{"id":49036,"date":"2020-02-13T15:00:33","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T15:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?p=49036"},"modified":"2020-02-13T15:00:33","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T15:00:33","slug":"a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/business-culture\/a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine","title":{"rendered":"A method to the madness: The woman behind the Ianto Jones Shrine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2><strong>As it goes, behind every great man is a woman, and behind this man\u2019s shrine is another. But who is she and why, after 11 years, does she still care for a shrine of a man who never technically existed? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolannewall1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolannewall1-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolannewall1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolannewall1-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolannewall1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolannewall1-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolannewall1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolannewall1-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Since 2014, Cardiff-local Carol-Anne Hillman has looked after the Ianto Jones Shrine in Cardiff Bay. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Carol-Anne Hillman has a method.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>She leaves the left corner for flowers, the top for bunting. The middle posts she laces with silk roses, four bunches strewn with coordinating red tape while the rest hang in pairs upside down as Valentines Day calls for this time of fandangle. Then she re-weaves the suit ties: two maroon, two a brighter rouge, synching the last knot with a rote tug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe always wore a nice suit,\u201d explains the 68-year-old official caretaker of Cardiff Bay&#8217;s Ianto Jones shrine, an impromptu memorial erected in 2009 for the BBC <em>Torchwood <\/em>teaboy who died unexpectedly at the hands of the script writers.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2014, Carol-Anne Hillman has spent her days looking after this otherwise wont wood panelling nestled at the bottom of Mermaid Quay. She sifts through tributes sent to her Roath home from fans all over the world, primes their locations on the wall, removes tarnished items and guarantees each holiday is suitably feted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/hangingmoredecor-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49116\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/hangingmoredecor-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/hangingmoredecor-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/hangingmoredecor-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/hangingmoredecor-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49116\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/hangingmoredecor-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/hangingmoredecor-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/hangingmoredecor-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>At 11-years-old, the shrine hasn\u2019t languished in its visitor stream, with fans as far as Australia, as well as the show&#8217;s actors Gareth David-Lloyd and John Barrowman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This morning she&#8217;s making her usual rounds, mentally orchestrating her upcoming plans: 32 multi-coloured chicks for Easter, plaited leis for Spring, daffodils for St. David&#8217;s Day. All year she keeps the love locks, the plastic coffee mugs, laminated poems, drawings and letters sent from as far away as Mexico. Today, she has a newcomer: a palm-sized macram\u00e9 quilt of two men holding hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve put that up there since I left yesterday,\u201d she says. She leans forward, squints her eyes and promptly adjusts the scrim away from the photograph beside it. It\u2019s of a man, brown-haired and doe-eyed boasting a dark horse smoulder. It\u2019s the same man beaming from the shrine\u2019s every angle.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s handsome, huh?\u201d Carol-Anne sighs, not waiting for an answer. \u201cHe\u2019s got more handsome, like a fine wine.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Carol-AnneShrine.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Carol-AnneShrine.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Carol-AnneShrine-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Carol-AnneShrine-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Carol-AnneShrine.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Carol-AnneShrine.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Carol-AnneShrine-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Carol-AnneShrine-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Carole-Anne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For a <em>Torchwood <\/em>fan, it\u2019s a dream come true: 24\/7 Ianto Jones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA lot of people say they don\u2019t understand it,\u201d Carol-Anne says. \u201cBut I\u2019ve got no husband, no kids, no worries.\u201d She cocks her head to the side one last time as her hazel eyes zero in on her latest adjustment. She makes a final tweak before vaunting an insouciant shrug. \u201cTo each to their own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a simple response, but if Carol-Anne is simply anything, she\u2019s simply a fan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\u2019s written over 200 fan fictions, her first just six days after the character&#8217;s death and spanning 150 pages. Every episode has been watched, every book\/audio tape bought. She knows what colour tie suits Ianto best (blood-red), waistcoat suits him worst (none) and can recognise Ianto\u2019s actor Gareth David-Lloyd by nothing more than the area between the middle of his nose and top of his mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI would know it was him from 100\nyards away,\u201d she says. \u201cYou never forget the mouth. In every picture I\u2019ve got\non my wall, because I\u2019ve got loads, you can see the mouth.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2011\/10\/ianto-wall-torchwood.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1110\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2011\/10\/ianto-wall-torchwood.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1110\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption> Set and filmed in Cardiff, <em>Torchwood<\/em> brought to fans a whole new world of escape right outside their front doors. &nbsp; <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Twenty-two hang in the bedroom, alternating from shots of her and Gareth together to individual shots of the actor himself. Twenty-two more hang in the front room, the hallway&#8217;s horde is immeasurable, and though none hang in the spare bedroom or toilet, it&#8217;s not out of the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I say to him, \u2018Can I have a picture taken with you?\u2019 and he shouts, \u2018Haven\u2019t you got enough?\u2019, I say no, I still have room in the toilet,\u201d she says with a cheeky grin. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This perhaps is the most salient contrast to any other makeshift shrine around the world: Most caretakers don\u2019t become friends with their enshrined. Most of them can&#8217;t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou could say it&#8217;s weird,\u201d Carol-Anne deadpans. \u201cBut see, I wouldn\u2019t try to take [Gareth] off his wife. Ianto I would try to take off of Jack.\u201d Carol-Anne pauses before her steel chaff cracks. \u201cI\u2019m in love with a fictional character,\u201d she confesses. \u201cBut Gareth, he\u2019ll do fine.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones5.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49055\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49055\" class=\"wp-image-49055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones5.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones5-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones5-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones5.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49055\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49055\" class=\"wp-image-49055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones5.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones5-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones5-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones6.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49056\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49056\" class=\"wp-image-49056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones6.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones6-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones6-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones6.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49056\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49056\" class=\"wp-image-49056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones6.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones6-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones6-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49058\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49058\" class=\"wp-image-49058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49058\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49058\" class=\"wp-image-49058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneletter.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49070\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49070\" class=\"wp-image-49070\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneletter.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneletter-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneletter-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneletter.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49070\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49070\" class=\"wp-image-49070\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneletter.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneletter-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneletter-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>An early letter from Carol-Anne still hangs in the left corner.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While their initial 2009 meeting demanded a coaxing shove and a heartbeat verging on heart attack, Carol-Anne has surpassed the standard barrier between fan and fan-ee. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She calls him Gareth, he calls her Ol\u2019 Woman. When she dressed up as him for Comic Con in 2011, she sported his very own shirt and trousers. Once she convinced his heavy metal rock band, Blue Gillespie, to play in a cramped pub in her hometown, Ash, Surrey, where she bobbed her violet-streaked pixie cut so fervidly, she felt sore for days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI followed that band for months. I followed them to\nCardiff,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carol-Anne knows his wife, she\u2019s played with his kids. At his plays, Gareth introduces her as a friend of the family. He owns a copy of her first fanfiction, and she adopted one of his cat\u2019s kittens \u2014 which she named Max, not Ianto.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneandgareth3.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49090\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49090\" class=\"wp-image-49090\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneandgareth3.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneandgareth3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneandgareth3-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneandgareth3.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49090\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49090\" class=\"wp-image-49090\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneandgareth3.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneandgareth3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carolanneandgareth3-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Carol-Anne and Gareth at a comic-con convention. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/garethandcarolanne2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49091\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49091\" class=\"wp-image-49091\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/garethandcarolanne2-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/garethandcarolanne2-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/garethandcarolanne2-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/garethandcarolanne2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49091\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49091\" class=\"wp-image-49091\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/garethandcarolanne2-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/garethandcarolanne2-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/garethandcarolanne2-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Carol-Anne and Gareth have been friends since 2009.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall7-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49120\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49120\" class=\"wp-image-49120\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall7-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall7-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall7-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall7-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49120\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49120\" class=\"wp-image-49120\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall7-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall7-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall7-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Drawings are sent from New Zealand.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall4-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49121\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49121\" class=\"wp-image-49121\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall4-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall4-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall4-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall4-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49121\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?attachment_id=49121\" class=\"wp-image-49121\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall4-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall4-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall4-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>A couple visited on their wedding day.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On the surface, Carol-Anne comes off as just another fan, albeit a slightly more infatuated one and, in spurts, even exuding a doting grandmother aura as she skims through her phone\u2019s trove of Gareth photos with deft memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSee how he\u2019s wearing shorts?\u201d She stops on a photo from the Shrine\u2019s 10<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary last summer. \u201cHe cycled two and a half hours to get here. And there\u2019s his beard. I quite liked him with his beard.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet beneath that adulating veneer, Carol-Anne pushes much deeper than sepulchred phone photos.<\/p>\n<p>For five years, Carol-Anne has been something akin to a one-woman defibrillator to a shrine left to rot,\u00a0and perhaps the most inauspicious of them all.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Four days before he died, Carol-Anne didn\u2019t know what <em>Torchwood <\/em>was. Her mother\u2019s passing led her to move in with her brother, where the sibling unexpectedly declared they\u2019d watch the five-day marathon of season three. In three days, Carol-Anne fell in love. In four, her heart snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones9.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones9-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones9-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones9.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones9-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojones9-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>The Ianto Jones and Captain Jack relationship was one of the first openly LGBT romances to headline a major television series.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For <em>Torchwood <\/em>fans, Ianto Jones was tantamount to a well-tailored revolutionary. One of television\u2019s first LBGTQ characters to headline a series, he was quirky, jest-ready and smiled like a satisfied panther. His death consequently spawned a virtual dirge, from a mounting campaign to bombard the producers with tea to the innocuous lily bouquet that bloomed into the 20-foot-long shrine Carol-Anne polishes now. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A week later, Carol-Anne travelled three hours to slip around a barricade and pin her hand-written poem to the fledgling beginnings of this shrine.\u00a0One would assume Ianto\u2019s voice sailed the wind in this moment, imploring Carole-Anne to stay, like her very own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5Ay5GqJwHF8\"><em>Field of Dreams <\/em><\/a>moment. But Carol-Anne pinned the tributes and left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall2.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49059\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/food-culture\/a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine\/attachment\/iantojoneswall2\" class=\"wp-image-49059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall2.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall2-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall2.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49059\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/food-culture\/a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine\/attachment\/iantojoneswall2\" class=\"wp-image-49059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall2.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall2-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49058\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/food-culture\/a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine\/attachment\/iantojoneswall\" class=\"wp-image-49058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49058\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/food-culture\/a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine\/attachment\/iantojoneswall\" class=\"wp-image-49058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall3.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49060\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/food-culture\/a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine\/attachment\/iantojoneswall3\" class=\"wp-image-49060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall3.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall3-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall3.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49060\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/food-culture\/a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine\/attachment\/iantojoneswall3\" class=\"wp-image-49060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall3.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall3-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"651\" height=\"365\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Plaque.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49064\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/food-culture\/a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine\/attachment\/plaque\" class=\"wp-image-49064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Plaque.jpg 651w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Plaque-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Plaque-500x280.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"651\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Plaque.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"49064\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/food-culture\/a-method-to-the-madness-the-ianto-jones-shrine\/attachment\/plaque\" class=\"wp-image-49064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Plaque.jpg 651w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Plaque-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/Plaque-500x280.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>The Ianto Jones plaque hangs beside the wall, to let bemused passersby know that the shrine is very much for a fictional man who has not faltered in adoration.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>She wouldn\u2019t return to Cardiff for five years, happening to follow Blue Gillespie. By then, the shrine had waned into disarray: rain-smeared poems, sun-faded photos, tattered signs from errant stag-dos, all culminating in a maroon thong and a pair of yellowed pants flapping in the breeze like derelict battle flags.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t put up a pair of dirty pants, good grief,\u201d Carol-Anne says with a roll of her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The shrine could\u2019ve evanesced with the pants\u2019 inevitable yellowing had Carol-Anne been any other woman and Ianto Jones any other character.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIanto loved more than anyone could love. That\u2019s who Ianto is,\u201d she says. \u201cHe\u2019s the kind of character who snags your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall8-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall8-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall8-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall8-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall8-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall8-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall8-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/iantojoneswall8-1-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Carol-Anne laminates every trinket and tribute in order to preserve them for as long as possible. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So as Carol-Anne found herself vis-a-vis an unsaturated shamble of the shrine\u2019s former glory, she thought only one thing:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had to do something. Even Gareth said, \u2018Carol-Anne, it\u2019s gone <em>grotty<\/em>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course early days didn\u2019t see only roses. Storms brought floods. Conservatives complained of the wall\u2019s pro-LGBT stance. Fans carped that Carol-Anne had no right to remove illegible tributes, even accusing her of stealing a ceramic mug.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt nearly turned into World War III. That&#8217;s when I that\u2019s it then, I\u2019m not going to do this anymore,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n<p>But then came Gareth, who told the fan it was him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course it wasn\u2019t. It\u2019s only because I said I wouldn\u2019t do it anymore that he did.\u201d She grins. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t have that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"367\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carol-anneandgareth-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49108\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carol-anneandgareth-2.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carol-anneandgareth-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carol-anneandgareth-2-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"367\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carol-anneandgareth-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49108\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carol-anneandgareth-2.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carol-anneandgareth-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/02\/carol-anneandgareth-2-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Gareth cycled two-and-a-half hours to see Carol-Anne at the Shrine&#8217;s 10-year-anniversary last summer. CC: Carol-Anne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>They can be risky business, impromptu shrines. Sometimes, they transcend. There\u2019s John Lennon\u2019s memorial in Central Park. David Bowie\u2019s mural in Brixton. The hundreds in Los Angeles following Kobe Bryant\u2019s recent passing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the show quitting on Ianto, Carol-Anne won\u2019t follow suit anytime soon. Her Twitter following has swelled to 480 in just six years. Fans have donated \u00a390 for Christmas decorations. Not a pair of pants is in sight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As for the shrine\u2019s future, Carol-Anne isn\u2019t really that concerned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m 68 now, I\u2019ve got another 20-30 years of doing this hopefully. I should be on a motor scooter then, but I can get to it, go down the ramp,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And if people stop sending tributes?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She winks. \u201cMe and my friend have printers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eleven years after the death of a beloved character, fans flock to an impromptu shrine, thanks to a woman who never stopped hoping. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":49040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[96],"coauthors":[672],"class_list":["post-49036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-culture","category-global-city","tag-cardiff-bay"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - 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