‘Baby Reindeer’s’ Richard Gadd Tells of ‘Extremely Upsetting’ Stalking in Response to Lawsuit

variety.com:

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Richard Gadd, the creator of the hit show “Baby Reindeer,” has recounted years of “extremely upsetting” stalking at the hands of the woman who sued Netflix over her portrayal in the series.

The show was inspired by Gadd’s experience as a victim of stalking while he was a fledgling comedian. In a court filing on Monday, Gadd reiterated that though the show is “emotionally true” to his own life, it is not meant to be “a beat-for-beat recounting” of events.

Gadd stated that he met the plaintiff, Fiona Harvey, while working at the Hawley Arms pub in 2014. He reported her to the police in February 2016, after two years of harassment and after receiving thousands of disturbing and sexually explicit emails and voicemails from her, he wrote. “The cumulative effect of all of Harvey’s actions was enormous,” Gadd wrote. “It was exhausting and extremely upsetting to deal with her constant personal interactions in the Hawley Arms, her following me around London including near where I lived and her relentless and deeply unpleasant communications.” Harvey is not identified in the show, which opens with the line “This is a true story.” She came forward after the show was broadcast in an interview with Piers Morgan, in which she argued that the characterization of “Martha” was “a work of hyperbole.” Harvey filed a $170 million lawsuit in June, arguing that the show had defamed her by depicting Martha as a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to a total of five years in prison.