Richard Gadd won't 'ever comment' on real-life Baby Reindeer figures again as Fiona Harvey threatens to sue

Netflix's Baby Reindeer has become an absolute phenomenon on the streaming service this year, introducing viewers to an aspiring comedian Donny Dunn who begins getting stalked by a woman he meets at a bar, Martha Scott. Creator and star Richard Gadd based the story on his own life experience, with the protagonist being a fictionalized version of himself. And while the world has become obsessed with the vulnerable, unflinching story, Gadd is also seeing the negative side to fame — especially when people from your past are involved.

Gadd based the character Martha off a woman who stalked him in real life — including the 41,000 emails and other messages — though he's been adamant on not wanting fans of the show to find her real identity. Although Gadd was the one being targeted, he also believes his stalker was a victim, and it's apparent his point in making the show wasn't to shame others or get anyone in trouble. However, in the month since Baby Reindeer premiered on April 11, people are convinced they've found their real-life Martha.

Richard Gadd is so over depicting real people in his life on screen

A woman named Fiona Harvey has come out claiming she is the woman Gadd based his Martha on, though she denies she ever stalked him. She appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored on May 9 to tell her side of the story, alleging that Gadd was actually "obsessed" with her. And while Gadd seems very grateful for how successful Baby Reindeer has become, it doesn't seem he's happy with all of the publicity around the real-life figures — or speculation around who they are.

While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter (prior to Harvey's interview on May 9), Gadd weighed in on the internet's need to figure out the real-life identities of the characters in Baby Reindeer, "even all the way down to the pub manager":

"I can’t confirm or deny anything relating to the real life people who the characters are based on in the show. I know for every single part, there’s been about five or six people who have been sort of named as each part, even all the way down to the pub manager. The Internet’s always going to do its thing. I can’t really comment on that. There was a video the other day of someone had sent me of someone claiming to be Teri. I’d never met them before in my life. The internet just does this thing and I just have to let it do its thing. And that’s that."

- Richard Gadd

Gadd made it clear that he's against "the sleuth thing," explaining that he aimed to make a piece of art in a fictional world with Baby Reindeer, and even if it's based on true events, people shouldn't be trying to uncover the real story:

"If I wanted the real life people to be found, I would’ve made it a documentary. I’ve spoken publicly about how I don’t want people to do it and if I start playing a game of whack-a-mole, then I’m almost adding to it. I don’t think I’ll ever comment on it ever again."

- Gadd

This is hardly the first time Gadd has spoken out against people trying to find the characters' real-life identities. Shortly after Baby Reindeer premiered last month, the actor/writer took to Instagram to urge fans to not go snooping for the people of his past. Gadd has given multiple interviews promoting the series since it dropped on Netflix, and unfortunately, it seems he believes the more he talks about the real-life figures, the more people want to find out who they are.

And, as mentioned, his interview with The Hollywood Reporter was conducted before Harvey's interview with Morgan. Elsewhere in that appearance, Harvey claimed she was going to sue both Gadd and Netflix. Morgan asked her if she would be open to a lie detector test to prove her side of the story, but she didn't really give a clear answer. If I was Gadd, I would be hoping all of this would just eventually blow over, and maybe that's what'll happen. But as more and more headlines come out and the show remains in a high spot in the Netflix Top 10 list, the buzz only continues.

All seven episodes of Baby Reindeer are available to stream on Netflix.