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Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd has shared his theory for why he thinks his stalker came into the pub crying before becoming the object of her obsession.
The story retells Richard’s traumatic real life experience of being stalked over the course of several years, where he was flooded with 40,000 emails, 740 tweets, 350 voicemails as well as hundreds of letters.
The hard-hitting adaptation also explores Richard’s harrowing experience of past trauma with sexual abuse while trying to make his way as a struggling comedian.
The actor, 34, who also said it was ‘theraputic’ to relive the events during filming, spoke about the Netflix phenomenon on Wednesday’s This Morning.
The seven-part series begins with Richard’s character Donny Dunn working at The Heart pub in Camden, when he first meets Martha, who is based on his real stalker.
Martha, who is played by Jessica Gunning, sits down at the bar in floods of tears and is comforted by Donny who offers her a cup of tea on the house.
The act of kindness sparks an immediate fixation with Donny and Martha then begins to visit the pub every day and starts to bombard him with emails.
During his TV appearance, Richard was asked if he ever found out why Martha ever came into the pub that day in the first place.
He said he didn’t, but revealed he did have a theory, saying: ‘No but I questioned it all of the time. I wondered if it was the end of her stalking relationship with someone else and the start of it with me.’
Richard said that recreating his own experiences for the series gave him the ability to ‘dwarf the magnetube’ of his trauma by getting it out there.
He said: ‘It’s been the best therapy for me!’
Despite telling police about his plight, there was unfortunately not much they could do because the unwelcome communication was not ‘obviously’ threatening.
Using his trauma, Richard created a play called Baby Reindeer – a nickname his stalker had given him which has now been transformed into the haunting series.
Mirroring Richard’s own tale, Martha becomes obsessed with the actor-writer after he gives her a free cup of tea in the pub.
Initially Donny appreciated the attention from Martha – and even flirts back on occassion.
However as the stalker begins to cross boundaries as we see their friendly encounter turn into a terrifying tale, unearthing Donny’s past trauma of sexual abuse.
Richard told Netflix: ‘Stalking on television tends to be very sexed-up. It has a mystique. It’s somebody in a dark alley way. It’s somebody who’s really sexy, who’s very normal, but then they go strange bit by bit.
‘But stalking is a mental illness. I really wanted to show the layers of stalking with a human quality I hadn’t seen on television before.’
The real-life Martha is now required by law not to approach Richard or any of his friends or family.
Netflix fans have been blown away by how the Scottish comedian has managed to retell his trauma in the harrowing story, with several labelling it a ‘masterpiece’.
‘Baby Reindeer is insane but the fact that 1) it’s a true story 2) the main actor is the actual victim of the true story in real life makes it that much CRAZIER’; ‘Binged all of Baby Reindeer on Netflix yesterday and it’s just completely incredible’;
‘Goes from funny, weird & creepy, all the way to being genuinely harrowing. not an easy watch but feels like a really important one’; ‘My Goodness #BabyReindeer on Netflix is bleak but brilliant. Black humour and so much more than a stalking story.
‘A powerful study into trauma, abuse & mental health. Incredible writing, performances & production. Not an easy watch at times but utterly gripping’; An honour to have been across the mix of Baby Reindeer, it’s a true masterpiece.’
‘Richard Gadd is brilliant in Baby Reindeer! If you haven’t seen it on Netflix you have too!!!! It’s absolutely mind blowing!’; ‘Wow Baby Reindeer is one of the most powerful shows I’ve ever watched and to know it’s true is just heartbreaking. So glad he told his story’;
‘Baby Reindeer on Netflix…..one of the best things I’ve seen in a while. Highly recommend’; ‘Baby reindeer was a 10/10 had me crying so hard.’
