Netflix’s latest thriller Baby Reindeer tells the story of a Scottish comedian who is pursued by a stalker for months.
Surprisingly, the miniseries is based on the true story of Richard Gadd, who performs on the show as Donny Dunn, with Baby Reindeer, both the name of his tour about how he was harassed and the nickname given to his stalker, known as Martha (Jessica Gunning).
It has been hailed as “mind-blowing” and “one of the most powerful shows I’ve ever seen” by those who enjoyed all seven episodes in the early days of its release on the streaming platform.
The 34-year-old from Fife is also behind the chilling new Netflix series.
Gadd first met his stalker after offering “a crying stranger a cup of tea” when she walked into the bar where he worked.
An image from Baby Reindeer, Netflix’s new psychological thriller that follows comedian Donny Dunn, played by the show’s writer Richard Gadd, and his delicate relationship with a crazed fan named Martha (Jessica Gunning).
In real life, Gadd, left, 34, was stalked for six years by a female stalker who drove a “freight train” throughout his life, he says. Right: His award-winning stand-up show, based on some of his own experiences of harassment, is now a Netflix series (poster pictured).
In the Netflix series, Martha receives a prison sentence for her crimes, but Gadd has not divulged the fate of her real-life stalker.
The simple gesture sparked an episode of harassment in which he was regularly followed at home and at work, and tracked on Facebook using three fake accounts.
He said The times: ‘At first everyone in the pub thought it was funny that he had an admirer. Then he started invading my life, following me, showing up at my concerts, waiting outside my house, sending me thousands of voicemails and emails.’
It developed to terrifying extremes as the crazed fan grew closer to her obsession, including her showing up at his concerts and workplace and bombarding him with messages.
The actor and comedian was subjected to a campaign of obsession by the woman, known as Martha, which manifested itself in 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 106 pages of letters and a staggering 350 hours of voice messages.
He says it took “years” before the police finally took his complaints seriously – and six years before they finally intervened – something that prolonged the agony of everyone involved, including his relatives.
Gadd’s stalker sent her 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 106 pages of letters and a staggering 350 hours of voicemails over a six-year period.
In Baby Reindeer, Martha follows her obsession with her jobs and her workplace and sends him thousands of messages; She says that performing a version of her own bullying experiences has proven cathartic.
In the seven-part series, Martha heavily uses technology to stalk and restrain her victim.
Police told her at the time that unless her harasser became physically violent, there was little they could do to resolve the problem.
He has said that he still finds it difficult to trust people and has followed “all the therapies.”
He added that years of being bullied have left him with something “like post-traumatic stress disorder.” For the Netflix role, he lost weight to match his “neurotic” 25-pound self at the height of his own bullying nightmare.
Gadd says he is currently single and “more cautious” around people because of the campaign of terror Martha inflicted, saying, “It takes me a long time to trust them.” Before I would enter situations with so much abandon and it would burn me out.’
However, acting out a version of what happened to her has allowed her to have “ownership” of the trauma. Gadd won a Fringe Award for his show, also called Baby Reindeer, in 2019.
Talking with him Telegraph In 2019, of the one-woman show he wrote after the ordeal, currently playing at London’s Bush Theatre, he said: “It was debilitating beyond belief.”
The actor and comedian, pictured in 2019, says police refused to accept his claims that he was being harassed despite ‘Martha’ frequently turning up at his home.
‘I listened to his voicemails and felt my eyes fill with tears. They were tears of frustration. Proper stress for the brain.
Gadd says the woman drove a “freight train” thanks to her ability to have a normal life and relationships, but that the show portrays her as not evil but severely affected by mental health issues.
In the Netflix series, Martha receives a prison sentence for her crimes, but Gadd has not divulged the fate of her own stalker, except to say that the problem was resolved and that she never wanted to “throw someone who was at that level in prison.” of mental discomfort”. .’
Baby Reindeer is now available on Netflix