Netflix has made a rare comment about the speculation surrounding the ‘real-life’ versions of characters in Baby Reindeer.
The mini-series has taken the world by storm since it dropped on the streaming platform last month, with it being based on comedian Richard Gadd's real life experiences of being stalked.
The series, which stars Gadd as a fictionalised character based on himself, explores the trauma he went through alongside being dangerously stalked for six years.
Since the series dropped, however, fans have been quick to try and uncover the real identities of those in the show - including Gadd's real stalker and the person who abused him.
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Accusations against director and comedian Sean Foley emerged, with social-media sleuths thinking they’d figured out that he was Gadd’s ‘real-life’ abuser.
But Gadd came out to deny these rumours, posting on Instagram: “People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation. Please don't speculate on who any of the real-life people could be. That's not the point of our show.”
Foley went on to state on X himself that he had reported several posts to the police for ‘defamatory, abusive, and threatening posts’ against him.
And earlier this week, it was announced that a woman named Fiona Harvey - the ‘real-life Martha’ - is set to appear on TV for a ‘tell-all’ interview with Piers Morgan.
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Now, Netflix has responded to questions regarding Baby Reindeer in a Parliamentary hearing, with policy chief Benjamin King telling the hearing that Netflix was ‘satisfied with duty of care standards on the show’.
During the British film and high-end television inquiry yesterday (8 May), King told Parliament that Netflix and the production studio behind Baby Reindeer took 'every reasonable precaution in disguising the real-life identities of the people involved in that story'.
He went on to say: “We didn’t want to anonymize [the authenticity of Gadd’s story] or make it generic to the point where it was no longer his story because that would undermine the intent behind the show.
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“Ultimately, it’s obviously very difficult to control what viewers do, particularly in a world where everything is amplified by social media.
“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 the story.”
This came after SNP MP John Nicholson pointed out that Netflix’s work to protect identities had not prevented the identity of 'Martha' from being discovered by the public.
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Whilst Gadd has continued to stress a desire for fans not to find the real-life versions of any of the characters, Fiona Harvey has been critical of the series’ alleged portrayal of her, stating it gets facts incorrect.
She told The Daily Record: “I've not been to prison." I don't know where the four -and-a-half years and nine months comes in. None of this happened. It's a load of rubbish."
Harvey also told the Scottish newspaper she is planning on taking legal action against Netflix, in which she will represent herself.
She said: “There are no restraining orders, injunctions or interdicts anywhere. There's just no way.
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“I've not had the police at my door about any of these things. It's a load of rubbish. I don't have any money but I'm a perfectly capable lawyer so I will represent myself.”
Harvey’s interview with Piers Morgan will air at 8pm tonight (May 9) in the UK on Morgan's YouTube channel.
Topics: Baby Reindeer, Netflix, Social Media, Piers Morgan, TV and Film, TV
Michael Slavin