News + Trends
"Baby Reindeer": Netflix success leads to police investigation
by Anne Fischer
"Reindeer Baby": Real stalker sues Netflix for 170 million dollars in damages
10.6.2024
Translation: machine translated
Netflix's surprise hit "Reindeer Baby" is about a comedian who is followed by a stalker. The streaming supplier is now being sued by a woman who claims to have been a role model for the stalker.
170 million dollars - that's how much compensation a plaintiff is demanding from streaming supplier Netflix. Scottish actress Fiona Harvey claims to have been the model for the series character Martha in "Reindeer Baby" (original title: "Baby Reindeer"). In the British mini-series, Scottish comedian Richard Gadd talks about his stalking experiences.
On Thursday last week, the suit was filed in Los Angeles. According to the lawsuit, Harvey was clearly the role model for the series character Martha. However, she did not behave as portrayed in the show.
About the series "Reindeer Baby"
In the British comedy, barman Donny Dunn (played by Richard Gadd) buys his customer Martha (Jessica Gunning) a cup of tea. A nice gesture with serious consequences: She then starts stalking him, sending him emails and messages. She even sexually harasses him.
Details of the lawsuit
The woman claiming to be Martha's model now claims that the events are distorted. For example, she does not have a criminal record like Martha in the series. The accusation: Netflix did not check the portrayal of her. As a result, her life was destroyed.
The problem: At the beginning of the series, the sentence "This is a true story" is shown. According to the lawsuit, this is the biggest lie in TV history.
The back story
When fans played detective after the release of "Reindeer Baby" and tried to find out who Martha really was, Richard Gadd called on them not to do so. You can read more about it here:
However, her name had become public. Afterwards, Fiona Harvey outed herself as Martha's role model in an interview with Piers Morgan. In it, she also says that she has received death threats.
Gadd has not yet commented on the claims for damages. A spokesperson for Netflix stated to CNN that they intend to take decisive action against the allegations and that Gadd has the right to tell his story. <p
Header image: Netflix
A true local journalist with a secret soft spot for German pop music. Mum of two boys, a dog and about 400 toy cars in all shapes and colours. I always enjoy travelling, reading and go to concerts, too.