The first episode of Half Man is now streaming on BBC iPlayer, beginning a 30-year story following Richard Gadd as Ruben and Jamie Bell as Niall.
The first episode mainly features younger actors, Stuart Campbell and Mitchell Robertson, portraying the characters. Gadd and Bell appear briefly at the beginning and end, framing the story as it jumps forward 30 years.
Considering the way the series is structured, it appears “Half Man” will only have one season. Creator Gadd recently confirmed this in an exclusive interview for our “The TopMob Writers’ Room” series, where we explore the minds of screenwriters, though he initially hadn’t planned it that way.
When asked if the story felt complete by the end of the show and whether he’d considered extending it beyond one season, Gadd admitted he had briefly thought about it.
Gadd explained that he did have some ideas for continuing the story, but ultimately felt it was more important to prioritize what was best for the project as a whole. He believed the current ending in ‘Half Man’ was the strongest way to tell the story, even if it meant not setting up possibilities for a future season that might never happen.
While I was writing, I suddenly had a clear vision for how the story should end and how it should be structured. This felt much better than leaving things open-ended or planning for it to become part of something larger. I realized it needed to stand on its own as a complete work, not something that just kept growing.
Want to see this content?
This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. We need your permission to load it because reCAPTCHA might use cookies and similar technologies. If you want to see the content, please select ‘Accept and continue’ to enable reCAPTCHA.
During a conversation for The TopMob Writers’ Room, Gadd also talked about his previous successful Netflix series, Baby Reindeer.
Want to see this content?
Okay, so this video is hosted on YouTube. Before it plays, they need my permission because YouTube, like most sites, uses cookies and stuff to keep things running. If I click ‘Accept and continue,’ the video will load and I can finally watch it – basically, it’s just letting YouTube do its thing.
Gadd described the show’s overwhelmingly positive response and high viewership as surprisingly revealing, simply because so many people were tuning in.
It’s strange how quickly things changed. One day I was just walking down the street, unnoticed, and the next, because of sudden fame, people were recognizing me everywhere. That sudden shift in attention was really unsettling.
Half Man will continue on BBC iPlayer at 6am on Friday 1 May.
You can now watch Richard Gadd’s complete interview for The TopMob Writers’ Room on both TopMob and YouTube.
Don’t miss ‘Half Man’! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app today for daily TV suggestions, exclusive features, and more.
Authors
James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, a major international television production company. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre Studies, as well as a journalism diploma.
- Visit us on Twitter
Read More
- Adam Levine Looks So Different After Shaving His Beard Off
- After AI Controversy, Major Crunchyroll Anime Unveils Exciting Update
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Steam Makes Sci-Fi Game 100% Free for 72 Hours
- Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun season 4 release schedule: When are new episodes on Crunchyroll?
- Japan’s No. 1 Spring 2026 Anime Is the True Successor to an All-Time Great
- From season 4 release schedule: When is episode 2 out on MGM+?
- Tekken 8 Fans Furious as Tifa Tipped for Street Fighter 6 Instead
- Dialoop coming to Switch on June 17
- 10 Movies That Were Banned in Different Countries For Random Reasons
2026-04-25 17:04