This April, Netflix released Baby Reindeer, a show that has quickly become a subject of online discussion. Starring Richard Gadd, the show has a complex creative history and is rooted in the real-life experiences of the show’s main actor.
The show follows Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd), an upstart comedian whose strange encounter with a woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) leads to him being relentlessly stalked and forced to reflect on his traumatic past.
The show deals with subjects like stalking and sexual assault fearlessly, addressing how trauma can cause individuals to behave in unexpected ways.
Most of the online discourse around Baby Reindeer follows Dunn’s stalker, who was based on Gadd’s real-life stalking experience.
Whether you’ve seen the show, or are caught up on the online discourse and want to know more, here are five weird facts about the show’s creation, and how the Internet has responded:
1. The Internet quickly identified Gadd’s alleged stalker via X
Nothing is truly ever hidden once it is online. Despite Gadd’s attempt to conceal his stalker’s identity, social media connoisseurs were quick to find X user Fiona Harvey, whose rampant tweets to Richard Gadd alerted X users of her identity. Harvey even appeared in an interview with Piers Morgan on Thursday to address her portrayal in “Baby Reindeer.”
2. The Internet has yet to identify the real Darrien
Apart from following Dunn’s encounters with Martha, the show also reflects on Gadd’s past experiences of trauma, notably with Darrien, a writer who promises Gadd the chance at a real career in comedy, but quickly reveals himself as a predator. Though the Internet was quickly able to find the real Martha due to her constant tweeting, they have yet to connect Darrien with a real person.
3. Richard Gadd’s early comedy really was that bad
Anyone who has watched Baby Reindeer undeniably cringed watching Donny Dunn’s anti-comedy. From playing bizarre studio sounds on stage, to dressing up in a mermaid leotard, much of Dunn’s early comedy was extremely out of the ordinary — and not always to his favor. Though this depiction seems like a total hyperbole, much of Gadd’s early comedy was not far from the acts portrayed in the show. Although the costumes and props aren’t featured in most of his early comedy, many of the jokes are word-for-word recycled from Gadd’s early career.
4. Every email, post and voicemail used in the show were based on real interactions
Although many of Martha’s emails are so bizarre they seem fabricated, every interaction in the show is based on real messages from Gadd’s stalker. So yes, Martha’s real-life counterpart did ask Gadd to “hang her curtains.” The tweet has since been deleted, but X users were quick to get their receipts.
5. Fiona Harvey, the alleged stalker, still denies any history with Gadd
Although her long list of tweets to Gadd don’t exactly help her appear innocent, Harvey is denying all allegations of being the real Martha. Since deleting all of her old tweets, Harvey has gone on to post multiple times refuting claims that she ever stalked, or even knew, Gadd.
Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix. If you can stomach it, the show is incredibly done, and Gadd’s performance a highlight, especially considering his connection with the real story. Not only is the show exceptional, but the post-watch lore is equally as enthralling.
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