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Half Man’s Richard Gadd explains how that shocking Ruben reveal was hinted at across the whole show

"I definitely tried to sew it and hint at it."

Jamie Bell as Niall and Richard Gadd as Ruben in Half Man. We are looking over Niall's shoulder, at Ruben who is sat across from him. There is a pane of glass between them, and Ruben is wearing a grey jumper.

BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckenbank

Published: Saturday, 30 May 2026 at 6:00 am

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*Warning - contains full spoilers for Half Man episode 6.*

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This article contains discussions of sexual assault that some readers may find distressing.

One of the final scenes of Richard Gadd's series Half Man was a hard-hitting sequence in which Niall and Ruben finally opened up about elements of their lives that had been repressing for a long time.

For Niall, this involved him finally coming out to Ruben, who did not react with the shock or horror that the former expected. Instead, he said he was "proud", that he had always suspected Niall was gay, and that Niall himself was the homophobe in his life.

For Ruben, he revealed a dark trauma in his past, one which helped to explain his violent behaviour throughout his life - he was both physically and sexually abused by his father while he was growing up.

It's a powerful, horrifying moment, one which, for some, will have been a complete shock, while others may have seen it coming. As it turns out, there were a number of hints towards this along the way.

"Ruben, you never see him scared, really," Gadd said, while speaking exclusively with Radio Times about this reveal in the finale. "You see his empire start to crumble in episode 5 and you see, in a very different way... I don't know whether it's fear.

"But the only time I thought you see him as kind of scared of someone is when his dad's outside the window [in episode 1] and it's not a physical terror, it's something much, much deeper."

Mitchell Robertson as Young Niall and Stuart Campbell as Young Ruben in Half Man, stood in a field together. Ruben is squaring up to Niall, putting his face close to him.

Mitchell Robertson as Young Niall and Stuart Campbell as Young Ruben in Half Man. BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck

Another moment which hinted towards the abuse Ruben suffered came in episode 3, when Ruben told Niall that when someone gropes you "they attack your f***ing soul!", becoming suddenly furious. This was a favourite moment for Stuart Campbell and Mitchell Robertson, who played the younger versions of Ruben and Niall, to film.

"I definitely tried to sew it and hint at it," Gadd said. "There's a few lines. There's the bit in the field, and then there's the time where he says, 'My father had a heart attack and that's why I was crying.' And Niall goes, 'Oh god, well, that's a good reason to cry,’ and he goes, 'No, it was when I saw him walking up the path towards the house.'"

The scene Gadd refers to comes just moments after the earlier scene in the field he referenced.

Jamie Bell as Niall and Amy Manson as Mona in Half Man.

Jamie Bell as Niall and Amy Manson as Mona in Half Man. BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckenbank

"I was hinting at it in a lot of ways," Gadd continued. "Like, in episode 5 in the cocktail bar, Mona says something like, 'He wants a kid because his dad didn't treat him so nice.' So there were hints along the way.

"A lot of people are like, 'Oh, I think he's been abused, I think there's something wrong that’s gone down there,' and then there's other people who think it's come out of nowhere. I quite like that. I quite like that some people spot it, and other people don't."

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of James Hibbs, smiling against a lime green background.

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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