The Baby Reindeer Controversy Explained

Baby Reindeer is a 2024 Netflix series created by and starring Richard Gadd.  The show delves into the heartbreaking story of Donnie, who finds himself entangled with a relentless stalker named Martha Scott. The program has been very well received by both the public and critics. It was so big that it even appeared on Gogglebox. However, there has been a lot of

controversy

surrounding the show mainly because it is based on real people and events and some fans of the show have taken it upon themselves to find the real people involved and enact some form of vigilante justice. Which is ironic because it's literally the antithesis of the series.

They are harassing me. And this has led to the point where the supposedly real Martha is threatening to sue Netflix. In this video I'll go over the controversies and explore the ethics around telling real stories on a large scale and how complicated it is to balance authenticity while protecting the real people involved. And then I'm going to talk about how Richard Gadd's success reflects the changing nature of stand-up comedy with a seemingly insatiable public hunger for comics to be more open and vulnerable than ever. I'm actually a comedian living and working in London, which is the same scene Richard comes from, so yeah, I have a bit of knowledge about that sort of thing.

I'll also do my best not to spoil any key points of the show, but if you want to go completely blind, I totally understand.  Go see it. I highly recommend it. And if you've already seen it, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You like me? Baby Reindeer, as the first episode's title screen suggests, is a true story. Even though several factors were changed for narrative and privacy reasons, the series is still fairly aligned with Richard Gadd's true experiences with SA and bullying.   After they meet, Martha harasses and bombards Donnie with an overwhelming barrage of communication that includes thousands of emails, voicemails, tweets, and letters.

Seriously affecting her personal and professional life. There is also a B-plot in which an older, more powerful man in the entertainment industry takes advantage of Donny. Gadd first put his story into an entertainment format through an hour of live comedy theater of the same name, which debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This show was also very well received and won dozens of awards and eventually won an Olivier Award. Olivier, Olivia, oliv, Olivier... Olivier Awards. She won that um... The massive success of the Netflix series has resulted in a multitude of Internet sleuths taking it upon themselves to search for the real Martha.

And now a woman has come forward apparently confirming the allegations. This woman posted on social media that she barely knows the failed comedian and that she herself has been attacked by crazy stalkers online. She even claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail that she had received death threats and abuse from supporters of Richard Gadd. I am not going to mention her real name even though she has revealed it herself. It's easy to look up, but if you do, obviously don't harass her. Don't even talk to her like you're leaving her alone. For. There has been a lot of debate online about whether Richard Gad and Netflix did enough to protect the real people involved, especially Martha, who is a vulnerable person.

There are some pretty key similarities between the character and the real Martha. Both women are Scottish, both are about 20 years older than Gadd and both studied law at university. There is also a common thread in one of the episodes where Donnie is seen Googling Martha and finds this article detailing her previous bullying incident. And this also exists with only a few details changed in the real world. Martha really wasn't that difficult to track down based on clues throughout the series. There's some conformity in television and I mean this thing that happened with Baby Reindeer shouldn't have happened.

This is really bad. I don't know what Netflix has. I know, maybe if they had a proper compliance department they wouldn't be able to pay their CEO $50 million a year, but who knows. There is also a high-profile man who was wrongly identified as SA's abuser and is now threatening legal action against those who disparaged his name. Gadd himself has asked viewers to stop speculating and harassing him. On his Instagram account, he pleaded that people I love, have worked with, and admire are being unfairly caught up in speculation. Please don't speculate about who the real-life people might be.

That is not the goal of our program. Jessica Gunning, who plays Martha on the series, also weighed in on the audience's amateur detective work. In a recent interview with Glamour. She said: "I didn't know that was happening. I urge people not to do it. I think if that is happening I think it's a real shame because it shows that they haven't watched the show properly." "I think they should try watching the show again and really see what the point was. It definitely wasn't that." "I deliberately didn't want to do an impersonation of someone. I wanted to do an interpretation of this character." After initial criticism over privacy issues, a backlash ensued.

With the Defenders emerging to support Gadd once again. They emphasized that Donnie (or Richard) is still, in fact, the biggest victim of the series, as he has been harassed and assaulted. On top of that, dealing with immense fame and recognition so suddenly must be a challenge, especially when combined with possible guilt over the real-world ramifications of telling your story. You know, now, at the moment of his great professional triumph, Richard Gadd is right in the eye of a storm. In his writing, Richard seemed to go out of his way to humanize Martha's character, and that's part of what makes the series so compelling and complicated, very much like real life.

We're so used to seeing female stalkers portrayed in entertainment as pure evil, and we're supposed to celebrate his final demise. Baby Reindeer took a more empathetic approach and recognized that Martha's behavior is largely due to mental illness. I was absolutely devastated during the bus stop sequence, just uncontrollable tears, and it wasn't the only time I cried during the series. For a long time I couldn't cry in real life like I could only shed tears while watching a movie or TV show, so I still find a lot of comfort in the cathartic release of emotions possible through the power of film and entertainment.

Richard Gadd, drawing on personal experiences of abuse and depression, navigates the complicated dual role of narrator and victim. His character's delay in informing him about Martha's harassment reflects her internal struggles and his trauma, further complicating the ethical and moral dimensions of the narrative. Richard carries his soul in this series and seems to have helped many people process his own trauma and lessen the stigma around SA, especially the male victims. So he wanted to take a look at some of the positive talk on the Reddit community page. As a Survivor stalker and seeing the fantasy world she has created, a show has never made me feel so seen.

Usually when TV shows bullying it's less psychotic and more evil and sinister, so I'd like to thank you for telling her story. It is important to shed light on difficult topics like SA. Let's keep the conversation and support survivors. I can see now that a lot of my post-traumatic behavior wasn't because I was a bad person. I will always carry shame, but the opposite of shame is acceptance. This series is helping me accept. Considering the negative reaction but also the positive impact of the show, I asked myself... How much is Richard expected to change a personal story without losing the crucial authenticity of it?

Comedians and truth have always had a confusing dynamic. Of course, we don't believe the jokes and stories are 100% true, but there's also an expectation that you won't stray too far from reality, especially when it's presented as fact. If Gadd had twisted the truth too much, he could have ended up being named after Steve Rannazzisi, a comedian who lied about being in the 9II towers. Or Hasan Minaj, who sensationalized a story about her high school crush that resulted in her and her family being harassed. It's complicated because, when you think about it, Hassan Minaj and Richard Gad have had the consequence of real-life people being unfairly harassed, but Minaj seemed to do it with the intention of elevating herself and receiving sympathy, without taking into account what would happen. to the real woman involved.

Whereas Gadd, in a way, approached it from the opposite perspective. As if he was doing everything he could to hide her identity or change details to protect her. While researching this video, I realized that Richard Gadd has been deleting a lot of videos, amazing copyrighted videos, involving his previous Baby Reindeer performances. like the theater show or his first monologue. And I feel like this might be a way to try to minimize even more clues or things that come to light. But, I mean, you can't put the Genie back in the bottle once it's out. Overall, I think Reindeer Farming raises important questions about the ethics of storytelling, the impact of trauma, and the blurred lines between fiction and reality.

It challenges viewers to engage with the narrative beyond superficial interpretations. But what did you think? Let me know in the comments below if you've seen Baby Reindeer, let me know your thoughts on it. Do you think Richard should have done more to protect the privacy of those involved? Or do you think it should have been Netflix's responsibility and it's really strange that they didn't know this would happen? Also subscribe if you haven't already. If you liked this video, give it a like and all that. This is my fourth video, so I'm still trying to get it.

Bye bye. Thank you.