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.
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.
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!”
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.
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.
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.
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Fantastic to see this part of Wales on the map making great films wonderful 👏