We all know Richard Gadd from Netflix megahit Baby Reindeer, in which he played himself – a struggling stand-up comedian named Donny – and told the bizarre and harrowing story of being stalked by a woman called Martha.
The twisty, dark comedy was released in April last year to critical acclaim and awards – and even, in a Black Mirror turn of events, sparked a lawsuit with the ‘real Martha’.
While the legal case is ongoing, Richard has found his next project: BBC show Half Man, an original six-episode drama written, produced and created by the stand-up comedian and writer himself.
Filming in Glasgow recently wrapped, and the BBC has released first look pictures of Richard and Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers, Rocket Man) as brothers Ruben and Niall, respectively, as they reunite following years of estrangement.
But nevermind the next world-gripping plot, Richard appears to have undergone somewhat of a transformation since he was likened to a baby reindeer.
Richards looks unrecognisable in the new pictures, hunched over a table wearing a white vest with a great big nest of facial hair, looking every bit a macho bloke.
In another picture, Richard sits on a hospital bed looking every bit the stern patient, wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans, with his shoulders hunched over and hands in his lap.
It seems his character Ruben will be a far cry from Richard’s depiction of himself as Donny in Baby Reindeer, if the blurb of the show is anything to go by.
In Half Man Ruben shows up at Niall’s wedding unexpectedly, sparking a violent turn, and we are taken back to their lives, spanning four decades from the 1980s to present day.
According to the BBC it will explore the question: ‘What does it mean to be a man?’
Curfew star Mitchell Robertson and SAS Rogue Heroes actor Stuart Campbell will play the brothers in their younger years.
Notable cast members include Rivals and Coronation Street star Charlie De Melo as well as Doctor Who’s Neve McIntosh as Ruben and Niall’s mother.
Elsewhere, a year on from Baby Reindeer and the lawsuit rumbles on.
Hot off Baby Reindeer’s release internet sleuths seemingly tracked down the ‘real Martha’ online and found a woman called Fiona Harvey, who even gave a tell-all interview to Piers Morgan on TalkTV.
Now, there is a lawsuit still rumbling on between Netflix and Harvey, who has taken the streaming giant to court, demanding £132million for her supposed depiction in the series.
Previously, Harvey alleged that the series falsely implied she had sexually assaulted Gadd and had been sent to prison for stalking him.
Although Netflix filed a motion in July to throw the suit out, a judge ruled towards the end of last year that Baby Reindeer did not live up to its billing as a ‘true story’ and has allowed Harvey to pursue the court case.
Netflix has defended the lawsuit and Gadd’s ‘right to tell his story’, but at the crux is the claim that Harvey has no criminal convictions, unlike Martha in the show.
The streaming platform continues to argue in legal papers that the alleged defamatory statements are ‘substantially true’.
Half Man will air in 2026 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
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