Richard Gadd is back. The creator and star of the global Netflix hit Baby Reindeer has a new BBC and HBO drama called Half Man. The six-part series will air this week. It tells the story of two brothers who are not related by blood. Their relationship breaks down over 30 years. Gadd not only wrote the show but also stars in it. He plays Ruben, a very angry and troubled man. The show also stars Jamie Bell as Niall, the other brother. This is Gadd’s first major project since winning multiple Emmy awards for Baby Reindeer.
Half Man is coming to screens very soon. The show will explore tough topics like violence, male identity, and family problems. Gadd had to change his body a lot for this role. He went from 68.8 kilograms to nearly 110 kilograms to play the character Ruben. The actor says playing this part “terrified” him because it is so different from his real personality. The show filmed in and around Glasgow, Scotland.
What is Half Man About?
Half Man follows two men named Niall and Ruben. They grew up as brothers because their mothers were in a relationship. The show starts at a wedding. Ruben shows up after being gone for a long time. He acts strange and nervous. Then a violent fight breaks out. After that, the story jumps back in time to the 1980s. Viewers will see the two as teenagers and follow their lives for the next 30 years.
The show looks at how male friendships can break down. Niall is quiet and struggles with his sexuality. Ruben is loud, violent, and carries trauma from his past. The young versions of these characters will also appear. Mitchell Robertson plays young Niall. Stuart Campbell plays young Ruben. The series will show how their childhood problems cause bad behavior later in life. The BBC says the show captures the “wild energy of a changing city” from the 1980s to today.
How Richard Gadd Got Involved and Prepped for the Role
Gadd did not plan to act in Half Man at first. After Baby Reindeer, he felt very tired. The Netflix show was a personal story about his own experiences with stalking and abuse. He needed a break from acting. But the role of Ruben kept calling him. He said it was a “big challenge” to play this character. If he failed, he said he would “look like a fool”. But he did not let fear stop him.
To play Ruben, Gadd had to change everything about how he looks. He grew a thick beard. He changed his hair. He also put on a lot of muscle. Gadd worked with a personal trainer six days a week. He had a nutritionist. He used a company to make and send him meals. He went through periods of fasting. He explained that working out was “80% diet.” He was surprised by this because he thought he could just go to the gym sometimes.
“It was a huge commitment alongside everything else, I’d be typing and writing the show, and my body would be in immense pain, but I enjoyed it!” – Richard Gadd on his body transformation.
Gadd says that Ruben is “so far away” from who he is as a person. He had to learn how to be a “hard-man” version of masculinity. He knew that viewers would compare him to his Baby Reindeer character Donny Dunn. So he needed to transform completely so people would believe him as someone violent and scary.
Release Date and Streaming Information
Half Man will release on Thursday, April 23, 2026 in the United States on HBO and Max. For viewers in the United Kingdom, the show arrives a day later. It will be available on Friday, April 24, 2026 at 6:00 AM on BBC iPlayer. The show will also air on BBC One and BBC Scotland later that same week.
For audiences in Canada and Australia, the show is a co-production between HBO and the BBC. International distribution is handled by Banijay Rights. Viewers should check their local HBO or Max providers for specific availability in Latin America and Europe. The show will release weekly. It is six episodes long. Each episode runs for about 45 minutes.
Cast and Characters
Jamie Bell stars opposite Gadd as Niall. Bell is known for his role in Billy Elliot and movies like Rocketman. He plays the quieter brother who looks up to Ruben but also fears him. The young actors playing the teenage versions of these characters are getting a lot of praise from early reviews.
The full cast includes:
- Stuart Campbell as Young Ruben
- Mitchell Robertson as Young Niall
- Neve McIntosh as Lori, Niall’s mother
- Marianne McIvor as Maura, Ruben’s mother
- Charlie De Melo as Alby
- Bilal Hasna as Young Alby
- Amy Manson as Mona
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Early Reviews and Fan Reactions
The BBC released a trailer for Half Man in early April 2026. Fans quickly shared their excitement online. One viewer on Instagram said, “I am so unbelievably stoked to watch this.” Another person wrote, “Blimey… this looks good.” Some fans are already predicting awards for the show. One comment said, “Give them all the awards now, this is going to be epic.”
Early reviews from critics are positive. The BBC’s own review gave the show four stars. They call it a “brutal conversation starter” about male identity. The review praises Gadd’s acting. They say he is “thoroughly convincing” as the troubled Ruben. The young actors, Stuart Campbell and Mitchell Robertson, are called “shockingly great discoveries.” The show is being compared to other dark dramas about masculinity but critics say Gadd has his own unique voice.
Also Read: Hooked on Unchosen? Here Are 5 More Mental Thrillers on Netflix You Need to See
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