NOTE: The information in this article is based on speculation. Please do not take the statements in this article at face value.
Baby Reindeer quickly became a global sensation after its release on April 11. The show currently holds a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and continues to grow in popularity. Not long after the premiere, Richard Gadd, who is both the director and the main actor in the show, revealed that the story was not only based on real events but also his own experiences.
The audience was shocked to discover that Richard personally had to endure all the terrible aspects portrayed in the show, including stalking and sexual assault. This, of course, prompted people online to start digging into old posts to uncover the identities of the individuals responsible for these gut-wrenching actions.
Table of Contents:
Advertisement
How Did People Find The Real Culprits From Baby Reindeer?
When confirming that Baby Reindeer was based on his personal story, Richard Gadd stated that certain aspects of the narrative were altered not only for the sake of the show but also to safeguard the identities of those involved. For instance, Martha's name and some traits of her personality were modified, though most remained authentic. She did inundate Richard with thousands of messages and hours of voicemails, and her writing was indeed riddled with irrational jokes and grammar mistakes. This was ample for online sleuths to scour platforms like Twitter in search of any past posts targeting Richard Gadd that might reveal the identity of his female stalker.
Surprisingly, despite initial doubts and extensive searches through various profiles, fans of the show stumbled upon a woman who exhibited many of Martha's unique characteristics and actions. Their evidence was primarily derived from tweets dating back to the period when Richard was being stalked in real life. However, these claims cannot be conclusively proven, and the director of Baby Reindeer himself chose to address the ongoing investigation.
Advertisement
Richard Gadd's Response
Richard Gadd has been incredibly open about his experiences and has spoken in detail about different aspects or scenes from the show. However, he has always protected the identities of those who participated in the show, even if they wronged him in real life.
When people began delving into his past in an attempt to uncover the real-life Martha and Darrien, numerous speculations and names were mentioned online. While it may be intriguing to know who the real culprit was, many innocent names started surfacing, wrongly blaming random individuals for the terrible acts of the Baby Reindeer characters. Upon witnessing this unfold, Richard Gadd posted the following statement:
Hi everyone,
People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly caught up in speculation. Please don’t speculate on who any of the real-life people could be. That’s not the point of our show.
Lots of love,
Richard x X.
In an effort to protect those unfairly blamed, Gadd urged all fans to refrain from such research and allow things to remain as they are. This was not the intended outcome of the show. In numerous interviews, the director and actor emphasized that his goal is to draw attention to the lack of social care and protection from such abuse by sharing his story.
It's best if we all simply appreciate the show as it is and learn from its narrative. Be sure to check our website for more intriguing Baby Reindeer content.
Advertisement
