Just what the Doctor ordered – fans meet Ianto
MORE than 80 Torchwood and Doctor Who fans got up and personal with Gareth David-Lloyd who famously played Ianto Jones.
The event at the Gate Arts Centre in Roath, Cardiff, was the 11th organised by South Wales Doctor Who fan group Timeless, who meet regularly at venues in Cardiff and nearby Pontypridd.
Previous guests have included the late Elisabeth Sladen, Deborah Watling, who played Victoria alongside Patrick Troughton’s Doctor in the 1960s, Nicola Bryant, Peri in the 1980s, Jacqueline Pearce, best known as Servalan in Blake’s 7, Louise Jameson, who played Leela, and Sophie Aldred, Ace.
On display were a large number of costumes worn by the Torchwood Cast, loaned by Made In Wales Exhibition, together with The Comic Guru providing a stall, as well as new crafts maker Arby Crafts selling lots of fun and unique hand-crafted products.
The events are run by fans for fans and almost £700 was raised for charity to be split between The Gate Arts Centre to help with their youth theatre development and Llamau, a local charity that helps homeless teenagers.
Actor Gareth took part in a question and answer session and also spoke enthusiastically about his career, how he got into acting and his concerns of how cutbacks will affect potential stars of the future, how he won the role of Ianto and his shrine in Cardiff Bay, which he still visits occasionally.
He discussed his other projects post-Torchwood such as his metal band Blue Gillespie and his forthcoming film Dark Signal.
Gareth was also joined by writer and producer Scott Handcock and David Llewellyn.
They were representing Big Finish, which specialises in officially licenced Doctor Who/Torchwood audio dramas. They were entertaining and insightful about this highly popular fan-adored medium, explaining how they work and what ideas they have in the pipeline.
The early part of the afternoon was given over to an informal autograph/ photograph opportunity session where everyone had the chance to share a few words with Gareth before posing for their inevitable selfies before the event wound down with the charity raffle draw.
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