Netflix made its first public comments about the online sleuthing surrounding its hit British stalker drama Baby Reindeer, telling a U.K. Parliament committee that it took pains to disguise the real-life identities that were the basis of its characters.
Benjamin King, Netflix's Senior Director of Public Policy in the U.K. and Ireland, addressed the scrutiny around the series in a Wednesday hearing with the Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee. While the hearing was generally about policy around British film and "high-end television" and also included execs from Prime Video U.K., NBCUniversal International, and Paramount, one Paraliament committee member asked King about Baby Reindeer in particular, pointing out that fans had seemingly found the real-life identity of the woman who was the basis of the stalker of the show.
"Baby Reindeer is an extrodinary story, and it is obviously a true story of the horrific abuse that the writer and protagonist, Richard Gadd, suffered at the hands of a convicted stalker," King began. "We did take every reasonable precaution in disguising the real-life identities of the people involved in that story in the making of the show while also striking a balance of veracity and authenticity of Richard's story, because we didn't want to anonymize that or make it generic to the point where it was no longer his story, because that would undermine the intent behind the show."
As King noted, the creator and star of Baby Reindeer, comedian Richard Gadd, tells his the true story of his extensive stalking situation in the British series. Gadd has previously spoken about the lengths he went to keep viewers from being able to find the woman that the stalker character, Martha (played by Jessica Gunning), is based on, but as Baby Reindeer surged in popularity, online sleuths seemingly tracked her down.
After fans claimed to have found another real-life person portrayed in the series, former Gadd collaborator Sean Foley, Gadd released a statement saying, “Please don’t speculate on who any of the real life people could be. That’s not the point of our show.” Foley said on X/Twitter that police had been investigating "all defamatory abusive and threatening posts against me" in the wake of fans accusing him of being portrayed in the series.
During the hearing, King further defended Baby Reindeer and Netflix's approach to its real-life subject, adding that they worked with U.K. stalker helpline Suzy Lamplugh Trust in the promotion and launch of the series.
"Richard Gadd was very clear that that was not the intent of the show, that it should inspire people to try and track down the real-life individuals," King added. "Ultimately, it's obviously difficult to control what viewers do, particularly in a world where everything is amplified by social media. But fundamentally, this is about Richard's story and telling Richard's story in a truthful way. I personally wouldn't be comfortable with a world in which we decided it was better that Richard was silenced and not allowed to tell his story."
King went on to say that they're "following the situation very closely." When asked if the production had reached out to the real-life Martha in the making of the series, King said it wouldn't be "appropriate" for him to delve into specifics, and that he didn't "want to give further fuel to some of the theories which are circling on the internet."
Martha Seemingly Comes Forward
Despite the attempted secrecy on the part of the production, a woman that's been targeted by fans and is claiming to be the woman that Baby Reindeer's Martha is based on, Fiona Harvey, has come forward herself. Piers Morgan announced earlier today that he's conducting an interview with Harvey, which will air on Thursday, and that she wants to "set the record straight."
*WORLD EXCLUSIVE*
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 8, 2024
The real-life Martha from Baby Reindeer breaks cover and gives me her first TV interview about the smash hit Netflix show.
Fiona Harvey wants to have her say & ‘set the record straight.’
Is she a psycho stalker?
Find out tomorrow on @PiersUncensored pic.twitter.com/MxaE5SEiTa
Harvey previously said in an interview with Daily Record UK that she's considering legal action due to the disruption to her life that's come from the series.
Baby Reindeer debuted on Netflix on April 11 and has since become a massive hit for the streaming platform, regularly appearing at the top of its Top 10 most-viewed chart. It's gotten raves from critics as well, with IGN's own 9/10 review saying it "pulls no punches and raises the bar for Netflix originals."
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
