The tormented mind behind Baby Reindeer is back. Richard Gadd, the 36-year-old Scotsman who turned his trauma into one of Netflix’s most-watched shows of all time, now returns with an unflinching new series for HBO, Half Man—a searing exploration of male rage, repression, and the fragility of male relationships.
In a revealing interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gadd opens up about grappling with sudden tabloid fame, battling a $170 million defamation suit, and the dark roads his new show dares to travel.
The ‘Baby Reindeer’ Hysteria
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Release | April 2024 (Netflix) |
| Global Impact | Top series on Netflix globally; 52M+ viewing hours in first week |
| Emmy Wins | Best Limited Series, Best Writing, Best Actor (Gadd), Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Gunning) |
| Cultural Impact | Calls to abuse charities in Britain up 53%; stalking charities up 47% |
“I would describe it as a hysteria,” Gadd says of the show’s reception. “I never want to be one of these people that say, ‘Oh, I just didn’t know it was going to be a success!’ I believed in Baby Reindeer so fundamentally. But in terms of one of the most watched Netflix shows of all time… that doesn’t come into your head when you grow up in a small Scottish town.”
Within a week of its release, Baby Reindeer was the top series on Netflix globally, garnering more than 52 million viewing hours. The show chronicles the true story of a struggling comedian named Donny who is harassed, stalked, and sent over 40,000 emails.
The $170 Million Lawsuit
Following the show’s success, Fiona Harvey—who claimed to be the real-life inspiration for the stalker character—filed a $170 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix. Gadd is not listed as a defendant.
“I set out every day to just make it as good as possible,” Gadd responds when asked if he would do anything differently. “That’s all I did on Baby Reindeer: ‘How can I improve this? How can I make it better?’ “
Describing the series as “emotionally true” and “not a beat-by-beat recounting of the events,” Gadd emphasizes the feeling-first sentiment: “I set out wanting to explore trauma, the need for human connection, loneliness, isolation, self-blame, self-hate. And that is what I wanted people to take from the show.”
Coping with Fame
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Personal Adjustment | “It was an adjustment to suddenly be going down the street and everyone knows my name” |
| Unnerving Encounters | Some people would stare; others would demand photos |
| Paranoia | “What’s going to happen next? Is someone going to come up to me?” |
As a self-described “fame-allergic” person, Gadd struggled with the attention. Some people would bound up to him and demand photos. Others would gasp. What he found most unnerving was when they’d simply stare. Paranoia set in.
‘Half Man’: The Follow-Up
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Network | HBO / BBC |
| Release Date | April 23, 2026 |
| Cast | Richard Gadd, Jamie Bell, Stuart Campbell, Mitchell Robertson |
| Setting | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Themes | Male rage, repression, toxic masculinity, male relationships |
Half Man follows Ruben (Gadd) and Niall (Jamie Bell), two men who have grown up as close as brothers. Tracking their relationship over 30 years, the show is underpinned by a fierce loyalty, violence, and the profound fragility of male relationships.
“It had to go to these extreme places,” Gadd explains. “People say it’s a show about toxic masculinity when really it’s about struggling to love yourself and struggling to love someone else.”
Physical Transformation
Gadd put on more than 50 pounds of muscle to play Ruben. “I never wanted it to be Hollywood six-pack, an unrealistic sense of what we think a strong body looks like,” he says. “I want you to see a man who carries his life in his body.”
On Sexuality and Identity
Gadd identifies as bisexual, though he refrains from speaking in absolutes. “Bisexual is the easiest way of explaining it to people, but even then, I feel like I have a restlessness around sexuality, almost a confusion or an ever-shifting attitude towards it.”
He adds: “I don’t write for specific communities. I write for the individual who struggles. And that means the most to me—the people who feel disconnected, left behind.”
The Future
Gadd is currently working 16-hour days and admits he hasn’t watched any TV show that has come out in the past two years. On finding a partner now that he’s famous: “I guess I haven’t tried it properly… I’m not in a rush.”
“I still have my days, you know? I think I’ve done a lot of work on myself [over the] past few years, and it’s been very useful. But I’m not the finished article. I’ve still got a long way to go.”
