Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd thanks Netflix for creating the show amid its “defamation” lawsuit.
On Friday it was reported that the “Real-life Martha”, Fiona Harvey, has sued Netflix for $50M over Baby Reindeer “defamation.”
Fiona, who has claimed that the lead character Martha’s life is based on her own, has denied ever going to prison or court, as the show portrayed.
As the show’s creator collected a Gotham award, he thanked the streaming platform saying “forever grateful” to those who took on his semi-autobiographical series.
“I never thought in a million years, this dark, weird, messed up show would go on to have this universal love that it’s received and I’m so grateful to them for giving us this platform to tell the story to the world.”
“The wonderful Jess Gunning, who elevated the show 10 times over every single time she came on to the screen.
“I really hope you get everything out of this show, you all really deserve to,” he continued.
“It’s kind of weird also, that I think a show as messed up as this has gone on to strike a chord with so many people, and I think it speaks to the fact that I think a lot of people in the world are struggling right now.”
“I don’t know much in the way of advice, but I do know that nothing lasts forever.
“So if you are in a rut, just keep going, persevere, persevere, persevere, and I promise you things will get better,” he added.
Fiona said that she had been forced into telling her side of the story following the death threats she received following the release of the show.
She has alleged that Netflix allowed its viewers to track her down in real life and that she has been inundated with abuse, according to legal filings obtained by TMZ.
The series landed on Netflix last month and left viewers glued to their seats for the whole eight episodes.
The limited series, starring Richard Gadd and Jessica Ganning, depicts the real-life story of the actor’s experience with a female stalker – who has since been identified as Fiona.
In a tell-all interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Fiona attempted to “set the record straight.”
During the interview, she repeatedly denied stalking Richard in real life and described the show as “a work of fiction, a work of hyperbole.
Fiona has claimed that she never stalked Gadd, did not sexually assault him, nor was she ever convicted of stalking.
The Scot also claimed that Netflix led viewers to believe that fictional elements of the show were factual.
As a result, Fiona is suing the show on the grounds of defamation, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of right of publicity, among other charges.
She is demanding more than $50million in damages.
It was previously revealed that the show’s writer, Richard Gadd told makers Clerkenwell Films that his stalker was never convicted.
Sources indicate that Richard told Clerkenwell that the stalker was the subject of an “exclusion order” – a civil order and not the same as a criminal conviction of stalking.
This means that the show was always a fictionalised dramatisation – though the beginning of the series outlined: “This is a true story.”
