Richard Gadd’s Half Man: The Trailer Is Here

Baby Reindeer was all we could talk about when it debuted on Netflix in April 2024. Its creator, Richard Gadd, landed in the spotlight thanks to his creating and writing the series, and also for that pesky ‘based on a true story’ subtitle – which turned out to be pretty costly for the streamer.

In 2026, though, it’s over to the BBC where Gadd’s latest project, Half Man, will air. Made up of six episodes and slated to air in April, here’s everything we know so far.

Niall (JAMIE BELL) & Ruben (RICHARD GADD) in Half Man. (© BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck)

The Backstory

After the explosive success of Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd is back with his next original drama – this time on the BBC. Made up of six episodes, Half Man is a co-production with HBO, similar to Industry, meaning it’ll air across the Atlantic, too.

Like Baby Reindeer, Gadd will star in Half Man – despite insisting he would not star back when the series was first optioned under the working title Lions. This was a few months before Baby Reindeer launched on Netflix and spiralled into one of the most-talked-about dramas of the year.

Speaking after Baby Reindeer, Gadd confirmed: ‘No, I’m not going to act in [Lions] for a couple of reasons. For Baby Reindeer, it added a layer of intrigue because it happened to me and I think it made the piece more interesting. But I want Lions to exist as a piece of art, as a piece of work without my sudden recognition getting in the way, which is why we’ll cast people who aren’t me in the principal roles.’

Six months later, there was a U-turn. Is that sudden recognition exactly what the BBC and HBO want after all? At the end of 2024, Gadd declared he was ‘delighted to confirm’ he’d be starring in the series, which since that point on has been titled Half Man.

Set in Glasgow and shot there in 2025, BBC Scotland’s head of commissioning Louise Thornton describes the series as ‘a brilliant example of BBC Scotland’s ambition to bring high quality drama, rooted in Scotland, to audiences in Scotland, the UK and the world’.

Niall (JAMIE BELL) & Ruben (RICHARD GADD) in Half Man. (BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck)

The Plot

Created, written and executive produced by Gadd, the series centres on ‘brothers’ Niall (Jamie Bell) and Ruben (Gadd) who forged a bond as teenagers but are now estranged and haven’t spoken in years. So when Ruben shows up unexpectedly at Niall’s wedding – and as we see in the trailer below, gives an impromptu speech – it’s pretty unsettling. In fact, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives.

As Niall puts it, Ruben is ‘the best and the worst thing all at once’. Directed by Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck, we flash back 30 years, tracing the boys’ teenage years in the ‘80s and working our way back to the present day. With Ruben simmering with violence from day one, we will see everything from the duo’s meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry and challenging moments along the way.

Set and filmed in Glasgow, Half Man will capture the wild energy of a changing city – and changing world. At its heart, though, it will tackle a difficult question: what does it mean to be a man?

Niall (JAMIE BELL) in Half Man. (© BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck)

The Cast

Gadd will lead the series as Ruben, while Jamie Bell (who you might recognise from All of Us Strangers) joins him as Niall. And while Gadd was lukewarm about starring in the series himself, in 2024 he revealed he had written Half Man with Bell in mind, ‘never thinking for a second we would manage to land him’. Gadd describes Bell – who rose to fame leading Billy Elliot (2000) and is set to lead Peaky Blinders series 7 – as ‘one of the greatest actors of his generation,’ adding: ‘I am so looking forward to seeing what he does with the role.’

For his part, Bell said: ‘I’m so excited to join this incredible creative team. Richard has once again crafted something poignant and singular. I’m honored to have been asked to bring this to life with him.’ Bell rarely signs onto TV projects, so we know Half Man must be special: it is his fourth TV series in 26 years.

Because we move through time, we also have younger versions of the characters: Stuart Campbell will play Ruben, while Mitchell Robinson will play Niall.

Lori (NEVE McINTOSH), Young Niall (MITCHELL ROBERTSON) & Maura (MARIANNE McIVOR) in Half Man. (BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck)

The full cast we know so far is as follows:

• Richard Gadd as Ruben
• Jamie Bell as Niall
• Stuart Campbell as young Ruben
• Mitchell Robinson as young Niall
• Neve McIntosh as Lori, Niall’s mother
• Marianne McIvor as Maura, Ruben’s mother
• Charlie De Melo
• Bilal Hasna
• Julie Cullen
• Amy Manson
• Philippine Velge
• Stuart McQuarrie
• Piers Ewart
• Scot Greenan
• Charlotte Blackwood
• Calum Manchip
• Kate Robson-Stuart

Ruben (RICHARD GADD) in Half Man. (© BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck)

Is It Based On A True Story?

No more true stories for Gadd – for now, at least. ‘All of the stuff I’ve done has an emotional truth to it, but [Half Man] is not based on my life at all,’ Gadd told The Hollywood Reporter. ‘It’s a fictional world and a new challenge that I’m really looking forward to.’

Niall (JAMIE BELL) in Half Man. (BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck)

Release Date

New episodes of Half Man will launch weekly at 6am on BBC iPlayer from Friday 24 April.

In the US, Half Man will air at 9pm weekly on HBO from Thursday 23 April.