"Baby Reindeer": Netflix success leads to police investigation
26/4/2024
Translation: machine translated
The British Netflix hit "Reindeer Baby" is about stalking. But its success leads to strange actions by fans: they stalk the people involved, at least online.
Scottish comedian Richard Gadd talks about his own stalking experience in "Reindeer Baby". Gadd plays himself as he is harassed by his stalker for years.
The series has become a surprise success on Netflix. According to the streaming provider, "Reindeer Baby" (original title: "Baby Reindeer") was the number one most-watched series in Switzerland in the week from 15 April to 21 April 2024, and number two in Germany.
Of course, it's great that the British mini-series is such a hit, but the main characters are now forced to dampen fans' euphoria: although "Reindeer Baby" is based on a true story, author Gadd has adapted many details so that the identity of the people cannot be discovered. He told the entertainment magazine Variety: "We were aware that some of the people portrayed are very vulnerable people, so you don't want to make their lives any harder."
Fans stalk stalker
However, some people have started to do their own research and want to find out who the real characters behind the series characters Martha (Jessica Gunning), trans friend Teri (Nava Mau) and TV author Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill) are. On the Reddit and Facebook platforms, the amateur detectives uploaded screenshots of profiles that could match the woman who stalked Richard Gadd in real life.
At the beginning of this week, Richard Gadd posted a story on Instagram in which he appealed to his fans. They should stop speculating about the real characters, because that's not what the series is about.
Before that, Sean Foley, a director who had worked with Gadd, had been accused of being the one abusing the comedian on the TV show. He had also shared the post on X (formerly Twitter) and informed them that the police were already involved in the allegations.
And Jessica Gunning, 38, who plays the desperate stalker Martha, also finds this development "sad". "They missed the point of the show," she told the BBC.
Have you seen Reindeer Baby on Netflix? What do you think of the current development? Let me know in the comments.
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.