In 1989 the character had the first same-sex mouth-to-mouth kiss in a British soap, watched by an estimated 17 million people and leading to some MPs calling for EastEnders to be taken off-air.

He also appeared at the National Theatre in Martin Sherman's play Bent with Ian McKellen, where his understudy was Christopher Eccleston.

In 2014, he criticised McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Visa Inc. during a session of parliament in protest at their sponsorship of the 2014 Winter Olympics taking place in Sochi, Russia, despite Vladimir Putin having recently introduced legislation against the LGBT community.

[12] Cashman was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for public and political service.

[14] On 23 September 2014 he was created a life peer taking the title Baron Cashman, of Limehouse in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets,[15] which is also his birthplace.

In June 2015, Cashman announced his involvement and investment in SuitLink Ltd., a global LGBT and ally professional social network.

[22] In June 2024 he apologised on X after a tweet in which he mocked Labour MP Rosie Duffield's concerns for her own security during the general election campaign.

[26] A fellow actor and humanitarian activist, Cottingham also worked for the Labour Party as High Value fundraiser and for Britain in Europe, and became Cashman's researcher during his time in the European Parliament.

In March 2011 he was diagnosed with a very rare cancer, angiosarcoma, and died on 23 October 2014 at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London.