Torchwood fans have mourned the removal of a shrine for much-loved character Ianto Jones, while also hinting at a twist for the future.<\/p>\n
The shrine<\/a> was built by fans of the Doctor Who spin-off show to commemorate Ianto<\/a> \u2013 who became one of sci-fi TV\u2019s most popular LGBTQ+ characters following his romance with Jack Harkness \u2013 after he was killed-off in 2009.<\/p>\n But last month, it was revealed that the tribute \u2013 located in Cardiff Bay (the location of Torchwood HQ) \u2013 was being taken down<\/a> due to maintenance works.<\/p>\n In a joint Instagram post<\/a> on Monday (20 April), actor Gareth David-Lloyd, who played Jones in the series, and local artist Nathan Wyburn and his long-time collaborator Wayne Courtney, wrote: \u201cAnd with that\u2026 IANTO\u2019S SHRINE comes to an end\u2026 or does it? Follow @nathanwyburnart for the NEXT STEP! \ud83d\udc40 @gdavidlloyd @mermaidquay @mattbotten.”<\/p>\n The post was accompanied by photos of fans standing in front of the shrine.<\/p>\n Want to see this content?<\/p>\n Accept and continue<\/p>\n Torchwood, which followed Captain Jack Harkness and a team of alien-hunters protecting the world, aired between 2006 and 2001 and amassed a cult following among sci-fans.<\/p>\n Ianto was introduced in the very first episode of the show, and went from having a minor role in the series to becoming Captain Jack\u2019s love interest, before he was tragically killed off in Children of Earth.<\/p>\n Fans were quick to praise the pair as a refreshing example of positive LGBTQ+ relationships. <\/p>\n Speaking about the impact his storyline has had on fans<\/a>, David-Lloyd recently told Radio Times<\/a>: “I’ve had a few experiences where fans have come up, and they’ve been quite emotional.”<\/p>\n He added: “And they’ve said that Jack and Ianto’s relationship helped them accept who they were, and come out to their parents or feel that they’re given the power to own themselves. I think maybe that has a lot to do with [why Ianto is still so loved], with that sort of relationship being so forefront in a major primetime TV show.<\/p>\n Speaking about how the storyline was \u201cquite a unique relationship to put at the forefront of a primetime show\u201d at the time, he added: \u201cAnd I think maybe that had something to do with it, and people felt connected to it on a deeply personal level, because it spoke to them personally. <\/p>\n “That’s my main theory as to the longevity of the shrine and the attention and the love that Ianto still gets.”<\/p>\n Check out more of our Sci-fi<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> and Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n