Richard Gadd Shares "Pinch Me Moment" with Steve Martin; Reveals The Office UK Inspired His Career

0:01 -Hi my friend.

0:01 Welcome back to the show.

0:02 -Oh thank you, thank you.

0:03 Thanks for having me.

0:04 -It's great to see you again.

0:06 Last time you were here,

0:07 we were talking about "Baby Reindeer," which is your show and your creation.

0:10 And it was just starting to get buzz.

0:12 And then everyone was talking about it.

0:13 And now I can say proudly, you are a three-time Emmy winner, Richard Gadd.

0:18 Cheers and applause] That's what I'm talking about.

0:21 Come on.

0:22 -It's, uh— That's quite, uh— quite a suggestive picture you've got there.

0:26 -Yes.

0:26 You and the kilt there spread out.

0:28 -Quite a lot of knee.

0:29 -Yes, a lot of you.

0:31 Yeah.

0:31 This is a pretty good album cover, by the way.

0:33 This is pretty good.

0:34 If you ever want to release an album.

0:35 -Keep that one in mind.

0:36 -Why not?

0:36 Yeah.

0:37 Last time you came on the show to talk

0:39 about "Baby Reindeer," I know we had, I think,

0:41 Ariana Grande and Ron Howard here,

0:43 and they all came up to you and they were like, "We love the show,

0:46 Richard, blah, blah, blah." And you were like,

0:48 "I can't believe Ariana Grande knows the show." -Yeah, I mean,

0:51 I think she said she'd watch it about four times,

0:53 which I couldn't— I couldn't actually believe It was crazy.

0:56 -Does it freak you out?

0:58 -It's mad.

0:58 I mean, the thing that just surprises me

1:00 is just how many people have watched it.

1:02 I think within the first eight weeks over 80 million people watched the show.

1:06 -Yes.

1:06 -And I sort of— -It's amazing -I mean, it's crazy.

1:10 And then it means that pretty much everywhere I go,

1:13 I get recognized to some degree.

1:15 And that was just such an overnight sort of thing.

1:17 Like the amount of people— Like, I remember even funnily enough at the Emmys,

1:20 I remember seeing so many of my heroes, like I'm a big fan of Steve Martin.

1:24 And I went up to— Maybe I should leave him be.

1:25 I don't want to pester him.

1:26 He's Steve Martin.

1:27 And I remember going up to him and saying, "Hey, hey, could I get a photo?

1:31 Is that all right?" And he said,

1:32 "Only if I can get one too." And I'd grown up watching this guy like, you know.

1:36 -I mean, he's the best, Steve Martin.

1:38 You're like, "Steve Martin wants a picture with me?" -Yeah, it was crazy.

1:42 And he asked for one.

1:42 He took out his phone.

1:43 He did it.

1:44 And it's one of those pinch-me moments, you know.

1:46 -You also had accepted a Peabody Award from the one and only Stephen Merchant.

1:51 Who, man, he's one of my favorites.

1:53 Gosh, he's a funny guy.

1:55 But you said that— You had said that he's one

1:58 of the reasons "Baby Reindeer" exists in the first place.

2:00 -Yeah, yeah.

2:00 No, absolutely.

2:01 I mean, I grew up— I was about 12 years old when the UK "Office" came out,

2:04 and I absolutely loved it.

2:05 And I remember, I don't know, it was almost like a coming of age for me.

2:09 Like, I sort of understood human behavior almost in a way,

2:11 because there's something so funny about it,

2:13 but also so tragically sad, I guess, and human.

2:15 And I remember researching into it and researching

2:17 into these Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant guys.

2:20 And I knew at that age they'd written it, they were in it.

2:23 And I said, "That's— That's what I want to do." And I knew clear as day,

2:26 like a clarion in my head.

2:28 That's what I want to do.

2:28 That's what I want to be.

2:29 -And then you did it.

2:30 -Yeah.

2:30 -You crushed it.

2:31 Yeah.

2:32 I mean, come on.

2:33 -Not only— Not only are you creating giant television shows and winning awards,

2:40 but I know you're a huge soccer fan or— -Oh, yes.

2:42 -Or football, what you call it.

2:44 Yes, yes.

2:44 -Football.

2:45 Football.

2:45 -Football of course.

2:46 Yeah.

2:46 Are you excited about the World Cup coming up?

2:48 -Oh yeah.

2:48 I'm excited.

2:49 You know, it's funny because I've been— I surprised my dad for Christmas, right,

2:53 you won't believe this, I surprised my dad for Christmas with like,

2:56 all the flights and all,

2:57 like I treated him like, "I'm going to take you to the World Cup." And I still,

2:59 if you can believe it, I haven't managed to get any tickets.

3:02 That's how— Yeah.

3:04 So so almost like I have to take the Christmas present back at this point.

3:06 But isn't that crazy?

3:07 -What else do you want, Dad?

3:08 Yeah I can't— It's tough to get tickets.

3:10 -It's tough, it's unbelievable.

3:12 And because Scotland haven't been there since 1998.

3:14 -Well that's you, you're Scottish.

3:15 -Yeah, yeah.

3:16 Like they're the most in-demand tickets.

3:18 I heard that the most in-demand ticket at the World Cup is Scotland v Brazil.

3:21 Because it's the nation that haven't been there in over 20 years.

3:25 And then it's the world's most famous footballing nation.

3:27 And so it's gold dust.

3:29 -Brazil.

3:29 Oof.

3:29 -Yeah, yeah.

3:30 -Oh, no, you can't do it.

3:31 Yeah, but you got to find a way.

3:32 -Yeah.

3:32 -Come to Jersey.

3:34 You can stay at my house.

3:35 -Yeah.

3:35 Deal.

3:36 You're welcome.

3:37 Yeah, well, at least at least your dad can stay.

3:39 Yeah, we'll take care of your dad.

3:40 -I'll sleep on the porch outside.

3:41 -Yeah, yeah, yeah.

3:42 No problem.

3:43 You've gone from playing on pub teams to playing Soccer Aid.

3:47 This is a huge charity game.

3:49 -Yeah.

3:49 -And you played it for the first time last year.

3:51 Look at you.

3:53 Come on, sporty, you got to do it all.

3:54 Look at that.

3:55 That's FIFA.

3:56 That should be in the video game.

3:57 -Yes.

3:58 -Yeah that should be in FIFA the next year.

4:00 How does it compare to any matches that you played growing up?

4:05 -Well, there was a loss.

4:06 A lot less Wayne Rooney growing up, I can tell you.

4:08 I can tell you that like I sort of, uh, I, it was crazy.

4:12 I mean, I remember when I did Sunday League,

4:15 I played all the way till when "Baby Reindeer" came out,

4:17 I was still playing football for a pub team called the Ultra Lately FC.

4:21 And I remember the decision I decided to stop playing

4:22 was because "Baby Reindeer" came out and I couldn't escape it.

4:25 Even when I was playing on the pitch,

4:27 I remember I was going through on goal and I took a shot

4:29 and I skied it about 40 yards over the crossbar and everyone goes,

4:32 "Stick to Netflix, mate!

4:33 You should stick to Netflix!" And it's funny— -Humble you a little bit.

4:38 -Oh, it was crazy.

4:39 And I remember like, I just couldn't escape it.

4:41 And the other teams always thought it was so funny.

4:43 Like, I always remember I was at a corner and some guy was marking it.

4:46 He goes, "Hey, are you that guy from 'Baby Reindeer'?" And I'm like, "Yeah,

4:49 yeah." He goes, "Well,

4:50 thank God you found acting because your comedy was (bleep)" -Why not?

4:54 Why not humble you a little bit?

4:55 But I mean, you got— It must be a pinch-me moment.

4:57 -Oh, yeah.

4:59 Oh, going to Soccer Aid was unbelievable.

5:00 I mean, I remember it was crazy because, you know,

5:03 I'd grown up idolizing all these football players

5:05 and you know you get to play not with them,

5:07 you get to play with amazing actors and musicians and all these kinds of things.

5:10 And I remember I was backstage— Backstage, that's the actor in me.

5:13 I was in the dressing room and I was, um,

5:17 and I remember they were reading out the lineup

5:19 and everyone wants to start at Soccer Aid.

5:21 It's like a big honor.

5:22 You're in the starting lineup.

5:23 So everyone's sitting there hoping they start

5:25 and you put down your positions beforehand.

5:27 So I put down left back or left wing,

5:29 because those were the positions that I played for my pub team.

5:32 And, um, and then they're reading out

5:33 the lineup and it's the goalkeeper right back.

5:36 And then they say "And center back, Richard Gadd." And I'm like, whoa.

5:39 I'm out of position.

5:40 I'm completely out of position.

5:42 And I remember these nerves.

5:44 I remember being like, "Oh,

5:44 excuse me for a second." I went to the bathroom and I

5:47 was putting on my shin pads and I was literally shaking.

5:49 And I remember thinking, "Okay, this is like--" -There's a lot of pressure.

5:52 -Oh, it's so much pressure because the center back is one of the key positions.

5:55 If you make a mistake, they're through on goal.

5:56 -Yeah.

5:56 -And I remember thinking, either I let this nerves get me or I live

6:01 the dream that I've had since I was a kid,

6:03 and I took a big deep breath in, I emptied myself of the nerves,

6:06 and I went out there and I had the best time of my life.

6:08 I remember playing in the pitch, and a lot of times,

6:11 because I've worked so hard in my life and I've been behind the laptop,

6:13 I've always been existentially,

6:14 "What is it all for?" But I remember I was kicking the ball about Old Trafford.

6:17 I remember thinking, "Oh, this.

6:18 This is what it's all for." -This is what it's all for.

6:20 Yeah.

6:21 Congratulations.

6:21 -Oh.

6:21 Thank you.

6:22 -That's great.

6:22 -No, it was amazing.

6:23 -And your dad must have been proud, too.

6:25 -Yeah.

6:25 Oh, yeah.

6:26 -Let's talk about your new show,

6:28 "Half Man," it premiered last week, is getting rave reviews.

6:31 Just quickly, if you want to plug your ears.

6:33 "'Half Man' is Richard Gadd's outstanding return to TV.

6:35 Riveting and profound," says Variety.

6:38 "'Half Man' is the best show of 2026.

6:41 An appointment TV at its finest," that's Digital Spy.

6:43 And then New York Post, they say, uh,

6:46 "'Half Man' should sweep the Emmys." Come on, brother,

6:48 that's what I'm talking about.

6:50 -Thank you.

6:51 -Congratulations.

6:52 -Oh, thank you so much.

6:54 -Uh, how do we— How do we set up the show?

6:57 It starts kind of between an intense scene between two brothers.

7:01 -Yeah.

7:01 It's kind of about men and sort of male repression.

7:04 Male violence.

7:05 We meet me and Jamie Bell, the fantastic Jamie Bell,

7:07 we meet us in a very odd situation in the present day,

7:12 and we flash back to all the way to 1980s Scotland,

7:15 and where we see all the kind of learned

7:17 behaviors and prejudices that these characters soak up,

7:20 which go on to make them kind of broken males in the present.

7:22 It's an exploration of sort of male repression and masculinity.

7:25 -And I want to show everyone a clip of this.

7:27 Here's Richard Gadd in "Half Man." Take a look at this.

7:31 Chuckles][ Laughs] -Oh, (bleep) sake.

7:51 -Oh, now.

7:54 Grunts] Come here.

7:59 Yeah?

8:00 Come here.

8:06 I'm proud of you, yeah?

8:09 You know that?

8:11 -Yikes!

8:14 Richard Gadd "Half Man" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m.

8:18 on HBO and HBO Max.

8:20 We'll be right back with the crew from NASA's Artemis II.

8:23 Stick around.