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Richard Gadd Says He ‘Couldn’t Shake’ Idea for New Show Half Man Amid Toxic Masculinity Crisis

Richard Gadd, the creator and star of BBC’s new drama Half Man, finally sees his long‑gestating concept come to life after the success of his Netflix thriller Baby Reindeer. The six‑part miniseries follows a meek teen, Niall, and his volatile stepbrother Ruben, confronting how childhood trauma fuels toxic masculinity later in life. Gadd says the idea persisted through the production of Baby Reindeer and was shaped by the broader cultural debate on male violence and the manosphere. The series arrives as the UK legal system grapples with a pending $170 million defamation suit tied to Gadd’s earlier work.