Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has spoken out against those who have been trying to track down the real-life figures depicted in his show.
The Netflix original was based on real experiences from Richard’s life, and has already been a hit both among critics and users of the streaming service.
Richard previously claimed to have made deliberate changes to make the identities of the people portrayed on screen – including a woman who stalked him, and a man who sexually assaulted him – difficult to decipher in order to “protect” them.
However, that hasn’t stopped many from trying to track down the real people who inspired characters in Baby Reindeer, which Richard has now condemned.
“People I love, have worked with, and admire… are unfairly getting caught up in speculation,” Richard wrote on his Instagram story on Monday evening. “Please don’t speculate on who any of the real life people could be.”
“That’s not the point of our show,” he added.
Before being adapted for the screen, Baby Reindeer began life as a one-man show written by and starring Richard.
Discussing the project with The Independent in 2019, he insisted of his real-life stalker: “I can’t emphasise enough how much of a victim she is in all this. When we think of stalkers, we always think of films like Misery and Fatal Attraction, where the stalker is a monstrous figure in the night down an alleyway.
“But usually, it’s a prior relationship or someone you know or a work colleague. Stalking and harassment is a form of mental illness. It would have been wrong to paint her as a monster, because she’s unwell, and the system’s failed her.”