. The audience in this moment cheers them and Max eagerly throws himself towards Trevor and passionatly kisses him.

Jonathan Harris
They both joined CDS around the same time, and were (offscreen) love rivals over Sandra for a while. In Peter Pan, Jonathan insults him on stage, but they all seem to get over their differences by the end and Max wins over Sandra anyway.

Lucy Grove
Max and Lucy are portrayed as having simular personalities with them both being sweet and innocent. During Peter Pan, Lucy starts a "I believe in fairies" chant when Annie is injured and Max is the first one to take up the chant along with her.

Robert Grove
In "The Cornley Drama Festival Part 1" Robert runs an acting class where he lines up the rest of the Society's from best to worst based on their acting skills. He puts Max at number 5 which would but towards the middle of the group, and put him in the good actor section.

Roles

 * Cecil Haversham/Gardener - The Murder At Haversham Manor
 * Michael/Crocodile - Peter Pan
 * Young Scrooge/Ghost of Christmas Present/Collector/Undertaker - A Christmas Carol

The Goes Wrong Show

 * Lawrence (Belle's father) - The Spirit of Christmas
 * Moncrieffe - The Pilot (Not the Pilot)
 * Nigel Terence Inwood - A Trial to Watch
 * Tony (salesman) - The Lodge
 * Harper - Harper's Locket
 * Larry Burgess - 90 Degrees
 * Joseph - The Nativity
 * Jacob - Summer Once Again
 * Prince Louis - The Most Lamentable...
 * Ol' Cook Wallace - There Is No Escape
 * Himself/Plate/Spider - The Cornley Drama Festival Part 1
 * Himself/Peter Bodkin/Shop Keeper/Window Cleaner - The Cornley Drama Festival Part 2

Actors
The role of Max Bennett was originated by Dave Hearn.

Both The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong are live performances, and there are a number of actors that have played the role of Max Bennett throughout the years.

List of Actors

 * Dave Hearn: Portrayed by him in the original and broadway cast of The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Both BBC and West End Productions), A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (BBC), and the Goes Wrong Show.
 * Bobby Hirston (West End & UK Tour)
 * Ned Noyes (US Tour)
 * Matt Walker (Off-Broadway)
 * Alex Mandell
 * Matt Cavendish
 * James Marlowe