John Barrowman delights Torchwood fans with secret pilgrimage to series landmark in Wales

Actor’s face mask presumably kept him incognito during trip to Cardiff location

Actor John Barrowman has caught the attention of Torchwood fans after posting a picture of a visit to a series landmark in Cardiff.

The cult Doctor Who spin-off saw Barrowman play the role of Captain Jack Harkness, a character he recently reprised in this year’s Doctor Who New Year’s Day special.

On Twitter, the actor posted a selfie standing in from of a shrine dedicated to Ianto Jones – Captain Jack’s lover on Torchwood who perished during the episode “Children of Earth”.

In Cardiff, the memorial was erected near where the series was filmed in order to honour the character.

Though Ianto was killed off more than a decade ago, and Torchwood finished its run in 2011, the shrine remains a popular tourist destination for devoted fans of the show.

Next to the picture, Barrowman wrote: “Out for my walk and nobody knew it was me paying some respect to #Ianto.”

The actor was wearing a mask, in compliance with the UK’s Covid-19 safety guidelines, which presumably made it easier for him to visit the site without being recognised.

Underneath the tweet, fans expressed their delight at the tribute. 

“John you took Ianto’s ‘Dont Forget Me’ quite literally,” wrote one fan. “Glad to see the shrine is still there though!”

“Well, this was an unexpectedly painful trip down memory lane,” wrote another. “I really thought I was over Ianto Jones. Wtf heart.”

“Love that fans are still invested in this character and his true love, flesh and blood relationship with Captain Jack,” wrote someone else. “I’m not crying, you’re crying.”