Scripted

Emmy Award-winning creator, writer and actor Richard Gadd will be among the major international guests of the second edition of Italian Global Series, taking place from July 3 to 11 in Rimini and Riccione.

The Scottish storyteller, who rose to global prominence with the Netflix phenomenon Baby Reindeer, will be honoured with the Maximo Breakthrough Storyteller Award during the festival’s closing ceremony on Saturday, July 11 at the Teatro Galli in Rimini.

Gadd will also take part in a special public conversation on Friday, July 10 at 7:30 pm at Palariccione’s Sala Polissena in Riccione. The event will be followed by a screening of the first episode of Half Man, the six-part HBO and BBC original series created, written and executive produced by Gadd, who also stars in the drama alongside Jamie Bell.

Available on HBO Max across Europe, the United States and Latin America, and on BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom, Half Man has quickly become one of the year’s most discussed drama titles. Directed by Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck, the series explores toxic masculinity, codependent relationships, brotherhood and the fragility of male bonds through a raw and emotionally charged narrative.

The story follows Niall, played by Jamie Bell, and Ruben, played by Richard Gadd, two men who are not brothers by blood but are bound by a connection just as deep. As young men, they are inseparable, brought together by tragedy and circumstance. Decades later, Ruben’s unexpected arrival at Niall’s wedding triggers a violent incident that sends the story back through time, tracing their lives from the 1980s to the present day.

The award marks another important recognition for Gadd, who has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary television. After training at the Oxford School of Drama, he first made his name in theatre and stand-up, particularly at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with autobiographical one-man shows including Cheese & Crack Whores, Breaking Gadd and Waiting for Gaddot. His work has become known for its ability to transform personal trauma and complex social issues into powerful, unconventional storytelling.

With Baby Reindeer, Gadd achieved worldwide acclaim as creator, writer and lead actor, earning three Emmy Awards and establishing himself internationally as an author-performer capable of blurring the boundaries between comedy, drama, confession and psychological investigation. With Half Man, he continues this artistic trajectory, expanding his exploration of emotional damage, masculinity and human dependence within a broader dramatic canvas.

The series is produced by Mam Tor Productions, a Banijay UK company, in association with Thistledown Pictures, for HBO, BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Scotland. Sophie Gardiner and Anna O’Malley serve as executive producers alongside Gaynor Holmes for the BBC and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland. Tally Garner and Morven Reid are executive producers for Mam Tor Productions, while Banijay Rights handles international distribution outside HBO and BBC rights. The series is supported by Screen Scotland.

Italian Global Series, directed by Marco Spagnoli, is conceived and organized by APA, the Italian Audiovisual Producers Association, in collaboration with Cinecittà. The event is supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Emilia-Romagna Region, APT Servizi Emilia-Romagna, the municipalities of Riccione and Rimini, and AGIS, with contributions from SIAE, Enel and FS Group.