Netflix’s psychological thriller series ‘Baby Reindeer’ has captivated audiences with its portrayal of a man’s experience of being stalked and sexually assaulted. However, the woman who allegedly inspired the series’ central character of the obsessive stalker, Martha Scott, has now come forward, accusing the show’s creator, Richard Gadd, of exploiting her story and, ironically, stalking her through the very show purportedly based on his ordeal.
In an explosive interview set to air on May 9th with British TV personality Piers Morgan, the woman, who has identified herself as “Fiona Harvey”, plans to “set the record straight” and share her side of the story that served as the inspiration for the critically acclaimed series.
“I’m the victim. He’s written a bloody show about me,” Harvey told Daily Mail in April, expressing her outrage at Gadd’s portrayal of their alleged relationship. She claims to have received “death threats and abuse from Richard Gadd supporters” in the wake of the series’ release, further exacerbating her distress.
Gadd, who created and starred in the autobiographical one-man show that served as the basis for the Netflix series, had previously spoken about the real-life events that motivated his work. In an interview with The Independent in 2019, he recounted the story of a woman he called “Martha,” who, after a chance encounter at the pub where he worked, became obsessively fixated on him, bombarding him with thousands of emails, voicemails, tweets, and letters over time.
While acknowledging his own initial flirtatious behavior towards the older woman, Gadd emphasized the need to humanize her experience, stating, “Stalking and harassment is a form of mental illness. It would have been wrong to paint her as a monster, because she’s unwell, and the system’s failed her.”
However, Harvey’s perspective appears to contradict Gadd’s narrative, as she asserts, “He’s using Baby Reindeer to stalk me now.” Her decision to reveal her identity and share her side of the story suggests an intricate dynamic between the two individuals, with both claiming victimhood and accusing the other of harassment.
The impending interview with Piers Morgan promises to shed light on Harvey’s experiences and her motivations for coming forward publicly. Morgan, known for his confrontational interview style, has already stirred controversy by posing the provocative question, “Is she a psycho stalker?” in promoting the interview, potentially reigniting the debate surrounding the depiction of mental illness and victimization in the series.
As the true story behind ‘Baby Reindeer’ continues to unfold, it raises questions about the ethical boundaries of artistic expression, the complexities of relationships, and the interplay between mental health, trauma, and societal perceptions. Regardless of the outcome of Harvey’s revelations, her decision to break her silence has undoubtedly added a new layer of complication to the already thrilling narrative, leaving audiences eagerly anticipating the unraveling of this real-life drama behind the fictional series.