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Ianto's shrine in Cardiff to Torchwood character to be 'regenerated'

BBC News •
October 26, 2026 • 02:19 PM
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Ianto's Shrine was removed from Mermaid Quay in Cardiff, but will be turned into a giant portrait.

Ianto's shrine in Cardiff to Torchwood character to be 'regenerated'

A shrine for a much-loved character from Doctor Who spin-off show Torchwood has been given a new lease on life as a permanent artwork just months after being removed.

Fans who built the tribute to Ianto Jones in Cardiff 17 years ago were "devastated" in March when it was announced it would be taken down on health and safety grounds.

Now Cardiff-based artist Nathan Wyburn is turning all of the fan tributes into a giant portrait of the actor who played Ianto, Gareth David-Lloyd.

"I'm really pleased for [Torchwood fans] that it gets to live on," David-Lloyd told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast .

He said the Cardiff Bay shrine was "weird, but also very flattering and lovely".

Wyburn added he was "absolutely honoured to be the one entrusted with this".

"I knew as soon as the shrine was coming down that I had to do something. As a big fan of Torchwood myself the first time around, I've recently watched it all again as well."

Torchwood followed Captain Jack and his team of alien hunters and has grown a cult following among sci-fi fans since first airing in 2006.

Starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles, the BBC show has been praised for its LGBT representation, with pansexual character Jack, played by Barrowman, shown in a relationship with Ianto on primetime national television.

After Ianto was killed off in 2009, fans were quick to leave tributes at what became known as Ianto's Shrine in Mermaid Quay.

It had been looked after by Carol-Anne Hillman since 2017, who said she spent hundreds of pounds decorating it, with thousands of people from across the world coming to see it.

Wyburn said he was creating "a gigantic portrait" to be displayed at the nearby Red Dragon Centre "with the approval of Gareth himself" and the tribute materials given to him by Hillman.

"It's going to be an amazing piece. I cannot wait to unveil it to everyone," he said.

David-Lloyd said Wyburn had been "quite secretive" about his plans for the piece, adding he was "really pleased... it gets to live on".

"It's a bit bonkers, to be honest. I mean, I knew Ianto meant a lot to a lot of people, but the fact that he had a shrine for that amount of time that was maintained so meticulously, it was... a reminder of that special job that I did all those years ago."

A spokesperson for Mermaid Quay previously confirmed the shrine was being removed while maintenance work took place in the area, but added they wanted to "work with the local community" to create a new tribute to Ianto.

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