Ashley Cotton

Name: Ashley Cotton
First Appeared: 29th July 1993
Last Appeared: 14th June 2001
Played by: Frankie Fitzgerald

Ashley Cotton, born in August 1983, had a tumultuous life right from the start. He never got the chance to meet his maternal grandparents, thanks to a family fallout caused by his mom Zoe Newton’s teenage relationship with the infamous Nick Cotton. Unsurprisingly, Nick wasn’t present at Ashley’s birth, preferring to celebrate in the pubs around London instead. Throughout Ashley’s life, Nick was consistently absent, never calling or writing to him, yet Ashley always craved his father’s approval.

Ashley first appeared in Walford in 1993, at the tender age of nine, alongside his mother. He quickly bonded with his grandmother, Dot Cotton, who would eventually take him, Zoe, and even Nick to live in Gravesend. However, by 1997, Dot returned to Albert Square alone, revealing that Ashley and Zoe had moved away to escape Nick’s toxic influence.

In July 2000, Ashley made a brief return to Albert Square to visit Dot. It was clear he had inherited some of his father’s mischief-making traits. In October, Nick was released from prison and reunited with Ashley and Zoe in the special episode “Return of Nick Cotton.” Despite Zoe’s reluctance, Ashley decided to live with Nick, leading to a series of misadventures. Under Nick’s influence, Ashley got involved in drugs and robberies, causing tension within the family.

Tragically, Ashley’s story came to an abrupt end in June 2001. After stealing Mark Fowler’s motorbike, unaware that Nick had tampered with the brakes intending to kill Mark, Ashley lost control and crashed into the laundrette, dying instantly. The accident left Nick with a heavy burden of guilt. Dot later discovered Nick’s role in the tragedy and, after Ashley’s funeral, she confronted Nick and threw him out of the house. Ashley Cotton’s short, turbulent life was marked by a constant search for his father’s approval, ending in a heart-wrenching twist that left a lasting impact on Albert Square.