Gareth appeared throughout the first three series of the popular BBC show created by Russell T Davies. A mild-mannered administrator for the Torchwood team, Ianto helped defend Cardiff from the horrors of the rift, and aided the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) in a battle against the Daleks in two episodes of Doctor Who.

Ianto made his final TV appearance in the 2009 mini-series Children of Earth, but his popularity and legacy has stood the test of time, with a special commemorative memorial for the character erected in Cardiff Bay.

“Well, how could we not?” says producer James Goss. “Ianto's such a brilliant character, and if we kept people on tenterhooks any longer, we'd be fools. Of course he's in it and as soon as possible. We recorded with him literally the first day after he finished a theatre tour. Did he want to put his feet up? Nope. He wanted to be Ianto.”

Gareth will return in Torchwood: Fall to Earth, where the team's ongoing investigation into a worldwide conspiracy places Ianto on the first privately-funded spaceflight; just as it's plunging out of the sky! The new release follows on from John Barrowman's return as Captain Jack Harkness in the opening instalment, Torchwood: The Conspiracy.

“Seeing Gareth in studio was an absolute delight,” glowed director Scott Handcock. “He clearly loves the part and had a great time. And can't wait to be back.”

The new story will be released in October, allowing for an unbroken run of stories from September. Four more releases will follow at monthly intervals into 2016.

“There was originally going to be a gap after the first release,” explains James, “but we soon realised that everyone we spoke to was being so helpful, we'd be in studio a lot earlier. Actors, writers, agents, BBC Worldwide have all been amazing - 'Well, since it's Torchwood' everyone kept saying. So it's coming out early. Since it's Torchwood.”

Torchwood: Fall to Earth will be released in October, and can be pre-ordered today. It will be followed by four further stories at monthly intervals, through to February 2016. You can subscribe to all six titles today, starting with September's Torchwood: The Conspiracy.