The National Gallery in London has flooded, and senior curator Quentin Lester has a dramatic solution. He proposes that the entire collection of priceless paintings should be removed from London and stored in an abandoned slate mine inside a Welsh mountain, as they were during the Second World War. Soon after Quentin is settled in North Wales admittedly more at home in a cave among his paintings than he is with other people he unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that wake up this sleepy, charming town. After mistaking local boy Dylan Hughes for an art history genius, Quentin finds himself in the middle of mayhem.
Acting
Trevor Eve's magnificent curmudgeon—part Basil Fawlty, part lost puppy.
Production
The slate mine set: genuinely stunning, makes you want to visit Wales immediately.
Director
Andy de Emmony
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real National Gallery did store masterpieces in Welsh slate mines during WWII—this isn't pure fiction.
Eve Myles filmed this between Torchwood seasons; her Welsh authenticity grounds the whole production.