A comedian created a successful TV series based on his personal experiences with stalking. He is now urging fans of the show to refrain from investigating on their own.
The showrunner and star of “Baby Reindeer,” Richard Gadd, revealed to Variety that the series, which revolves around a character named Donny who becomes a target of stalking, is “emotionally 100% true.” However, he clarified that the stalker character, Martha, is not a direct representation of the real-life individual. Gadd mentioned to GQ that significant efforts were made to disguise his stalker to the point where she wouldn’t recognize herself.
Despite this, since the release of “Baby Reindeer” on Netflix, fans have been spreading unfounded theories online, trying to draw parallels between the show and real-life events.
Audiences have been speculating about the identity of Martha in real life, as well as the character Darrien, a TV comedy writer who assaults Gadd’s character. Without any evidence, fans have started accusing British actor, writer, and director Sean Foley of being the real Darrien.
On Monday, Gadd took to his Instagram story to request fans to refrain from making baseless assumptions.
“People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation,” Gadd wrote. “Please don’t speculate on who any of the real-life people could be. That’s not the point of our show.”
Representatives for Gadd, Netflix, and Foley did not respond to a comment request on Tuesday.
This statement from Gadd comes amidst the growing interest in the show and fans’ inclination to engage in investigative behavior. Experts have noted that this desire to sleuth is a result of the internet’s fascination with true crime and gossip.
While Gadd has expressed that he is not concerned about his former stalker reaching out after the Netflix series, the reaction from fans can pose challenges.
Foley also released a statement on Monday, indicating that authorities are investigating defamatory posts against him.
In his interview with Variety, Gadd explained why he couldn’t reveal too many truthful details in the series.
“I mean there’s certain protections, you can’t just copy somebody else’s life and name and put it onto television,” he said. “And obviously, we were very aware that some characters in it are vulnerable people, so you don’t want to make their lives more difficult. So you have to change things to protect yourself and protect other people.”
