Richard Gadd is expanding his reputation for creating deeply uncomfortable, emotionally charged drama with “Half Man,” the HBO and BBC co-production that follows his breakout Netflix series “Baby Reindeer.” Set in Scotland and spanning the 1980s to the present day, the six-episode series examines a volatile, complicated bond between two boys who grow up linked by their mothers’ relationship and remain entangled into adulthood.
The story centers on Niall and Ruben, stepbrothers whose personalities could hardly be more different. Niall is shy, intellectual and often self-doubting, while Ruben is aggressive, reckless and intensely domineering. Played as teenagers by Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell, and as adults by Jamie Bell and Gadd, the pair move through a relationship that shifts over time from bullying and hostility to a form of dependency that resembles friendship, brotherhood and something more ambiguous. The series suggests a persistent undercurrent of attraction, possession and obsession without spelling it out directly.
Gadd has described Ruben as having two modes: a calculated version and an explosive, in-the-moment version, both of which make him dangerous. That tension is central to the drama. Ruben is written as a figure of toxic masculinity, but one with enough vulnerability and damaged humanity to remain strangely compelling. Niall, meanwhile, is no saint himself. His inability to let go of Ruben leads him to make a phone call that triggers life-changing consequences, showing that their bond is destructive for both men.
The show opens with an especially disturbing scene in which Ruben forces Niall into losing his virginity, a sequence the actors described as far more frightening on the page than on set. The production used intimacy coordinators extensively, and cast members said the crew focused heavily on emotional safety and regular check-ins after intense scenes. The atmosphere on set appears to have been collaborative and protective, even as the material remained brutally difficult.
The chemistry among the cast helped ground the emotional intensity. Campbell and Robertson became close quickly, which made the more confrontational scenes easier to play with trust. Bell also leaned into the strange admiration Niall feels for Ruben, helping shape a portrait of a relationship built on awe, resentment, love and hatred all at once. Gadd has acknowledged that the connection between the characters is fundamentally complicated and that he wanted to explore how deeply two people can remain bound to each other without fully understanding why.
“Half Man” frames each episode with present-day scenes around Niall’s wedding, where Ruben appears after leaving prison, turning the story toward an ominous final confrontation. The ending was physically demanding to shoot and was done under tight time constraints. Gadd says he prefers open, unresolved conclusions because they feel truer to life than neat happy endings. The result is a drama likely to divide viewers, but one that is designed to provoke, unsettle and linger long after it ends.
