Two years after Baby Reindeer arrived on our screens and became a cultural phenomenon, its star and creator Richard Gadd is bringing us a brand-new TV offering in the form of BBC drama Half Man.
A fictional story of two men, bonded like brothers, it stars Gadd as the grown-up Ruben opposite Jamie Bell as Niall – with the characters’ toxic and complicated dynamic unfolding across six episodes and two timelines. But if you’ve seen the buzz (Digital Spy’s five-star review called it “the best show of 2026” for a reason) and are wondering how and when to tune in, you’ve come to the right place.
How to watch Half Man in the UK
While the show is a co-production with HBO, Half Man is airing exclusively on the BBC in the UK.
The six-part series will first stream on BBC iPlayer, premiering on 24 April, as well as getting a broadcast on BBC One a few days later.
Episode one of Half Man is available on BBC iPlayer right now.
BBC
Half Man release schedule – when is the next episode?
The series will roll out weekly on iPlayer, instead of dropping all at once as a box set – making it ripe for appointment viewing, and water cooler conversation.
A new episode will drop at 6am every Friday, culminating in the drama’s finale on 29 May. A full schedule of Half Man’s release to BBC iPlayer can be found below:
Episode one – Friday, 24 April
Episode two – Friday, 1 May
Episode three – Friday, 8 May
Episode four – Friday, 15 May
Episode five – Friday, 22 May
Episode six – Friday, 29 May
BBC
When will Half Man air on BBC One?
The bold new drama will also broadcast on BBC One, but viewers wanting to watch in a more traditional way will have to wait a few days after the BBC iPlayer drop.
The first episode of Half Man will air on Tuesday 28 April on BBC One and, presumably due to the nature of its themes, it has been given a late time slot of 10.40pm.
As the series run continues, Half Man will continue to air each new episode in that same time slot every Tuesday night. Following this pattern, the final episode is set to conclude on BBC One on Tuesday, 2 June.
BBC
What is Half Man about?
The BBC’s description for episode one reads: “When their households merge, Niall and Ruben form a close and unsettling bond. An intimate yet epic exploration of what it means to be a man.”
Created and written by Richard Gadd, Half Man charts the lives of these two men across a timeframe of four decades, moving between the present day and flashbacks to their teenage years in the late ’80s.
The show is a visceral and tense look at themes of “brotherhood, violence, and the intense fragility of male relationships”, kicking off its storytelling with a burst of violence in the very first episode as the pair come face to face at Niall’s wedding.
Half Man premieres on BBC iPlayer on 24 April, and will air on BBC One later.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Â Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK’s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. Â As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world’s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).Â