Richard Gadd

In Half Man (2026), Richard Gadd plays Ruben as a man whose hurt does not cancel out his capacity for cruelty. He allows us to recognise both without deciding that either tells us everything we need to know. It is a difficult performance to watch, and a persuasive one. Gadd keeps us interested in an attachment that gives us ample reasons to stop caring about either man. His acting gives us good reason to persist when his writing becomes repetitive.

His earlier work moved between dark stage comedy and smaller screen parts, including Eddie McNally in Against the Law (2017). For Baby Reindeer (2024), he adapted his 2019 one-man show and played Donny Dunn. For Ruben, he added muscle and worked on a deeper, gruffer voice, distancing the character physically from Donny. What interests us more in Half Man is that he leaves room for us to change our minds about Ruben.

Jamie Bell's Niall matters to that achievement, since neither actor lets the other's character become easy to dismiss. Ben McKinstrie's editing brings different periods of their relationship into view, giving the performances room to shift our sympathies. Gadd and Bell sustain the possibility that we have not yet understood these men completely. Too often, Gadd's script then explains the damage that their conduct has already made clear.

We were worn out by the repeated violence in Half Man, because successive injuries began to feel too much alike. Across six episodes, there is too little relief for the suffering to retain its force. That is a substantial limit on how warmly we can recommend the series. We would like to see Gadd trust a performance to carry more of what his dialogue insists on telling us. Watch him with Bell if difficult relationship dramas are your territory, and be prepared for the writing to labour what the actors have already made plain.