Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning explains why she won't get involved with the 'real' Martha rumours
Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning has explained why she doesn't get involved in the rumours about the 'real life Martha'.
The hugely popular series dropped on Netflix back in April and told the harrowing true story of Richard Gadd, who was stalked relentlessly for a number of years by a woman named 'Martha'.
Once Baby Reindeer had aired, internet sleuths went into overdrive, searching every corner of the web to try and track down some of the 'real life' characters from the show.
Advert
One person they believe to be the 'real life' Martha is a woman named Fiona Harvey - a Scottish lawyer who social media users found on Facebook.
Following all the speculation, Fiona sat down with Piers Morgan for his show Uncensored, to 'have her say' and provide her side of the story.
The attention on Fiona has led some people to criticise both Gadd and Netflix, with some believing the appropriate steps to conceal her identity could not have been taken.
Netflix has since discussed the matter, with their policy chief Benjamin King explaining: “[Netflix and Clerkenwell Films] took every reasonable precaution in disguising the real-life identities of the people involved in that story,” he said.
“We didn’t want to anonymise that or make it generic to the point where it was no longer his story because that would undermine the intent behind the show.
“Ultimately, it’s obviously very difficult to control what viewers do, particularly in a world where everything is amplified by social media.”
Jessica, who plays Martha in the series, has spoken out about her thoughts on the criticism Gadd has been receiving.
“I think he was incredibly brave to bare all. He really did put everything in that show, warts and all, errors, mistakes that were made," she told Radio Times.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. I’m always fiercely protective of him and I want to make sure that none of this is upsetting for him, really, so I try and keep out of any of that stuff.
“Me and Richard have this close connection. He’s a survivor of sexual assault, and he was stalked, and I think any search for real people almost undermines that slightly.
"He said in the past he didn’t want any internet sleuths to try and find the identities of these real people. He changed identities for a reason. But it’s inevitable that people are intrigued by who the real people are.”
Many viewers were left feeling 'uncomfortable' over Piers' chat with Fiona.
One person wrote: "This is making me really uncomfortable now, it's not funny anymore. This is actually real life," while another said: "Shame on you for interviewing Fiona, all you care about is clicks and views."
A third added: "This Piers Morgan Fiona Harvey interview makes for insanely uncomfortable watching."
And a fourth added: "I honestly can’t stop cringing - it’s making me so uncomfortable."
Following the backlash, Morgan has since spoken out, writing for The Sun: "But if Richard Gadd feels entitled to make millions airing his side of the story, and make very serious allegations about Fiona Harvey in the process, then she is surely entitled to respond and defend herself?
"As for who is exploiting whom, I’ll leave that to the court of public opinion to decide."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Baby Reindeer, Netflix, TV And Film, Piers Morgan, True Crime
Lucy Devine