Half Man: Richard Gadd’s follow-up to Baby Reindeer explores the breakdown of an unshakable bond
Richard Gadd returns to the screen with Half Man, a six-part BBC drama that delves into the unraveling of a decades-long friendship between two Glaswegian men. Written by and starring Gadd, the series examines how trauma, sexuality and repressed emotions can fracture even the strongest bonds.
At the heart of Half Man are Ruben, portrayed by Gadd, and Niall, played by Jamie Bell. Once inseparable as teenagers, their relationship deteriorates over three decades, culminating in a violent altercation at Niall’s wedding that sets the narrative in motion. The story unfolds through a dual timeline, shifting between the 1980s and the present day to reveal how past events shape their present struggles.
Gadd describes Ruben as a volatile figure grappling with trauma from his past, while Niall struggles to accept his sexuality. The actor emphasized the physical and emotional transformation required for the role, noting he grew an “awful beard,” changed his hair, and bulked up his muscles to embody Ruben’s hardened masculinity. “I just knew if people were going to buy the guy from Baby Reindeer as this hard-man epitome of sort of masculinity, I needed to really transform,” Gadd said.
The series marks a departure from Gadd’s previous work, particularly the Emmy-winning Baby Reindeer, in which he played comedian Donny Dunn and depicted his real-life experience of being stalked. In Half Man, Gadd shifts from victim to perpetrator, embodying a character driven by raw id and emotional volatility. He admitted the role terrified him, calling it “so far away from me and anything I’d done before,” and acknowledged the fear of failure: “If I were to fail in the role I would look like a fool.”
Despite the intensity, Gadd praised his co-star Jamie Bell, calling him “brilliant” and expressing admiration for his performance. Young versions of the characters are played by Stuart Campbell as young Ruben and Mitchell Robertson as young Niall.
Gadd has stated his interest in exploring family dysfunction through the lens of male friendship, describing Niall and Ruben’s bond as “unbreakable, unshakable, for better or for worse” at its outset. The series uses this foundation to examine how silence, shame, and unspoken pain can erode even the most seemingly solid connections.
Half Man premiered on BBC iPlayer in April 2026 and continues Gadd’s trajectory as a creator unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths about masculinity, trauma, and the masks people wear to survive.