Richard Gadd returns with Half Man, a brutal look at male rage

Richard Gadd's upcoming BBC series, Half Man, is set to debut on April 24 on BBC iPlayer and will later air on HBO. The show delves into themes of male anger through the troubled bond between two men in 1980s Glasgow. Gadd portrays Reuben, a violent character who assaults his childhood friend Niall (Jamie Bell) during Niall's wedding. This six-part drama employs flashbacks to uncover the events that shaped their lives. Although Gadd initially planned not to act, Jamie Bell convinced him otherwise. He altered his physique to portray Reuben's menacing nature, differing from his vulnerable look in Baby Reindeer. Half Man arrives amidst discussions on the 'manosphere,' but Gadd asserts the narrative predates the term. Following the international success of Baby Reindeer, which earned Gadd notoriety and a $170 million defamation lawsuit from Fiona Harvey, who claimed to have inspired the stalker character, Gadd began writing Half Man immediately after completing the Baby Reindeer script. He characterizes the series as a tale of "two men who struggle to love themselves or each other." While Gadd aspires to return to theatre and ultimately create a sitcom, his current focus remains on darker themes.