Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd to make BBC drama co-starring Jamie Bell

Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd’s new drama series will be fronted by him and co-star Jamie Bell.

Gadd, who rose to fame with dark Netflix show Baby Reindeer, is the creator and executive producer of Half Man, about two estranged brothers.

Billy Elliot actor Bell plays Niall opposite Gadd as Ruben, who shows up unexpectedly to his brother’s wedding, sparking an “explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives”, the BBC said.

Scottish comedian and writer Gadd, 35, said: “When I wrote the show, I did it with him (Jamie) in mind, never thinking for a second we would manage to land him. So I could not be happier for everything that has come to pass in getting him on board.

The series is created by Mam Tor Productions, a production company which is part of Banijay UK, for the BBC and BBC Scotland in a co-production with HBO.

Bell said: “I’m so excited to join this incredible creative team. Richard has once again crafted something poignant and singular. I’m honoured to have been asked to bring this to life with him.”

Baby Reindeer won Emmy awards for Gadd for writing, producing and acting, and his co-star Jessica Gunning picked up a best supporting actress award for playing alleged stalker Martha Scott.

The series was said to have been inspired by Gadd’s real-life experiences of stalking and sexual assault.

The show made headlines after a woman, who claimed to be the inspiration behind the character of Martha, filed a lawsuit against Netflix claiming the story was inaccurate.

Despite the 170 million dollar (£129 million) lawsuit, Netflix revealed in September that it had signed a new deal with Gadd.

The BBC said Half Man will span four decades from the 1980s onwards, and see the two men as teenagers and adults. It 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?”.

Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: “It’s been such a privilege to see Half Man take shape, and to know that cameras will be rolling soon. In Richard Gadd and Jamie Bell we have the perfect Ruben and Niall – two characters like no other, whose epic journey through the decades we can’t wait to have on the BBC.”

Since earning a best actor Bafta for playing the fictional Durham dancer Billy Elliot, 38-year-old Bell has been in Sir Elton John biopic Rocketman as songwriter Bernie Taupin, and starred in comic book films Fantastic Four and The Adventures Of Tintin.

Half Man will begin filming next year in Scotland.

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