Posted in: BBC, TV | Tagged: Baby Reindeer, doctor who, Doctor Woh, Half Man, jamie bell, neve mcintosh, richard gadd

Half Man: New Casting Announced for Baby Reindeer Creator's BBC Drama

The BBC announced the supporting cast for Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd's new series Half Man - including Doctor Who's Neve McIntosh.

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 08:07:08 -0600

by Adi Tantimedh

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Article Summary

BBC's Half Man stars Richard Gadd and Jamie Bell as estranged brothers facing a violent reunion at a wedding.
Shooting in Glasgow, the series spans 40 years exploring family drama across a changing city and world.
Doctor Who's Neve McIntosh joins the cast as Ruben's mother, bringing depth to the familial narrative.
Half Man, a BBC-HBO production, is set to air in 2026 on BBC and HBO platforms.

The BBC has announced further casting for Half Man, the original six-episode drama series from the multi-award-winning Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd. Filming is now underway in and around Glasgow. Half Man is produced by Mam Tor Productions (a Banijay UK company) for the BBC and BBC Scotland in co-production with HBO. Gadd and BAFTA award-winning actor Jamie Bell star as estranged "brothers" Ruben and Niall, respectively. When Ruben shows up unexpectedly at Niall's wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives. Spanning almost 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell will play Niall (Robertson) and Ruben (Campbell) in their younger years.

Half Man: BBC Announces More Cast in Richard Gadd Drama — "Half Man" cast: L-R: Mitchell Robertson, Stuart Campbell (Image: Agatha A Film on Film), Neve McIntosh (Image: Pip) and Marianne McIvor (Image: Jessica Hardwick), courtesy of BBC

Half Man will cover the highs and lows of the brothers' relationship, from their meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way. The series will capture the wild energy of a changing city – a changing world, even – and try to get to the bottom of the difficult question… What does it mean to be a man?

Neve McIntosh, best known as Madame Vastra on Doctor Who, will play Ruben's mother Maura. Also joining the cast of Half Man are Charlie De Melo (Rivals), Bilal Hasna (The Agency), Julie Cullen (Traces), Amy Manson (The Nevers), Philippine Velge (The Serpent Queen), Stuart McQuarrie (The Rig), Piers Ewart (The Primrose Railway Children), Scot Greenan (T2 Trainspotting) and newcomers Charlotte Blackwood and Calum Manchip.

Gadd shared, "Having scoured far and wide and met some of the most amazing talent this country has to offer, I'm so pleased to have landed on the cast that we have. I cannot wait for all our actors, young and old, to bring these characters to life. I have every faith everyone will fall in love with these performers as much as I did." Tally Garner and Morven Reid from Mam Tor Productions added, "We are utterly delighted to have such a brilliant cast join Richard and Jamie on Half Man and bring the funny, filthy, and furious world of Niall and Ruben to life."

Half Man was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama. The series is created, written, and executive produced by Gadd alongside executive producers Garner and Reid from Mam Tor Productions, Gaynor Holmes for the BBC, and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland. The producer is Wendy Griffin (Limbo, The Lost King) with Alexandra Brodski (Somewhere Boy, Rivals) and Eshref Reybrouck (Ferry: The Series, Cheyenne & Lola) attached to direct.

Half Man will air in 2026 on BBC iPlayer, BBC One, and BBC Scotland in the UK and on HBO in the US.

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