Baby Reindeer has been a major success for Netflix, which should be no surprise considering the topics that modern viewers latch onto such as mental health and stalking. And while creator Richard Gadd did intend to shed a light on both without exploiting either, this may be backfiring, as the supposed real-life inspiration is considering legal action, claiming, “I’m the victim. He’s written a bloody show about me.”
As per The Daily Mail, the unnamed woman stated, “He’s using Baby Reindeer to stalk me now,” adding that Gadd had turned to “bullying an older woman on television for fame and fortune.”
As for just who the woman is, Gadd has been adamant that he wants fans to stop trying to work out the identities of the Baby Reindeer subjects, saying they are only doing a disservice to the miniseries. Yet, that certainly hasn’t stopped people from doing the research. While they did not reveal the woman’s name, The Daily Mail did note that “both women are Scottish, both studied law at university, both are around 20 years older than Gadd and both use highly sexualised language in their speech and writing.” Added to this, the woman says that “[Martha Scott] sort of looks like me after I put on four stone during lockdown but I’m not actually unattractive,” a bit of an unnecessary slight towards portrayer Jessica Gunning, who has earned praise for her pivotal performance.
The woman in question says that Gadd suffers from “main character syndrome”, adding, “He always thinks he’s at the centre of things. I’m not writing shows about him or promoting them in the media, am I? If he wanted me to be properly anonymous, he could have done so. Gadd should leave me alone.”
The potential lawsuit over Baby Reindeer only adds to the drama surrounding the story – heck, you can practically imagine Netflix greenlighting a docuseries on the making of the show – which itself is filled with it. As has been publicized throughout the leadup to and airing of Baby Reindeer, Gadd used real-life situations to mold the story, which was actually a one-man show prior to turning into this series.
Do you think the real-life Martha – if she is who she says she is – has a chance at a successful lawsuit? Chime in with your thoughts below.