Uprooting Life for Work

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: www.howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Elizabeth’s Substack: www.theelizabethday.substack.com

📚 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

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Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Engineer: Matias Torres

Assistant Producer: Shania Manderson

Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot

Executive Producer: Alex Lawless

How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.

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