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Netflix Admits Real-Life Baby Reindeer Stalker Fiona Harvey Wasn’t Convicted of Stalking In A Lawsuit; Details Inside
Netflix has clarified that Fiona Harvey, the inspiration for Baby Reindeer, was never convicted as a stalker. Harvey's lawyers and Netflix are involved in a legal battle over the show's portrayal of her.
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to sexual abuse and stalking.
Baby Reindeer, released on Netflix, received mixed feedback. According to sources, rumors circulated that the story was based on a 48-year-old woman from Scotland. Moreover, the creator of the series, Richard Gadd, wrote the series based on a true story and faced suspicion about its accuracy.
Fiona Harvey, who claimed to be the real-life Martha, sued Netflix for damages, alleging the series was a scam. The lawsuit, reportedly amounting to $170 million, aimed to prove the series' reliance on real events. Gadd has confirmed his stance regarding the defamation lawsuit filed by the real-life stalker when she discovered Netflix was profiting from her story.
The streaming giant acknowledged in a letter to the British Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee that Harvey was not officially labeled as a stalker, despite promoting the Richard Gadd-led hit series as "a true story," according to Deadline.
This news came after Netflix’s senior UK director of public policy, Benjamin King, appeared before the committee in May and claimed that Baby Reindeer was a “true tale of the horrific abuse” that Gadd suffered “at the hands of a sentenced stalker.”
When the committee asked Netflix to provide evidence for its claims, a Netflix spokesperson wrote in a statement shared with PEOPLE: “The writer of Baby Reindeer endured serious harassment over many months (as it now seems has been the case for many others), which had a significant impact on his wellbeing."
Meanwhile, Harvey's attorney criticized Netflix for sending conflicting messages. In a statement to PEOPLE, the attorney noted that Netflix informed Parliament that Baby Reindeer was based on Fiona Harvey, while Gadd, in an affidavit, claimed the series was not based on any real person.
The lawyer accused Netflix of submitting either a false letter to Parliament or a false declaration to a U.S. District Court, questioning the streaming giant's code of conduct.
Fiona Harvey also complained that the series inaccurately represented her and damaged her reputation. For context, the show Baby Reindeer, which was released on Netflix in April 2024, was based on the alleged real-life events that happened in Gadd's life. In the show, Gadd’s character Donny meets the woman, Martha, a sweet, bubbly, and chubby woman who initially seemed caring but later turned dangerous by stalking, threatening, and making life nothing but hell for Donny.
The series put the makers as well as Gadd into trouble as Harvey further claimed that Gadd wrote several exact phrases she had said to him in the episodes and gave Martha her same job — a lawyer. In response to her filing, Gadd issued a 20-page declaration to support Netflix’s request to have Harvey's defamation lawsuit taken down.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with any kind of abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
ALSO READ: Richard Gadd Reveals He Is Set To Defend Baby Reindeer In Court: 'Would Testify Competently'
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