A woman who claims she is the true inspiration for Richard Gadd’s hit Netflix series, baby reindeer, criticizes the creator for what she believes is an inaccurate portrayal of their relationship.
During the conversation with the Daily mail onlineThe woman, who is not named in the article to protect her privacy, says she is considering taking legal action against the 34-year-old Scottish comedian, who wrote the series based on his own experiences with a stalker. The unidentified 58-year-old says she is shocked and outraged that Gadd is using the story to make a name for herself and claims she is the victim of the situation.
“He uses Baby reindeer to stalk me now,” she shares. “I am the victim. He wrote a damn show about me.”
Although she is not identified by name, the medium reports that the woman in question bears several “significant similarities” to Gadd’s stalker in the series – named “Martha”. Among the most telling clues are her Scottish upbringing, her age difference with Gadd of over 20 years, and her “highly sexualized” language in both writing and speech. She also bears an “uncanny physical resemblance” to Martha, the outlet reports.
In an April profile with GQGadd discussed the possibility of his real-life stalker watching his show and was asked what he thought she would think of the series. At the time, he said that while he wasn’t sure how the real “Martha” would react, in a perfect world she wouldn’t even know the show was about her.
“We went to such great lengths to disguise her to the point where I don’t think she would recognize herself. What has been borrowed is an emotional truth, not a factual profile of a person,” he said.
Despite measures to protect her identity, the real woman interviewed by the British medium said her resemblance to the character alone was enough for fans of the series to make a connection, saying that actress, Jessica Gunning, ” somehow looks like that.” Me.”
While the series had a decent and respectable debut on the streaming platform, word of mouth spread quickly and caused the series’ popularity to skyrocket, landing it at #1 on Netflix charts worldwide. In the three weeks since the premiere Baby reindeer was viewed by 13.3 million platform users and streamed for more than 52 million hours. Netflix says.
This rise in popularity also brought with it a sizable new following for Gadd, whose now die-hard fans have gone out of their way to identify both the real Martha and the mentor – called Darrien in the series – who used to rape him. While internet sleuths have done everything in their power to track down the relevant perpetrators, Gadd himself has asked fans not to dive down any rabbit holes to get to the bottom of the case.
“Hello everyone, people I love, worked with and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation,” he wrote in an Instagram Story Today. “Please do not speculate about who the real people might be. That’s not the point of our show.”
For the Scottish comedian and Olivier Award winner, the purpose of the show was to raise awareness of stalking and portray the issue in a less glamorous and seductive way than it is typically portrayed in the media. In an interview with The Independenthe even called her a “victim” of circumstances and a product of a failed system.
“I can’t emphasize enough how much of a victim she is in all of this,” he said at the time. “Stalking and harassment are a form of mental illness. It would have been wrong to portray her as a monster because she is unwell and the system has failed her.”
However, for the supposedly real Martha Baby reindeer amounts to nothing more than “bullying an older woman on television to gain fame and fortune.” She added that despite his pleas, she also received “death threats and abuse from Richard Gadd supporters.”
Additionally, she claims that the show’s accuracy is an issue that should be questioned as it refutes several key details of their relationship – including the basis for the show’s name. Baby Reindeer, Gadd said, comes from the nickname his stalkers used in person and in online interactions over the course of their six years of stalking.
During that time, Gadd says Martha sent 41,071 emails, 350 hours of voicemails, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages and 106 pages of letters. In the series finale, Gadd explains – via email from his stalker – that Martha gave him the nickname because it reminded her of a stuffed animal she had as a child, one with “big lips, huge eyes and the cutest little butt.” . .”
“I have never owned a toy baby reindeer, nor would I have had a conversation with Richard Gadd about a child’s toy,” the woman said of the show’s name.
She also disputes some of the factual details surrounding some of their earliest interactions, including the show’s confrontation with an incident in which Gadd said he was hanging Martha’s curtains – a euphemism for sex. The show treats it as a joke Gadd told her to escape an awkward encounter where his friends were present.
All in all, she says Gadd didn’t do enough to protect her identity and asks him to stop profiting from the story. She criticizes the Scottish comedian and says he will have to leave her out of the narrative in the future.
“Richard Gadd has main character syndrome,” she says. “He always thinks he is the center of things. I don’t write shows about him or promote them in the media, do I? If he had wanted me to remain properly anonymous, he could have done that. Gadd should leave me alone.” “
Gadd has not yet responded to the report.
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