During our time at The Hub 5 we were delighted to get to speak to Gareth David-Lloyd about the life and times of Ianto Jones!

We chatted to Gareth about how he got the role and what it was like saying goodbye to his beloved character at the end of Series 3.

You can read the Q&A below, and we’d also like to say a quick thanks to Gareth for taking part!

Q. How did your role as Ianto Jones in Torchwood come about?
A. I had an audition after a long stretch of not having any work at all and being really quite desperate for some. I was really nervous because it was exactly the type of project I wanted to be involved in. I did my best, but I thought I hadn’t got it because a month or two passed. I was actually on the train on my way to another audition for a play in North Wales when I got a call off my agent saying I’d got Torchwood. It was amazing, such a great feeling, then I realised that I couldn’t do the play anymore, so I went for a pint instead!

Q. Were you a fan of Doctor Who before you joined the cast?
A. I was when I was younger, yeah. I didn’t really get into the new Russell T Davies episodes until I got the role, then I went back and watched them all.

Q. Did you have any nerves about being part of a spin off to a show that was so successful?
A. I knew there was a huge stigma around its massive, loyal fanbase, and that was very nerve-wracking, because a lot of people were already skeptical about the idea of a spin off before it came out. When it was a success we were relieved!

Q. Were you surprised that it was recieved so well?
A. Not at all. I was really proud of the series and we all had a feeling when we were making it that it was something special, especially for British television, and certainly for BBC Wales. It was a brand new beast! Yeah, we all felt that we had made something a little bit special.

Q. In Series 1, Ianto was seen as the ‘tea-boy’, however as the series progressed he became a much bigger part of the team. Were you happy with how he evolved throughout his time on the show?
A. Absolutely. The process of Ianto growing into himself was very organic. I think at the start of Series 1, the writers didn’t quite know where he was going, and I hope it had something to do with my portrayal that gave them somewhere to go with it. They suggested ideas and I took them on board and played with them. It was great to be playing a character that had such an organic, gradual growing process.

Q. What do you think it is about Torchwood that has made it so popular?
A. I think a huge part of it is its honesty. Despite the fact it’s a sci-fi show, it deals with real human issues, and the characters in it are a lot more human, a lot more three-dimensional. In Doctor Who, you have to be slightly flatter with the characters because it’s a family show, so you can’t get too deep or dark. With Torchwood, because it’s aimed at an older audience, you can get really three-dimensional. All the characters are floored, all the characters are guilty of something, which was a big appeal for me as well.

Q. What was it like taking Ianto across to Doctor Who for its Series 4 crossover finale?
A. Amazing. To be part of an institution like Doctor Who is obviously an actor’s dream, especially for someone who was a sci-fan when they were younger.

Q. One of the biggest twists of Children of Earth was Ianto’s death. How did you feel when you were told?
A. Obviously I was upset in the sense that it was something I’d been doing for 3 years, and I’d become closely involved with the character. I loved the character and the team and the whole universe we were set in, so I was deeply upset, but when I got the scripts and saw how Ianto’s exit would be played out, I was comfortable. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Q. What was it like filming your final scene?
A. We did about four or five shots from different angles and they all pretty much went in one take. They’d put that scene right at the end of the shoot, so it was last but one day of shooting, which was a good move, because I knew I was leaving the show and John knew I was leaving the show, and we’d been working together for 3 years, it was emotional. It was good that they put that scene at the end.

Q. The fans reacted very strongly to Ianto’s death. Were you expecting the response it had?
A. Not at all. I knew there would be some people upset about it, because after all it is a drama, and that’s why Ianto died, because it’s all about the story, but I had no idea. In many ways it put me in a difficult position, because when there are fans rallying and petitioning, you don’t want to upset anyone because that’s what the story needed. It’s obviously done its trick in being a drama, and you can’t side with them either when they’re upset because it looks like I’m asking for my job back, which I’m not in any way shape or form. For some reason I always had it in my mind that I would do 3 series and I knew that I was lucky to get that far given the show’s reputation!

Q. If you had to sum up your time as Ianto in 3 words, what would they be?
A. Absolutely ****ing brilliant.

Let us know what you think below and check out our mini-site for all things Torchwood!

Click here to read our exclusive interview with Rhys Williams actor Kai Owen.