In Reindeer Baby, series creator and lead actor Richard Gadd deals with experiences with a stalker from his own life. Now the “real Martha” has spoken out.
The British series Reindeer Baby entered the Netflix streaming program a few weeks ago and catapulted to the top of the series charts in no time at all. Creator and lead actor Richard Gadd spins a gripping story about an aspiring author who is stalked by a woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) after a chance encounter.
According to Gadd, the series is based on experiences from his own life with a stalker. The real “Martha” has now spoken out and criticized the Netflix hit.
Real stalker from the Netflix hit Reindeer Baby accuses Richard Gadd
So a woman contacted the British publication The Daily Mail and claimed to be the inspiration behind the series character Martha. In doing so, she explained that she was victimized by Richard Gadd through the series:
‘He’s now using Reindeer Baby to stalk me. I’m the victim. He wrote a fucking show about me.
In addition, according to the anonymous woman, Richard Gadd used the story to become famous at her expense. He was “mobbing” an older woman on television for fame and fortune.
(Jessica Gunning as Martha in Reindeer Baby)
Although Gadd explained in advance that he changed his story for the series for “legal and creative reasons”, fans would have drawn conclusions about her identity according to the real “Martha”. According to The Daily Mail, the woman links her law degree, similarities in appearance and age as well as her history of sexual harassment to the series character, among other things.
In addition, certain messages to Gadd that have a sexual connotation can be viewed. Since the start of the series Reindeer Baby on Netflix, the woman had received “death threats and harassment from Richard Gadd supporters”. The woman accused Richard Gadd of not properly preserving her anonymity in the series:
He always thinks he’s the center of everything. I don’t write series about him or promote them in the media, do I? If he had wanted me to remain completely anonymous, he would have made sure of it. Gadd should leave me alone.
According to The Daily Mail, the real “Martha” is now considering taking legal action against the show for defamation.
Richard Gadd urged fans not to draw conclusions about real people
Richard Gadd commented on a story on Instagram a few days ago and asked his fans to refrain from researching the real people behind the series. However, he was not only referring to “Martha”, but also to the TV writer who appears in the series under the name Darrien and exploits Gadd’s character on a sexual level:
People I love, have worked with and admire (including Sean Foley) are being implicated in unfair speculation. Please don’t speculate about who the real people might be. That’s not the point of the show.
– sean foley (@SeanFoleyJ) April 23, 2024
