Ashley's storylines have included his short-lived marriage to Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) and the birth of their daughter Gabby, as well as his first and second marriages to Laurel Potts (Charlotte Bellamy) and the birth of their son Arthur, as part of a highly publicised cot death storyline in which Laurel and Ashley's adoptive baby son dies. It later transpires that their biological child is still alive as the babies were accidentally swapped at birth. Other storylines have included abusing his elderly widower father Sandy (Freddie Jones), being accidentally run over by Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) which results in his epilepsy, and being diagnosed with dementia. Ashley was involved in the October 2016 week of episodes "No Return Week", which led to the death of James Barton (Bill Ward). In November 2016, it was announced that "Emmerdale" would air a special episode featuring Ashley's point of view to "give people an insight into how ordinary, day-to-day experiences can become disorientating and distressing when refracted through the lens of dementia." The episode aired on 20 December 2016.