Disclaimer: The following article discusses sensitive topics such as sexual assault and obsessive stalking. It may also contain spoilers for Baby Reindeer. Please be advised.
Netflix’s autobiographical and black comedy hit Baby Reindeer is making waves all over the internet after its debut on April 11, 2024. Following its boom in popularity, it has been sitting in Netflix’s must-watch section for weeks.
Consequently, just like any hit show, popularity and fame comes at a price. The show’s traumatic retelling of Richard Gadd’s life has drawn much attention, and even the real-life Martha has spoken up about her character’s portrayal.
For the uninitiated, Baby Reindeer is a true-to-life retelling of Gadd’s traumas and dark experiences with sexual assault and stalking. Gadd, the show’s writer and lead actor, plays Donny, a failing comedian turned bartender. Donny is then stalked by a woman called Martha after he gives her a kind gesture of a drink on the house.
Since that gesture, Gadd has revealed that he has received over 41,000 emails, 700 tweets, 106 pages of letters, and 350 hours of voicemail from Martha, spanning over three years.
Because of the show’s raw and serious nature, Gadd has made it so that some of the characters’ names are given fictional ones despite being people he has met and interacted with.
Given this approach, Gadd has also requested that viewers of the show not dwell too much on who the characters are in real life.
- Confused about Baby Reindeer's ending? Read this: Netflix's Baby Reindeer Ending, Explained
However, a woman who has identified herself as the real-life Martha in Baby Reindeer has now spoken out about Gadd’s portrayal of her character. In an interview with the Daily Mail, the woman requested to stay anonymous while stating that she is allegedly the victim and Gadd is stalking her.
“He’s using Baby Reindeer to stalk me now. I’m the victim. He’s written a bloody show about me.” The woman supposedly told the Daily Mail.
The woman also accused Gadd of having a case of “main character syndrome” and firmly reiterated that she is not Gadd’s stalker but, instead, the one being stalked by him.
“I’ve never owned a toy baby reindeer, and I wouldn’t have had any conversation with Richard Gadd about a childhood toy either.” The woman added.
The woman claiming to be Martha possibly approached the Daily Mail to clear her name as she stated that she was receiving death threats and abuse from Baby Reindeer and Gadd’s fans.
As for actress Jessica Gunning’s portrayal of Martha, the woman said, “She sort of looks like me after I put on four stone during lockdown, but I'm not actually unattractive.”
Gadd has yet to comment on these allegations against him; however, as previously stated, he has requested that the show’s followers not speculate and try to find the real-life equivalents of Baby Reindeer’s characters.
“Please don’t speculate on who any of the real-life people could be. That’s not the point of our show,” he said on Instagram (tweet and screenshot below by Gadd’s friend, Sean Foley).
Baby Reindeer is streaming on Netflix with seven episodes in total.
If you are affected by the topics discussed in this article and need help or someone to talk to, call 1-800-656-4673. The SAKI also has survivor resources and a hotline you can call at 800.656.HOPE (4673). For more resources, you can visit RAINN.
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