However, critics are far more divided over his follow-up series, Half Man. with some saying it is too violent and dark.

Starring Richard and Jamie Bell as two half-brothers with an explosive, toxic relationship and follows them from childhood, through their awkward teens and into adulthood, Half Man is a dark exploration of toxic masculinity, repression and male rage.

Ahead of its release on Thursday, reviews were split over whether the project was a vital piece of television that’s among the year’s best or slightly too much to stomach.

Here’s a selection of what the critics are saying about Half Man so far…

“It leaves you with that rare and precious feeling that everyone involved – Gadd, of course, who has once again pulled out his viscera, spread them over the page and taken a scalpel to every bloody organ, but every actor too (Bell is on career-best form and then some here) – has given us the very best of themselves.”

“The best show of 2026 […] Half Man will be a lot of things to a lot of people, and that’s where its brilliance lies. Many will instantly draw parallels with ongoing conversations about toxic masculinity, and that’s important. But this drama actually speaks to so much more than that, and what you will get out of it as a viewer will be dependent on what theme resonates or speaks to you most.”

“Half Man is an excellent but difficult watch. A viciousness runs through the narrative, and countless acts of violence depicted. For those who stick it out, the final episode features one of the most emotionally shattering scenes on television.”

“Half Man is so potent because it’s not sanitised. It is a deeply uncomfortable watch about deeply messed-up characters whose lives are in constant turmoil, anchored by some unreal performances – certainly by the younger cast, but definitely from Bell in particular, who I’ve determined deserves an Emmy win for embodying how tortured Niall is in his 20s and 30s.”

“Half Man is gripping, emotional, complex, and upsetting, telling a story of masculinity and brotherhood that feels rooted in reality even though the story is fictional. It stumbles at times but never falls, and the strengths massively outweigh any negatives.”

“The series isn’t flawless. There are dips in pacing here and there, and a few of the women characters could be better written. Often, the monologues feel better suited to a play than they do to television. But the density and layered nature of the writing win the day.

“Half Man makes one thing abundantly clear: Everyone else churning out scripts for TV is a writer. Richard Gadd is a bloody artist.”

“I needed an entire evening to decompress after binging Richard Gadd’s Half Man, and I don’t think I can ever watch it again. Foundational issues aside, Gadd has proved why his disturbing style makes him the storyteller of a generation”

“Family, for good or for ill, is an undeniable bond. It’s something that can frequently bring out the best and worst in a person. It’s hard to know how to navigate these situations, where it can be easy to feel like you’re living in their shadow or are constantly pulled, unwillingly, back into their orbit.

“The ways in which Half Man acutely understands that dynamic make it a must-see series even in spite of a few misgivings along the way, ultimately presenting itself as a singular experience that sticks with you. After all, family is hard to shake.”

“Life certainly can seem like a constant test of a man’s virility, but Gadd’s dramatisation of that notion doesn’t have enough resonance – as drama it’s fussy and overwrought and as dark comedy it’s lightweight and inconsequential.

“The occasional jolts of sex and violence only emphasise the overall superficiality. It’s probably not a good sign when the only people you care about in a show are the ones your hero mistreats.”

“I don’t doubt that its ugliest scenes are sincere efforts to blast away narrative euphemisms, leaving only scorched kernels of truth. But for me, it doesn’t expand upon the revelations of Reindeer enough to merit the misery.

“Someone more invested in dissecting the nuances of masculinity might disagree. If Gadd has taught us anything, it’s that we are all shaped by an infinite accumulation of experiences, and thus all tragically unique.”

“Six episodes may not seem like enough time to uncover 30 years in the lives of these men, but this limited series packs some serious punch. Niall and Ruben’s journey together is worth sticking around for.”

“Much of what’s explored is hard-hitting and very much real, but the story devolves into a bit of a bleak-fest that makes it hard to really engage with it.”

“Not only does Half Man end without attaining the same level of lived complexity as Gadd’s past work, but its conclusion also ensures the only way to read their story is as an allegory. They’re half-men who add up to even less.”

“Bell and Gadd’s commitment to their roles is never in question. At a certain point, though, the series’ schematism becomes so pronounced that it renders them mere pawns in a contraption designed to underscore, at every turn, the corrosiveness of homophobia and, also, the resultant act of hiding and hating your true self.”

“It’s a show with much to recommend it, but it’s an emotionally draining show that, in its ultimate revelations, left me with little enthusiasm for recommendation.”

“Cartoonishly exaggerated characters knock chunks out of each other, speaking in overwritten soundbites in service of a plot that rambles over the course of multiple decades. It has the feeling of a dark, misanthropic novel – the sort of thing Martin Amis would’ve written, to great acclaim, in the Eighties – but struggles as a six-hour entertainment piece.”

“Gadd was garlanded with awards for Baby Reindeer but the show was mired in accusations of mixing fact with fiction. It was bracingly original and morally dubious. Half Man is a weaker piece of work but, once again, it leaves a nasty taste.”

The first episode of Half Man is now streaming on BBC iPlayer, with new instalments following every Friday. The show is also available to watch weekly on BBC One on Tuesday nights.

A BBC expert has demolished Donald Trump’s claim that the Iranian leadership is in crisis and desperate for a deal to end the war.

The US president said on Thursday that the regime in Tehran “is in turmoil”.

Speaking in the Oval Office he said: “I want to make the best deal. I could make a deal right now.”

But Lyse Doucet, the BBC’s corporation’s chief international correspondent, insisted Trump was wrong.

She told Radio 4′s Today programme: “The general assessment is very much not the one that President Trump is presenting, saying that the leadership is in turmoil [and] he’s waiting for them to have a unified position.

“I think the most experienced Iran watchers would say that there’s always been fierce debate within the Iranian system between those who are regarded as pragmatists and those who are regarded as the hardliners.

“But at the very top, on the issues which matter, and that includes the nuclear programme, the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, there is consensus on how they want to deal with the United States, what are their red lines.”

Doucet insisted that the current ceasefire in the war – which Trump extended earlier this week – does not indicate that a deal is close.

She said: “Both sides are indicating that they are not in a rush to make a deal, both sides are saying that they are not going to back down.

“That is bad news for those that want a deal, and certainly bad news for everyone everywhere who are affected by this standoff.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Slovenia’s national broadcaster has announced plans to honour Palestinian artists rather than airing this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Last year, Slovenia was one of five countries to announce it was withdrawing from Eurovision due to the decision to invite Israel back to the competition, despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“As a public service broadcaster, RTV Slovenia is committed to upholding ethical principles and expects that equal rules and standards apply to all EBU members and all participating countries,” the Slovenian broadcaster said at the time.

On Thursday, RTVSLO’s director told AP: “We will not be broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest. We will be airing the film series Voices of Palestine, featuring Palestinian documentaries and feature films.”

After the news that Israel would be competing at Eurovision 2026 – amid widespread calls for them to be banned, similar to how Russia was expelled from the contest in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine – The Netherlands became the first country to withdraw in solidarity with Palestine, followed by Spain, Ireland and Slovenia. Iceland then did the same a week later.

While Ireland and Spain have already indicated that they will not be airing Eurovision 2026 on their respective national broadcasters, The Netherlands and Iceland will still show it, despite not taking part.

Eurovision’s reigning champion JJ said shortly after his victory for Austria in May 2025 that he supports calls for Israel to be banned from competing, echoing comments made weeks earlier by his predecessor, Switzerland’s Nemo, during an interview with HuffPost UK.

In the run-up to last year’s live final, a host of musicians and performers associated with Eurovision – including multiple former winners – shared an open letter calling for Israel to be removed from the contest.

An additional open letter was shared by the campaign group No Music For Genocide earlier this week, co-signed by numerous prolific musicians who are calling for a boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.

The director of the Michael Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland has opened up about the new biopic about the singer.

Filmmaker Dan Reed got the whole world talking in 2019 with his two-part doc, which explored the multiple allegations of child sexual abuse made against the Thriller musician in his lifetime.

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Reed was asked about the new movie Michael, which has already been panned by critics, not least because it ends in the late 1980s, meaning the accusations levelled at Jackson are never addressed in the movie.

The Emmy winner also spoke about Michael director Antoine Fuqua’s assertion to the New Yorker that “sometimes people do some nasty things for some money” when asked for his own take on the allegations.

“For Antoine Fuqua to accuse people of gold digging is kind of ironic,” Reed responded. “It seems to me all the people involved in this movie are just making bank.”

He continued: “How can you tell an authentic story about Michael Jackson without ever mentioning the fact that he was seriously accused of being a child molester? I just don’t really see it.

“If anyone’s making money, it’s Michael Jackson’s estate and the people who worked on this biographical picture. Wade [Robson] and James [Safechuck], the protagonists of Leaving Neverland, have never made a cent from their accusations. People don’t seem to understand: If you bring a lawsuit, you don’t get any money until you win in court. And when you win in court, that means you’ve proved your case, right?”

Leaving Neverland premiered on the US broadcaster HBO, before a shortened version aired on Channel 4 on this side of the Atlantic.

Years after Leaving Neverland’s debut, the Jackson estate raised a legal complaint with HBO over a previous contract agreement relating to a Michael Jackson concert broadcast from the early 1990s, which included a “non-disparagement clause”.

As a result, the film was removed from HBO’s catalogue, and is currently not available to watch anywhere, with Reed noting that they still hold the licence for his project until 2029.

Reed later worked on a follow-up, Leaving Neverland II, which was made without HBO’s involvement, also released to Channel 4 in the UK, while overseas, it premiered on YouTube.

Bad news for anyone who loves Pilates: Trad men have discovered the exercise and taken a liking to the “Pilates girl”.

Pilates – a low-impact, full-body movement method focused on core strength, control, alignment and breath – has surged in popularity in the past few years, especially among women.

The celebrity-favourite workout can be done on a mat at home or with a specialised machine that uses springs and pulleys for resistance. Those who practice it swear by its ability to tone the body and reduce stress.

But Pilates also has a certain reputation it can’t seem to shake: People think it’s for rich white women. Like yoga before it – the last “It” girl exercise of this scale – the practice isn’t inherently exclusionary, but the way it’s marketed tends to centre around a narrow body ideal and women of a certain tax bracket. An average 60-minute group class typically costs $30 to $65.

Then there’s the “look” it gives you. Instead of focusing on bulk, regularly practicing Pilates achieves a toned, lean and elongated body. You build strength, not muscle mass.

All of this has made it appealing to a certain type of man, who, as The 19th recently reported, expects their partners to devote hours to the workout.

“If your girl goes to Pilates, wife her up immediately,” online business entrepreneur Christian Bonnier said in a recent viral Instagram Reel, deeming the exercise “wholesome” and “the biggest green flag ever for a girl”.

“If your girl goes to Pilates, she’s probably staying in on the weekends so she can get up early and go to a Solidcore or BodyRok class,” he says in the clip. “And she’s going to come back from the Pilates class in a great mood because she went with her friends and didn’t get hit on by any creepy guys and got a great workout in.”

In another video, which racked up 564,000 views, Bonnier declares, “Bring back stay-at-home Pilates wives.” He’s not buying that women find greater fulfilment in a 9-to-5 job rather than staying home with their kids – but if they are working, it should be a job that leaves ample time to “tan by the pool, go to Pilates, go to farmers markets in a sundress and raise a family”.

Then there’s the Pilates-girl-loving bros of reality television. During the most recent season of Netflix’s popular dating show Love is Blind, contestant Chris Fusco faced backlash online for breaking up with fiancée Jessica Barrett in part because she wasn’t the type to do Pilates every day.

“Love Is Blind, as Long as Love Does Pilates,” the Atlantic joked in an article about the debacle between Barrett, an infectious disease doctor, and Fusco, an account executive and Army National Guard member.

Then last month, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Draper alleged that her estranged husband, Jordan Ngatikaura, told her he wanted her to do Pilates “every single day” – a request she said he tied to his want for a more traditional marriage. “He said, ‘I think I believe in traditional gender roles and I want to be more in my masculine and I want you to be more in your feminine,’” Draper said on the Call Her Daddy podcast.

How did Pilates – an exercise that has been around since the 1920s – get co-opted by gym bros with a trad wife complex? Pilates instructors have some theories.

“Pilates has a certain visual language such as long lines, control and softness that some men interpret as ‘feminine,’ ‘disciplined’ or ‘low-risk.’ That’s where the ‘green flag’ talk is coming from. But that’s projection, not reality,” said Sabrina Seymore, the owner and lead Instructor at Prevailing Pilates, the first Black-owned Pilates studio in North Carolina.

What’s happening now “feels like a mix of aesthetic culture, social media and old-school gender expectations,” Seymore told HuffPost.

It’s a strange appropriation, though, she said, because Pilates was never designed to signal anything about a woman’s desirability or “values.”

“It’s a system for strength, control, rehabilitation and full-body awareness for everyone,” she said.

Joseph Pilates, a German gymnast and physical trainer, developed the system, originally called Contrology, while interned in British camps during World War I. Lacking proper equipment, Pilates improvised by attaching bedsprings to hospital bed frames. These makeshift devices allowed bedridden patients to perform resistance exercises, forming the blueprint for modern Pilates machines like the trapeze table and reformer.

Years later in the U.S., Kathleen Stanford Grant, a Black classical ballet dancer, played a pivotal role in establishing the foundation of the workout here.

For Seymore, it’s off-putting to see the restorative exercise she loves so much turned into a personality trait or a dating filter for “trad” men. It flattens women who practice Pilates into a lifestyle aesthetic, she said, and co-opts wellness into a language of control in a subtle, insidious way.

“Personally, I don’t feel offended so much as protective of the practice,” she said. “Because Pilates, at its best, is about helping people feel strong, capable and at home in their bodies, not performing a specific kind of femininity for approval.”

Zhane Dadson, a Pilates instructor in Philadelphia who goes by Coach Zha online, feels similarly.

“The women I see in Pilates are rebuilding themselves,” she told HuffPost. “It’s not about fitting into someone else’s idea of desirable. Pilates has always been about choosing yourself. Not being chosen.”

Mariel Barnes is an assistant professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin whose research examines the manosphere and its influence on U.S. politics. She isn’t surprised that this type of man gravitates toward women who do Pilates (or at least their weirdly retrograde image of women who do Pilates).

“Manosphere types generally want someone who’s fit, slim, generally white and also generally young. It’s why they talk about women hitting ‘the wall,’” Barnes told HuffPost. (“The wall” is a Red Pill talking point for the age – usually put at around 30 – when they believe women lose their beauty, sexual appeal and high dating value.)

The manosphere likes to argue that feminism has ruined Western women, making them too demanding, pushy and assertive. It’s the reason they prefer Eastern European and Southeast Asian women; they consider such women more compliant and less influenced by feminism.

“Similarly, I think there’s this idea that women who do Pilates are perhaps a little bit softer or are into what young people are now calling the ‘soft life,’” Barnes said.

“Soft life” is just the latest right-wing pipeline for Gen Z women. On TikTok, creators promote rejecting hustle culture – and oftentimes work altogether – while encouraging women to pursue a life of ease and husband-provided luxury.

One video from such a creator shows the woman grocery shopping, with the caption, “You woke up one day and realised you’re the Whole Foods-shopping, vacationing in Europe, Pilates-going wife.”

This genre of influencers is the perfect companion to the trad husbands of the manosphere, because the women are willing to let men be in charge while they run the household. Pilates and other “soft life” trappings are the latest window dressing for drawing women into the trad wife lifestyle.

“‘Pilates girl’ is almost a dog whistle now,” Barnes said. “Because if the manosphere were to say what they really wanted in a woman, it would come across very badly.”

Saying you want a “Pilates girl” who values her health and staying fit sounds much better than saying, I need full control in the relationship and I’m superficial and looks are the be-all, end-all for me, Barnes said.

The women of colour Pilates instructors we talked to aren’t going to give their beloved exercise over to manosphere-adjacent types so easily, though.

“The Pilates I know is adaptive, intuitive and rooted in making things work with what you have,” said Tay Milburn, the owner and lead instructor at Fringe Pilates in Brooklyn, New York.

When Milburn sees Pilates reduced to whether it makes someone look “lean” or fit a certain aesthetic, it tells her that those people don’t actually understand the method.

“They’re engaging with it as an outcome for the male gaze, not as a wellness practice,” she said. “I think the current conversation is less about what Pilates actually is and more about how it’s been marketed. At its core, Pilates is a tool for connection, healing and strength.”

They’re intent on making the exercise more welcoming, too.

“It’s true that it has had a reputation as being for white women,” said Sonja R. Price Herbert, a Pilates instructor and founder of Black Girl Pilates, a space where Black female instructors can network.

“When I started Black Girl Pilates in 2017, there was more intimidation felt due to the lack of Black instructors,” she told HuffPost. “Because of our advocacy and because of Black instructors, there are more safe spaces for all of us.”