Nick Cotton, which was broadcast on 1 October 2000. Nick comes face to face with Ashley after he catches him trying to steal his car. Sue Smith of Daily Mirror said "A chip off the old block, their reunion is bound to wreak havoc." In June 2001, Fitzgerald was axed from EastEnders and his character died following a motorbike accident. Fitzgerald told Ian Woodward of the Daily Mirror that he was shocked and disappointed when he learned he was being axed from the show. The actor said "I was dumbstruck. I thought I was going to be in Albert Square for a long, long time." Fitzgerald found filming Ashley's deaths scenes difficult and he said he thought about death a lot before they filmed his last scene. He explained "I went over and over in my mind the whole aspect of dying. Even though I knew it was pretend time, it had a big impact on me. It freaked me out. I felt utterly drained." Reception In March 2001, a major storyline saw Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) shot by unknown assailant. William Hill took bets on who shot Phil and Ashley came third with the odds of 13–2. Shortly before the character's departure, the Daily Mirror's Ian Woodward said Ashley had clearly become "one of the more popular teenagers in EastEnders." References External links Male characters in television EastEnders characters Television characters introduced in 1993 Child characters in television Teenage characters in television