- Netflix's Baby Reindeer tells the story of a comedian who is stalked by an older woman.
- Writer Richard Gadd, who also stars in the series, drew on his own experience of being stalked.
- A woman has come forward who believes the stalker's character is based on her.
A woman who believes the stalker character in Netflix's latest hit series “Baby Reindeer” is based on her says she is considering legal action against the Netflix show.
The woman who Daily Mail She said in an anonymous interview that she is considering suing the series' creator, Richard Gadd, Netflix, and others involved, for defamation.
Created, written by and starring Gad, the series is based on the Scottish comedian's one-man stage show of the same name, and is inspired by his experience of being stalked over four years.
In the show, Gad plays a fictionalized version of himself who begins being stalked by an older woman named Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning) after they strike up a conversation at one of the bars where he works.
The series has been widely praised for its compassionate depiction of stalking — both on the part of the victim and the stalker, who, in this case, is shown to have untreated mental health issues.
However, the hit show sparked social media sleuths who made it their mission to uncover the identity of Gad's real stalker, as well as an older comedy writer (played by Tom Goodman-Hill) who sexually assaulted him.
While Gad himself has asked fans to stop playing detective in the hope of learning about the characters they're based on, a woman who was accused on social media of being the real Martha has now spoken out. She claimed to have received “death threats and abuse from Richard Judd supporters.”
She told the Mail she felt Gad was “bullying an older woman on TV for fame and fortune” and criticized the creator's attempts to hide her identity, suggesting that viewers of the show had tracked her down.
“He's using 'Baby Reindeer' to stalk me now,” the unnamed woman said. “I am the victim. A bloody play was written about me.”
She also took issue with elements of the seven-part drama: “I never owned a child's reindeer toy, and I would never have had a conversation with Richard Judd about a childhood toy either.”
The woman denied being a stalker, telling The Mail that the award-winning comedian suffers from 'main character syndrome'.
After its release in mid-April, “Baby Reindeer” was a surprise hit for Netflix, climbing to No. 1 on the streaming chart in more than 30 countries. according to Delivery timeThe limited series has been viewed more than 13 million times since its launch.
Although the series is described as a true story, Gad said he used artistic license in crafting his characters.
He said about Matha's character GQ: “We've gone to such great lengths to hide it that I don't think she'll recognize herself. What's been borrowed is an emotional truth, not a fact-by-fact profile of someone.”
He also said diverse That “given where things ended up in real life,” he wasn't worried about his real stalker trying to contact him given the show's popularity.
Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a member of Netflix's board of directors.
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