OfPaola De Carolis
Fiona Harvey, a 58-year-old Scot, is asking Netflix for huge compensation after recognizing herself in “Martha”, the stalker protagonist of the series Baby Reindeer, which turned Richard Gadd into a star
LONDON – It is the story, largely true, of a Scottish comedian who moves to London, finds work in a pub in Camden, is kind to a customer who then becomes his stalker. That’s where hell begins: a story that was at times traumatic for the actor Richard Gadd it turned into a professional boon. The script of Netflix Baby Reindeer, Little Reindeerfound success around the world and turned Gadd – who wrote, directed and starred in the series – into a star. The show now ends up in court: a woman who recognized herself as the stalker, Fiona Harvey, sues Netflix for defamation, emotional harm, negligence, and invasion of privacy and publicity rights.
Harvey came out of the closet after being identified online by several fans of the series, who within a few hours understood who had inspired the character who, in the script, is given the name of Martha. Harvey defended herself: if he recognizes some elements of the story, others are completely invented. She didn’t send Gadd, for example, something like 41,000 emails, at most a couple, nor did he write him 106 letters. Furthermore, she was not found guilty of stalking anyone and she did not serve five years in prison. «All lies – we read in the legal documents filed in court in California – that Netflix did not bother to verify before finalizing the script “a true story“». Between compensation and legal costs, Harvey is asking for $170 millionapproximately 155 million euros.
Law graduate, 58 years old, Scottish like Gadd, Harvey had tolerated the actor turning their story into a comedy sketch, but with Netflix the drama was watched by an audience ofit is estimated, around 60 million people in a month and it seems destined to become the platform’s most successful series of all time: the lawsuit, he claims, is the only way to exonerate himself and show that he is not as he is portrayed in the series (where the part of Martha is played by the actress Jessica Gunning). Gadd, among other things, has always admitted that he had forcedfor narrative purposes, some elements. The problem seems to be that “this is a true story” that appears at the beginning of the first episode.
To the Guardian Gadd stated that the show has its own “emotional truth”, also underlining that he was baffled by it there was someoneafter seeing the drama, he went in search of the real Martha. «I would like this series to be received as an artistic creation. In the series my name is Donny Dunn. In these guises I exist in a fictitious realm, even though the show is based on true events. If I wanted the real people to be found, I would have written a documentary.” A Netflix spokesperson stressed that the group intends to defend with all its might «Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story».
June 7, 2024 (changed June 7, 2024 | 6:06 pm)
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