Warning: Spoilers for Baby Reindeer on Netflix.
This article contains a discussion of stalking and sexual assault that some may find upsetting.
Netflix’s new drama series Baby Reindeer is inspired by Richard Gadd’s ordeal of being stalked and follows a fictionalised character played by Gadd as he deals with the impact of such an experience.
At the centre of the seven-part drama series is a character named Martha (Jessica Gunning), a woman who meets Donny (portrayed by Gadd) at a pub and is offered a free cup of tea. This act spirals into a series of events which Donny does not see coming.
What begins with Martha coming to the pub every time Donny starts a shift, turns into incessant e-mails, harassing his family and former partners and threatening phone calls.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about her character, actress Jessica Gunning said: “I fell in love with Martha and Donny and their story. There’s an amazing stage direction that [Richard] put in on one of the final episodes just when we lock eyes across the room. It said ‘This isn’t a jump scare moment, this is just two lost people’.
“And I think that’s the through-line that really, really got me from the beginning. They meet each other at a time in each other’s lives where they need each other weirdly.”
While Donny deals with being stalked by Martha, viewers see Donny deal with a painful chapter of his life in which he was sexually assaulted.
Star and creator Richard Gadd previously told RadioTimes.com that Baby Reindeer is much more than a series about stalking, which is clear throughout the seven episodes as each character deals with different experiences and emotions as they navigate periods of their lives.
Gadd explained: “I think if you look closer at the show, it’s much more than that. It’s not just somebody hiding down a dark alleyway. For me, this show is about trauma… On the surface level, it is a stalking story, but underneath that, it is one that explores the ramifications of trauma.”
Gunning echoed this, adding that Martha could not be played as a “scary person or as a villain”.
“You have to treat her with care and you have to really try and see every side to her as much as possible with a story like this,” she continued.
“I think it would’ve been a shame to play her as a villain because I don’t think she is that.”
Anyone affected by this series can find support by visiting the NHS website or contacting Victim Support.
Baby Reindeer is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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