Netflix executive corrects select committee evidence on Baby Reindeer
In May an MP asked Benjamin King to provide evidence that the woman who claims to have inspired the character Martha Scott was a convicted stalker.
A Netflix executive has told MPs that the woman at the heart of hit TV series Baby Reindeer is not a convicted stalker.
On May 8 the streaming service’s director of public policy, Benjamin King, told the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee that the show details “the horrific abuse that the writer and protagonist Richard Gadd suffered at the hands of a convicted stalker”.
After the committee session, former SNP MP John Nicolson asked Mr King to provide evidence that would back his claims and said: “Journalists have thus far been unable to find a record of the conviction to which you referred.”
In a letter to the former chairwoman of the committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, King clarified that “the person on whom the show is based” was actually “subject to a court order rather than a conviction”.
After the seven-part series was released in April, Fiona Harvey came forward claiming to be the inspiration behind Martha, a woman who stalks lead character Donny Dunn, played by Gadd.
In a statement to the PA news agency in May, Ms Harvey said “Baby Reindeer is not a true story at all” and added: “I am not a convicted stalker.”
Mr King’s letter, dated May 23, said: “Dear Dame Caroline, Thank you for the opportunity to speak with the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on May 8 as part of your inquiry into British film and high-end television.
“As I said in my oral evidence, Netflix is investing heavily in quality British TV, with a string of recent hits, including Baby Reindeer.
“In response to a question about the characters portrayed in that series, I said that ‘it’s an extraordinary true story… of the horrific abuse that the writer and protagonist Richard Gadd suffered at the hands of a convicted stalker’.
“I wanted to clarify our understanding that the person on whom the show is based — who we have at no point sought to identify — was subject to a court order rather than a conviction.
“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.”
At the select committee, Mr King said the show was about “telling Richard’s story in a truthful way”.
“I personally wouldn’t be comfortable with a world in which we decided it was better that Richard was silenced, and not allowed to tell his story,” he said.
In June it was revealed that Ms Harvey had filed a lawsuit against Netflix and accused the streaming platform of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence and violations of her right of publicity.
The next day Gadd collected the prize for best breakthrough limited series at the inaugural Gotham TV Awards and said he was “forever grateful” to those who took on the show.
After Baby Reindeer appeared on Netflix, Gadd asked viewers not to speculate over the people who inspired the series.
A Netflix spokesperson said: “The letter was sent to the DCMS Select Committee on 23 May, well before any legal case was filed, and has been publicly available since.
“It does not impact our legal position.”
The streamer, which is seeking to have the case thrown out, also noted that every episode includes a warning saying: “This program is based on real events: however, certain characters, names, incidents, locations, and dialogue have been fictionalised for dramatic purposes.”
