Richard Gadd - On Shame, Sexuality and Success

Richard Gadd is the creative talent behind Baby Reindeer - the Netflix show which won six Primetime Emmys, two Golden Globes and garnered 84.5 million views within its first 45 days. Gadd began in stand-up, and by 2016 he’d won a Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe. His work became known for its compulsive storytelling, blending dark comedy with a kind of philosophical kink for asking audiences the most uncomfortable questions. Now Gadd returns with Half Man, a six-part drama co-production between HBO and the BBC, which Gadd created, wrote, executive produced and stars in. In this episode we talk through his childhood, how it felt to be abruptly catapulted into being the most googled man on the planet following the release of Baby Reindeer and the complexity of identity and sexuality. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 03:13 Fame and Self Worth 05:37 Writing Dark Truths 06:52 Baby Reindeer Explosion 08:00 Becoming Ruben 09:40 Half Man Meaning 10:57 Workaholism Origins 23:58 Family Support After Trauma 24:30 Comedy Meets Abuse Healing 26:13 Rebuking Shame 27:51 Fame And Re Triggering 29:12 Stubbornness And Casting Martha 33:03 Sexuality Beyond Labels 36:15 Grudges Empathy Forgiveness 40:13 Athlete Failure And Closing 💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER: I never wanted fame. I just liked the idea that one day I would make a piece of art that was culturally important because then maybe I would learn to like myself. It doesn't matter your intelligence, where you come from, your upbringing, anything… it’s about the hours you put into it. Hard work trumps everything. I think actually that we have but scratched the surface of sexuality in a way... there are so many complications to it. 🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS: You can watch Half Man on BBC iPlayer every week Join the How To Fail community: Elizabeth’s Substack: 📚 WANT MORE? Stephen Merchant - the actor, writer and director on turning 50, failure in stand-up and what he learned from Ricky Gervais when he co-wrote The Office: swap.fm/l/Lta5mlFbVnPHyFb8R1n2 Phoebe Waller-Bridge - the creator of Fleabag talks about ambition, doubt and creating bold work: swap.fm/l/gTCOCJUmXX9t22mTABSa 💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?

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Richard Gadd - On Shame, Sexuality and Success is an episode from How To Fail With Elizabeth Day by Sony Music.

This episode is 49:43 long.

This episode was published on Apr 29, 2026.

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