Martin "Ash" Ashford is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by George Mason. The character made his first screen appearance on 27 October 2014. When Mason auditioned he believed Ash to be a "great character" and moved from Melbourne to accept the role. Ash is characterised as a tough, ex-prisoner who has a backstory of criminal activity. He was sent to prison after committing a robbery with Dean Sanderson (Kevin Kiernan-Molloy), but he framed Ash as the sole perpetrator and turned his sister Billie (Tessa de Josselin) against him. Ash is introduced into the show as an old prison friend of established character Darryl Braxton (Steve Peacocke) and they soon embark on a journey into the Australian Outback in search of Billie. His storyline continued to be centric to Brax's story. The show later developed a relationship storyline with Denny Miller (Jessica Grace Smith). Critics have stated that the character quickly assumed the role of the show's "hunk" and "bad boy". Mason decided to leave Home and Away in early 2018. His character took a temporary break in April, ahead of his departure on 20 June 2018.