Jamie Bell Surprised Richard Gadd by Actually Responding to His Half Man Script
Richard Gadd expected Jamie Bell to pass on his Half Man script — then Bell surprised him, and the HBO-BBC drama became one of 2026’s biggest TV successes.
On Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast Dinner’s On Me, Richard Gadd said he sent the first episode of his HBO/BBC limited series Half Man to Jamie Bell fully expecting to hear nothing back. Even after Baby Reindeer upended his career, Gadd admitted he still couldn’t quite believe A‑list actors would want to jump on his next project — which made Bell’s enthusiastic reply, and his eagerness to do it with Gadd, a shock.
“It was a real honor to work with him. It was it was tough shoot. It was intense sort of like, trust that has to happen there.”
That response sent Gadd to Los Angeles to meet Bell in person, a surreal moment for him after admiring the actor since childhood. He praised Bell as a quiet, “understated” presence and an underrated performer, and said the emotionally heavy material demanded deep trust between them throughout filming.
The series
The six-part drama — a co-production with the BBC — airs on HBO and streams on Max in the U.S. Set across nearly 40 years and told out of order, Half Man follows estranged half-brothers Ruben and Niall, played by Gadd and Bell, as their shared past is slowly pulled apart. Critics have highlighted its raw look at family trauma, toxic masculinity, and frayed relationships.
- Starring: Richard Gadd — Ruben; Jamie Bell — Niall
- Also features: Stuart Campbell, Mitchell Robertson, Neve McIntosh, Marianne McIvor, Bilal Hasna, Amy Manson, Tim Downie
- Format: Six episodes
Following release, the show reached No. 5 globally on Max and became one of the year’s buzziest limited series, picking up an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor and landing squarely in the 2026 awards conversation.
As for more episodes, Gadd has been firm: Half Man was conceived as a complete, self-contained story, and he intends to keep it that way.