The Rapture filming locations: Port Talbot, Margam, Aberavon

The psychological thriller starring Ruth Madeley, Iwan Rheon and Ruth Jones reaches its finale on Sunday night, with Margam's ruins, Aberavon Beach and Port Talbot town centre all over the screen.

Alastair Isaac

Published: 8th August 2026

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Port Talbot takes centre stage on BBC One this Sunday, as psychological thriller The Rapture reaches its finale with Neath Port Talbot locations running right through it.

The six-part drama, based on Liz Jensen’s bestselling novel, stars Ruth Madeley, Iwan Rheon, Ruth Jones and India Amarteifio, and the whole series is already on iPlayer for those who can’t wait for Sunday’s episode.

Ruth Jones standing by a window in a purple-walled room in a scene from The Rapture — Ruth Jones stars in the six-part adaptation of Liz Jensen’s novel (Image: BBC)

Port Talbot town centre plays the fictional seaside town of Porth Hen, with Margam Country Park’s historic ruins and landscapes providing the drama’s sweeping backdrops and Aberavon Beach also on screen.

The Forge Tavern hosts the finale of episode one, a scene executive producer Rebecca Durbin picks out among the locations that drew the production to the area.

A clapperboard for The Rapture on set during filming — The Rapture filmed across Neath Port Talbot locations (Image: BBC)

Durbin, who grew up in south Wales, said filming in Neath Port Talbot “felt very special”, with the locations “so wide ranging in terms of scale and visual interest”.

“Port Talbot Town Centre worked excellently as our fictional seaside town of Porth Hen,” she said, praising the coastal vistas and the tavern setting.

She added: “The people of South Wales could not have been more welcoming and accommodating and the crew in Wales are some of the UK’s finest!”

Film crew with cameras and boom microphones filming Ruth Madeley in a wheelchair during an indoor scene for The Rapture — Cameras rolling on The Rapture, with Ruth Madeley at the centre of the scene (Image: BBC)

The Rapture joins a lengthening screen CV for the county borough. Margam Country Park has previously appeared in Doctor Who, His Dark Materials and Death Valley, while Michael Sheen set his drama The Way in his home town of Port Talbot.

Film crew with a camera crane and an operator in the water filming a scene at an outdoor pool for The Rapture — Crews in the water during filming for the series (Image: BBC)

The council is now moving to turn that run of productions into a pipeline. A new Neath Port Talbot Film Office website is due to go live soon, offering a one-stop shop for production enquiries with an interactive location library.

It’s the next step for the Film Office created when the council adopted its events policy in 2024, when officers forecast filming could be worth £1.35m to the Neath Port Talbot economy by the end of 2026/27 through hotel stays and local suppliers.

A clapperboard held in front of a young actress sitting on a bed during filming of The Rapture — Behind the scenes on the drama, which arrives at its finale on Sunday (Image: BBC)

For viewers, the fun this weekend is simpler: spotting the places you know. The finale airs on BBC One on Sunday 9 August, with the full series on iPlayer now.