Richard Gadd, the creator of the hit drama Baby Reindeer, returns with a new BBC iPlayer series, Half Man, which premieres on Friday. The six-part show explores themes of broken masculinity and violence, with Gadd taking on the role of the monster rather than the victim. The series follows two 'brothers', Niall and Ruben, whose relationship is marked by painful symbiosis and uncomfortable eroticism.
Set in the outskirts of Glasgow in the 1980s, the story begins when Niall's widowed mother starts a relationship with Ruben's divorced mother. Niall, a weedy and nervous teenager played by Mitchell Robertson, is forced to share his bedroom with Ruben (Stuart Campbell), a raging psychopath recently released from a young offenders' institution for biting off a man's nose. Ruben protects Niall from bullies and assists him in losing his virginity, while Niall helps Ruben cheat on exams and offers him kindness.
An opening flash-forward shows the adult Niall (Jamie Bell) at his wedding, surprised by Ruben's (Gadd) arrival. The two are alone in a barn, stripped to the waist, setting the stage for violence so vivid that viewers may feel they can taste blood. Gadd, muscled up with a straggly beard and brutal bowl-cut, presents a character that is pure id and vengeance.
With the guide rails of portraying real events removed, Gadd's preoccupation with broken masculinity runs riot, veering close to pornography. The dialogue is unsparing, with Bell and Gadd delivering spectacular performances that are frank and almost feral. Gadd's ability to hit a nerve remains unmatched in television, but the series raises questions about where he can go next with such themes.
