‘Martha Scott Is Not Fiona Harvey,’ Says Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd in Legal Response

The plot thickens. Though Netflix’s hit limited series Baby Reindeer graced the streamer a few months ago, the drama between the alleged “real Martha” and the streaming service is far from over. 

Baby Reindeer creator and star Richard Gadd has submitted a declaration of support for Netflix after Fiona Harvey, the alleged deranged stalker depicted in the series, sued the streamer back in June. 

In the 21-page letter, Gadd has declared that “Martha Scott is not Fiona Harvey” and that the show is “a dramatic work” and only “emotionally true.” According to him, Baby Reindeer “is not a beat-by-beat recounting of the events and emotions [he] experienced as they transpired. It is fictionalized, and is not intended to portray actual facts.”

“Throughout the process of writing the Baby Reindeer play and the series, I intentionally did not refer to Harvey by name in any way. When viewers began speculating about the real-life inspirations for various characters, I urged them to stop,” said Gadd. “I never intended the series to identify any real person as Martha Scott, including Harvey. Martha Scott is not Fiona Harvey. Like all characters in the series, Martha is a fictional character with fictional personality traits that are very different than Harvey’s.”

Fiona Harvey sued Netflix for Martha depiction in Baby Reindeer

Gadd’s declaration of support for the streamer came a few weeks after Harvey filed a lawsuit against Netflix for “defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence, and violations of [her] right of publicity.” Harvey has publicly declared that Martha, played by Jessica Gunning in the miniseries, is based on her. 

“The lies that Defendants told about Harvey to over 50 million people worldwide include that Harvey is a twice convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison, and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd. Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money,” the part of the complaint reads. 

While Harvey’s name was never mentioned in the series, viewers started to speculate that Harvey was the alleged stalker in Baby Reindeer, comparing some scenes in the series and Harvey’s past social media posts. 

Harvey then appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored for an exclusive interview. 

The seven-episode series, based on Gadd’s autobiographical one-man show of the same name, follows stand-up comedian Donny (the fictionalized version of Gadd), whose “one act of kindness sparks a twisted obsession.” The title, Baby Reindeer, is said to be a nickname given to him by his stalker. 

All seven episodes of Baby Reindeer are available to stream on Netflix.

(Source: TVLine)