"Baby Reindeer" is making a name for itself on Netflix and it is exactly a series based on a true event. Practically, "Baby Reindeer" is about a bully who bullies, showing that the cycle of violence does not end unless the traumas are resolved. The event is based on the life of series creator Richard Gadd.

The comedian plays the main character, who is a version of himself named Donny Dunn. In this series, he recounts the experience of being stalked by a middle-aged woman nicknamed Martha (her real name is supposed to be a secret).  

"It's very true and obviously I was harassed and severely abused. But we wanted this experience to exist in the realm of art, as well as protect the people for whom the event is told."

Gadd also mentions his experience of being raped by an older and then successful writer.

Who is Donny Dunn in the series "Baby Reindeer"?

Donny Dunn is a character who is the artistic version of Richard Gadd. Richard is a Scottish comedian who started his career doing stand up shows. His show, Monkey See, Monkey Do, won the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2016. The series is based on his own life, after he was raped by an older man who manipulated him early in his career.

The character, that is, Donny, was being pursued by a woman, who in the series is called Martha. The same happened with the Scottish comedian. Donny worked at a bar and Martha was a customer. She often talked to him. Then, he became obsessed and for 4 years, he wrote emails calling him "Baby Reindeer". During that time, Gadd himself received 41,071 emails, 744 X posts, 46 Facebook messages and 106 letters from her. "At first everyone in the bar thought it was funny that I had an admirer," Gadd told The Times in April this year. "Then she started taking over my life, stalking me, showing up at my concerts, waiting outside my house, sending thousands of emails."

Although he went to the police and reported the case, it didn't help much either. Gadd said that for police, the situation was incomprehensible for a man to be stalked by a woman, when usually the opposite is the case.

He said he was scared and didn't know how far the girl chasing him could go, as she might have a knife with her, but on the other hand, he thought how scary it is for women to be chased by a man.

His account of the series

He shared that turning his story into a series was healing, albeit shocking. "I couldn't keep it all (to myself). The shows were all I had. I was shocked. When you hold an experience inside for so long, the feeling becomes gigantic and insurmountable, but through performance, you can somehow get outside of yourself, to observe and process it."

Gadd never publicly stated Martha's real name and identity in an effort to protect her. Although it haunted her for more than 4 years, Gadd said she had a certain level of empathy for a person suffering from a mental illness. In an interview with GQ, he stated that in order not to reveal her identity, he changed some aspects of the character's character, so that no one would find out who she is.

"We went to great lengths to disguise her to the point where I don't think she would even recognize herself," he said. Despite his efforts to hide the stalker's identity, people online have allegedly identified the woman and sent her "death threats", a woman claiming to be the real-life Martha told the Daily Mail.

She claimed that many details of her and Martha's identities are the same: Both are Scottish, studied law, are 20 years older than Gadd, and use sensual language in their writing. One difference between Martha and herself, however, she said, was that she never nicknamed Gad "Baby Reindeer," a nickname Martha gave Donny because he resembled a childhood toy. of her.

What happens to Martha in "Baby Reindeer"?

In the series, Martha is sentenced to 9 months in prison and a 5-year restraining order after she left hundreds of messages on Donny's phone, causing him to fear for his life and his family. After Martha receives her sentence, Donny feels sorry for her.

What about Martha in real life?

In real life, Gadd has not made it clear what happens to Martha, although the situation has been resolved. "It's settled," he told The Times. "I had mixed feelings about it - I didn't want to take someone who was mentally ill to prison," he said.

While "Baby Reindeer" has become one of the most watched series, currently, a woman claims to be the real Martha lives in London. She says she is considering the decision to take legal action against Gadd.

"He always thinks he's at the center of things," she said. "I'm not writing on the show about him, or promoting the events in the media, am I? If he wanted me to be anonymous, he could have done that. Gadd should have left me alone."