**UPDATE 8/1 at 2:34 p.m. ET** — In a surprising turn of events, Netflix has acknowledged differences between Fiona Harvey and Martha, a character from the Baby Reindeer series, who is allegedly based on her. This admission comes after Netflix’s senior UK director of public policy, Benjamin King, told the British Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee that the show is a “true story of the horrific abuse” that Richard Gadd suffered “at the hands of a convicted stalker.”
In a letter sent to the committee, Netflix conceded that Harvey has never been legally recognized as a stalker, as reported by Deadline.
Original story below:
Netflix has denied Fiona Harvey’s lawsuit accusations about Baby Reindeer, a Netflix series inspired by comedian Richard Gadd’s one-man stage show of the same name. The show premiered on Netflix in April and follows the story of struggling comedian Donny Dunn (Gadd) as he interacts with Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning), a former attorney who starts stalking Donny over the course of several years.
Fiona Harvey, 58, identified herself as the inspiration for Martha during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored last month, denying the accusations that she stalked Gadd. “He’s crazy and wants to make this up,” Harvey said. “I mean, I’ve not phoned the guy. I don’t have his number. The only explanation for having a voicemail from me would be [from] taping me in the Hawley Arms. That’s the only place we’ve ever met.”
According to Harvey, she only exchanged a “couple of emails” with Gadd, 35. “[They were] just jokey banter emails,” she stressed.
News broke on Thursday, June 6, that Harvey filed a lawsuit against Netflix, seeking $170 million in damages. Her complaint alleged that Netflix and Gadd lied about her, portraying her as a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison and sexually assaulted Gadd.
While Hollywood may appear to be all glitz and glam on the surface, the industry has seen its fair share of scandals through the years. The New York Times and the New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017 that accused disgruntled movie producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Soon after, Weinstein stood trial and was […]
Her complaint continued, “As a result of Defendants’ lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct, Harvey’s life had been ruined. Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life.”
Gadd has not publicly addressed Harvey’s counterclaims or legal motion, much like most of the Baby Reindeer cast.
“We decided not to watch [the Piers Morgan interview], so we didn’t,” Nava Mau, who portrays Teri in the show, told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month. “I kept saying to Richard, whoever is meant to see the show is going to see the show and so I think it seems like a lot of people were meant to see the show. I am so grateful for the conversations that it has started. People are engaging in the topics that are … you know, they’re kind of difficult topics.”
