For those who do not remember, Torchwood was a Dr Who spin off, created by Russell T, Davies which aired from 2006 to 2011.
IMDB records that the members of the Torchwood Institute, a secret organization founded by the British Crown, fought to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats. The name is an anagram of Doctor Who.
The series was set in Cardiff, and the team was led by Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman. Its most controversial episode involved killing off Ianto Jones, played by Gareth David-Lloyd, at the end of the second series in the process of saving the city from a meltdown in the Turnmill Nuclear Power Plant.
Following this television event an unofficial shrine was established to Ianto in Cardiff Bay, on the supposed entrance to Torchwood headquarters. I blogged about this
in August 2009 and
again in December 2011 when I noted that the shrine was growing in size. I have posted photos here in chronological order so you can see how the shrine grew between 2009 and 2011.
I was in Cardiff Bay yesterday with a few minutes to spare so I popped down onto the wharf expecting to see the shrine long gone. I was astonished to see that is not the case. Not only is the shrine still there but it has become an official landmark. It is much larger and has a very profesional sign above it. The shrine is also covered in Welsh flag bunting, This is what it looks like today.
And as if to underline the official nature of this shrine there is even a plaque put there by the Mermaid Quay management and a notice encouraging people to add to the plethora of material on the wall.
I am not sure how many people actually travel to Cardiff nowadays specifically to visit this shrine, but it certainly adds value to the area around the river inlet that calls itself Cardiff Bay and is a testimony to the power of television. As I recorded in 2011, I was even approached back then by a woman claiming to be doing a PhD on it.
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