by Alex Billington
April 21, 2026
Source: YouTube
“That’s the heart of the show: two men who weren’t brave enough to say ‘I love you.'” HBO has unveiled a new “first look” featurette promo for the series Half Man, the highly anticipated new creation from “Baby Reindeer” creator / star Richard Gadd. The first trailer arrived a few weeks back and the series launches later this month. The story examines the relationship between a pair of estranged brothers over the span of 40 years. Apparently they’re not real brothers, but as close as anyone can be anyway. Ruben turns up at his estranged brother’s wedding, forcing them to rethink their relationship. The show examines a full 30 years in the lives of these two broken men. Half Man is a six-part limited series exploring brotherhood, violence, and the intense fragility of male relationships. After all, when things fall apart… it is sometimes the closest relationships which break the hardest. Starring Richard Gadd and Jamie Bell as the leads, with Stuart Campbell, Mitchell Robertson, Neve McIntosh, Marianne McIvor, Julie Cullen, Bilal Hasna, Charlie De Melo, plus newcomers Charlotte Blackwood, Calum Manchip, Kate Robson-Stuart. I will definitely be watching this – looks damn good. I’m so impressed by everything Richard Gadd is making.
Here’s the “Behind the Story” featurette for Richard Gadd’s new series Half Man, direct from YouTube:
You can watch the first official trailer for Richard Gadd’s Half Man series right here for even more footage.
“We’re family now.” Niall and Ruben (starring Jamie Bell and Richard Gadd) are brothers. Not related in blood but the closest you can get. One, fierce and loyal. The other, meek and mild-mannered. Inseparable youth. Brought into each other’s lives through death & circumstance, all they have is each other… But when Ruben turns up at Niall’s wedding 3 decades later, everything seems different. He is on edge. Shifty. Not acting like himself. And soon, an explosion of violence takes place which catapults us back through their lives, from the 80s to the present day. Capturing 30 years in the lives of these broken men, Half Man is a six-part limited series exploring brotherhood, violence, and the intense fragility of male relationships. After all, when things start to fall apart… it is sometimes the closest relationships which break the hardest.
Half Man is a series created and written and showrun by Scottish writer / actor / producer Richard Gadd, creator of the “Baby Reindeer” series previously, and a writer on “The Last Leg”, “Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier”, “Sex Education”. With episodes directed by Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck. Produced by Mam Tor Productions (a Banijay UK company) in association with Thistledown Pictures, for both HBO & BBC together. Supported by Screen Scotland. It’s executive produced by Sophie Gardiner, Anna O’Malley, Richard Gadd, Gaynor Holmes, Gavin Smith, Tally Garner, and Morven Reid. HBO & BBC will debut Gadd’s Half Man mini-series streaming starting on April 23rd, 2026 coming up soon. Who wants to watch this?
