While some people may be busy binging other dramas and thrillers and sci-fi flicks, you might have spent the last few days taking in Netflix’s harrowing new miniseries.
Currently the number one watch in the UK, Baby Reindeer is based on a chilling true story, leaving many viewers completely speechless.
The dark Netflix mini-series is written by and stars Richard Gadd as an adaption from his one-man play following his ‘warped relationship’ with his female stalker.
For six years, the comedian was heavily stalked by a woman (named in the show as Martha) before police finally became involved.
She flooded the 34-year-old with 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 106 pages of letters and a jaw-dropping 350 hours of voicemail, as well as turning up to his gigs, workplace and home.
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And while Gadd has had to delve back into this experience and the traumas he endured during this time for Baby Reindeer, he still has one unanswered question about his real-life stalker.
During the series, Martha (played by Jessica Gunning) walks into the pub his character Donny Dunn works in and becomes obsessed.
In an appearance on This Morning today (17 April) Gadd was asked if he has any idea why his stalker came into the pub at that moment.
“No, but I questioned it all of the time,” he admitted.
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In the series, it’s revealed Martha stalked a police officer and a previous employer before finding Donny.
Gadd said the reality was: “I wondered if it was the end of her stalking relationship with someone else and the start of it with me.”
Viewers have been praising Baby Reindeer, not just for Gadd’s bravery in sharing and starring in his own story in this way but for the depiction of stalking itself.
The star described it as a ‘mental illness’, as he added to Tudum: “I really wanted to show the layers of stalking with a human quality I hadn’t seen on television before. It’s a stalker story turned on its head. It takes a trope and turns it on its head.”
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Baby Reindeer, named after Martha’s nickname for Donny, uses a blend of heavy emotion and humour to tell Gadd’s story.
The writer said ‘life is a comedy drama’ as he explained how he’s somehow ‘found giggles’ in ‘some of the darkest places’.
“And some of the funniest places I’ve been in, including backstage at comedy clubs with other comedians, can be the most depressing places as well,” he said. “I always think life is a mixture of light and shade. So I wanted Baby Reindeer to be a blend of them both.”
You can watch Baby Reindeer on Netflix now.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
Topics: Netflix, TV and Film
Jess Battison