Ashley Peacock in Coronation Street was the son of Corrie legend Fred Elliott, though he’d been raised by Fred’s sister, Beryl Peacock and initially thought Fred was his uncle.
Ashley was a sweet, well-loved character who was popular on the Street. He suffered heartbreak when his wife Maxine cheated on him and he discovered son Joshua wasn’t his.
And then further tragedy struck when Maxine was murdered by cobbles killer Richard Hillman.
Ashley did eventually find happiness, but not for long. So what’s his sad story?
Who played Ashley Peacock on Coronation Street?
Ashley Peacock on Coronation Street was played by actor Steven Arnold. He made his television debut on the kids’ drama series Children’s Ward – where fellow Corrie star Tina O’Brien also started her career.
He also appeared in Medics, The Bill and Hetty Wainthrop Investigates before landing the role of Ashley in 1995 when he was just 21.
After he left Corrie in dramatic fashion in 2010, Steven appeared in Dancing on Ice but he was the first celebrity to be voted off.
Read more: Who plays Todd in Coronation Street? Why is he such a wrong’un?
Since then Steven’s been on stage in many successful productions including Kes, He’s also started his own production company and in 2019 made a short film called Annual Review starring his former Corrie co-star Julia Haworth.
Ashley Peacock on Coronation Street
Ashley first arrived on the Street doing deliveries for his Uncle Fred – at the time he didn’t yet know that Fred was actually his dad.
He moved in with Don Brennan as his lodger, and proved a big support when Don was turning to drink and gambling.
Ashley and Maxine
Ashley fell hard for hairdresser Maxine Heavy, played by Tracy Shaw, and the pair set up home together. But Ashley’s kind nature led him to take in runaway Zoe Tattersall, played by Joanne Froggatt and her baby daughter, Shannon.
Maxine didn’t like Zoe living with them, so she moved out. Ashley and Zoe got together and he was determined to build a family but Zoe wasn’t as honest as she seemed and when baby Shannon died she had a breakdown and eventually joined a cult and left the Street.
Maxine and Ashley rekindled their romance and got married, around the same time as Ashley discovered Fred was his real dad in 1999.
The new Mr and Mrs Peacock were happy though they struggled to have a baby. When Maxine had a drunken one-night stand with neighbour Matt Ramsden, she got pregnant.
Though at first Maxine told Ashley he was the dad, she eventually spilled the beans. Ashley was upset but he agreed to raise Joshua as his own and never tell anyone the truth.
Maxine’s murder
In 2002, Corrie serial killer Richard Hillman began stalking the Street and in January 2003 he struck again, murdering poor Maxine.
Ashley was devastated, as was Maxine’s boss Audrey Roberts – who accused Richard of being the killer at the funeral.
Maxine is still remembered on the Street with the memorial bench outside the salon where many conversations taken place.
Ashley Peacock and Claire Casey
Struggling to look after baby Joshua alone, Ashley employed Claire Casey as a nanny. And the cute pair soon fell in love.
Their Christmas wedding was a joyful celebration and they were even more thrilled when Claire found out she was pregnant.
They were less happy when Matt Ramsden arrived wanting to see Joshua and ended up delivering Claire’s baby boy, Thomas.
When Fred Elliott died shortly after Thomas was born, Ashley was devastated. He and Claire renamed their son Freddie in his honour.
Ashley supported Claire through her post-natal depression, but their marriage was tested when Claire befriended Casey Carswell (played by Zoe Henry who is now better known as Rhona Goskirk in Emmerdale). She was obsessed with Ashley and the pair had an affair.
The pair managed to put their differences aside and got their marriage back on track. But after Claire was accused of hurting a young Aadi Alahan she decided she wanted to leave Weatherfield and move to France where her mother lived.
Ashley didn’t want to go, but he later agreed to make the move and they started making plans.
Ashley’s death
At the end of 2010, Ashley was at Peter Barlow’s stag night in The Joinery when the bar exploded, derailing a tram and causing huge damage to the Street.
Ashley was trapped along with Peter and Nick Tilsley. But he bravely helped rescue his friends. He realised he was badly hurt and left Claire a voicemail message telling her he loved her.
Sadly, though Peter and Nick managed to get out of the collapsing building, Ashley was crushed by falling debris and died.
Claire did eventually move to France, not long afterwards, because she attacked Tracy Barlow and wanted to avoid punishment.
Though there are no Peacocks or Elliotts on the Street any more, it’s possible Ashley’s family could return one day.
Joshua would now be 19 years old, while Freddie would be 15. And we’re (fairly!) certain the new softer Tracy Barlow wouldn’t pursue Claire Peacock any more.
Could Ashley’s family return to the cobbles?
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