In an astonishing turn of events surrounding theBaby Reindeertrial, the attorney representing Fiona Harvey will use a report that claims Netflix influenced Richard Gadd to label the script as “based on a true story.” If true, this evidence could be a game-changer for Netflix, after they capitalized on the show’s “true story” label, pushingBaby Reindeerto the very top of the most-watched shows of 2024.
Harvey claims that Martha Scott’s character is based on her. In the show, a stand-up comedian named Donny Dunn (Gadd) is going through a rough patch in his career. During his work as a bartender, he meets Martha, who instantly starts seeing Donny as her boyfriend. After getting his phone number and email address, Martha begins to stalk Donny obsessively, and he is eventually assaulted by the woman. When he reaches out to the police, no one takes him seriously, and eventually, Donny is thrown into a spiral where he’s forced to revisit his traumatic past while trying to stay sane in his present.
Baby Reindeer
A seemingly innocent interaction with a customer turns into a chaotic journey as the life of aspiring comedian Donny spirals out of control and brings up the past.
PerDeadline, Richard Roth, the attorney in question, went onPiers Morgan Uncensoredto expand on the report that backs his allegations. The attorney claims Netflix pushed Richard Gadd to write the show “as based on true facts.” Roth claims: “This is far worse than negligence, this is intentional misconduct if they were told, ‘Don’t make it a true story.’ And they said it was true.”
They are going to have to show that they have the facts to support their claim.
Truth Can Be Stranger than Fiction: The Case of Baby Reindeer
Released in April 2024,Baby Reindeerquickly drew the attention of millions of viewers. The series, based on Richard Gadd’s autobiographical one-man comedy show, is a solid depiction of a man’s breakdown triggered by a woman’s obsession and how far she’s able to go on her journey. It also brought to the table unexpected themes of sexual abuse and grooming. Thecritical acclaimwas instantaneous, andit holds a rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, a huge score for a Netflix show.
However, it also called for a review of the “based on a true story” label, heavily used throughout the show. The comedy element felt fairly misused and distressing to a point, and a proper resolution seemed to be missing. Yet no one was prepared for what would happen soon after: Fiona Harvey, the “real-life Martha”, showed up on TV to say she planned to sue because of damages caused by the show’s depiction of her persona; Harvey claims Gadd actually stalkedher. A $170 million lawsuit against Netflix followed, to which the streamer isn’t only responding, butfighting fire with fire.
Baby Reindeer Shows the Litigious Risks of the ‘True Story’ Label
Fiona Harvey, the ‘real-life Martha,’ is talking about suing Netflix and Richard Gadd for how they depicted her in Baby Reindeer.
In theBaby Reindeertrial case, which only gets weirder every minute, not many people have shared details outside the courtroom. Netflix hasn’t revealed evidence that supports the show’s storyline about the stalker being convicted. And so far, they’re onlypreparing themselves for the actual trial. Nevertheless, the claims, the sums, and the evidence are proof of the media blitz that Netflix may have caused for themselves if Roth’s allegations turn out to be true. If the trial shows that Netflix manipulated Gadd’s account for the sake of success, there will clearly be some hefty consequences for the streamer.
Baby Reindeeris available to stream on Netflix.
