Iwan Rheon Says Heatwave Thriller 'The Rapture' Resonates Today
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- Iwan Rheon stars in "The Rapture," a BBC psychological thriller adapted from Liz Jensen's bestselling novel, filmed on location in south Wales last autumn
- Despite the show's heatwave setting, filming took place under "changeable" weather — makeup artists used heavy moisturiser to make actors look sweaty, prompting Rheon to joke it wasn't his "sexiest role"
- Rheon told BBC Radio Wales that the drama "really resonates in today's world" because "we are seeing the world heat up," tying the fictional heatwave to real-world climate trends
- The plot follows forensic psychologist Dr Gabriele Fox (Ruth Madeley) and 17-year-old Bethany Krall (India Amarteifio), a convicted murderer who claims she has psychic powers and can predict the future
- Gavin and Stacey co-creator Ruth Jones is among the cast; the series was produced by Mammoth Screen, part of ITV Studios, with support from the Welsh government via Creative Wales
- Rheon is also filming two other Welsh productions: sci-fi comedy "Out There" with Michael Sheen in Ceredigion, and "The Mountain" on Anglesey, directed by Celyn Jones with Peter Mullan and singer Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor)
Why it matters: Rheon's own framing — that the drama "resonates in today's world" because "we are seeing the world heat up" — positions the BBC's new thriller as climate fiction, not just a procedural. For BBC iPlayer, the show anchors a slate of Welsh-backed productions funded through Creative Wales, with Ruth Jones's casting likely drawing Gavin and Stacey audiences to a darker genre piece.
