This Baby Reindeer mess has become harmful to victims of stalking-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro

The fallout from Baby Reindeer has continued to spiral (Picture: Ed Miller/Netflix / Avalon)

A charity has issued a warning about how harmful the speculation around Baby Reindeer’s ‘real Martha’ Fiona Harvey has become for victims of stalking in coming forward.

Following the success of the hit Netflix series, based on a true story, viewers took to social media to try and uncover Martha’s real identity, despite comedian and star of the show Richard Gadd urging them not to.

In the weeks that have followed its release, not only have internet sleuths appeared to have found Martha’s social media profiles, the woman claiming to be her has spoken out in multiple interviews, an explosive Piers Morgan grilling, and even reportedly signed up to a nightclub appearance (which was later cancelled following outrage).

And as more celebrities and politicians discover they’ve allegedly been hounded by Harvey, 58, viewers have continued making light of the situation online, like referencing the ‘Sent from my iPhone’ phrase used in the Netflix show (where it was revealed Martha didn’t even have an iPhone).

With Harvey’s alleged past emails to Sir Keir Starmer now coming to light and Gadd accused of ‘leading Harvey on’ by an ex-colleague, Claire Marshall, CEO of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking charity FearFree, told Metro.co.uk: ‘I think it’s a really tricky subject for a couple of reasons, for anyone who has experienced stalking, it is incredibly disturbing and the effects can be life-long.

‘It isn’t just that period of time the victim is suffering, the effects last a life-time, looking over your shoulder for a long time. The trivialising of [Baby Reindeer] is very concerning.’

‘The real Martha’, Fiona Harvey, has given several interviews (Picture: Piers Morgan Uncensored/TalkTV/PA Wire)

Claire went on to highlight that the Netflix programme is a ‘dramatization’ and the ‘taking literally’ of it can effect the notion of what stalking is really like and what that entails for the victims and what they experience.

‘I completely understand why it’s become a topic of conversation. But that’s why it’s really important in legal processes that anonymity is retained,’ she said.

‘What it’s now been opened to is speculation but there isn’t a lot of fact or evidence for anyone to debate, it’s a he-said/she-said, so absolutely everyone has a right to their own voice just has everyone has a right in the legal process to their defence, but our concern would be that it would give victims even deeper concern about stepping forward if they felt their story or experience was vilified.

‘A fictional account or dramatization being vilified that’s different, but their own experience, that would be our concern.’

Claire pointed out that in some instances of stalking, the perpetrator can be a person also in need of help, though that isn’t an excuse of what they inflict on the victim.

Jessica Gunning plays Martha in the series (Picture: Ed Miller/Netflix / Avalon)

Richard Gadd plays comedian Donny Dunn (Picture: Ed Miller/Netflix)

‘That being in the public domain, and everyone having a viewpoint on what that person’s done, not done, may have done, is not helpful for that process or for that person to put themselves in that arena, because the social media arena is pretty difficult to navigate anyway, let alone when you’ve got overnight fame or notoriety and all of those people commenting on who they think you are, it’s really difficult.

‘For either party it’s definitely concerning in terms of everyone has a right to defence but that’s in a court not on social media, an uncontrollable sphere.’

Claire added that one outcome from the conversations around the Netflix series are that it has ‘increased the debate about stalking’, but not necessarily in a positive way at this time.

‘The focus has become on the individuals, it’s like a runaway train at this point,’ she said.

‘Hopefully more stalking documentaries would be more helpful in raising awareness around the issue. So I’m not against [Baby Reindeer] for entertainment, I think the focus now on the individuals rather than on the show, and the sleuthing and people trying to find out who people are, is really, really difficult.

Gadd has urged viewers not to try and uncover Martha’s real identity (Picture: Ed Miller/Netflix)

A charity has warned against the harrowing topic in the Netflix series becoming trivialised (Picture: Netflix / Avalon)

‘It’s really difficult for those of us who are dealing with really serious issues that come from this, where we’ve got clients living in terror.’

Claire’s comments were echoed by a spokesperson for the Suzy Lampugh Trust, who said: ‘Stalking is a crime, characterised by fixation and obsession, that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men will experience in their lifetime. In light of recent reporting on Baby Reindeer, we would like to reiterate the devastating impact stalking has on victims, with 73% of stalking victims experiencing symptoms consistent with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

‘Giving perpetrators a media platform is highly inappropriate and may further fuel fixation and obsession towards the victim. It is important that the gravity of stalking is not underplayed, and that the needs of the victim are always the forefront of reporting on stalking cases.’

This comes after it was revealed reports of stalking have soared in the month after the release of the show, with the National Stalking Helpline having received 26% more calls from March to April this year.

Baby Reindeer follows Gadd’s character Donny Dunn meeting a woman named Martha (played by Jessica Gunning), who develops an obsession with him and begins stalking him.

Amongst an alleged nightclub appearance that was later cancelled, Harvey appeared on Piers Morgan’stalkshow (Picture: TWITTER)

After a seemingly friendly encounter, her actions turn incredibly sinister, after she begins waiting outside his house, sending him thousands of emails, and even harassing his parents and turning violent towards his girlfriend.

During Harvey’s Uncensored interview, she described the show as ‘a work of fiction, a work of hyperbole’, insisting: ‘I wanted to rebut that completely on this show – I am not a stalker, I have not been to jail, I’ve not got injunctions – it is complete nonsense.’

Previously speaking about the process of turning his ordeal into a TV show, Gadd told Metro.co.uk he wanted Baby Reindeer ‘to be three-dimensional’.

‘I wanted it to be nuanced. I just remember my idea of stalking in life was so different to what actually happened,’ he said.

‘My idea of what a stalker was, was that they are fundamentally, sort of, psychopathic characters. But it just wasn’t that case. I saw someone very vulnerable, really.’

Gadd has said he won’t be commenting on it again (Picture: Variety via Getty Images)

He added there was no ‘moral point for people to take away’ but there was ‘a subtle reference to the fact that this is a vulnerable person who needs help’.

He’s since said he doesn’t plan on speaking about the real-life identities of his characters, telling The Hollywood Reporter: ‘I don’t think I’ll ever comment on it ever again.’

He went on: ‘I don’t agree with the sleuth thing. I’ve put out a statement publicly saying I want the show to be received as a piece of art, and I want the show to people to enjoy as a piece of art. I’m called Donny Dunn.

‘It exists in a sort of fictional realm, even though it’s based on truth, it exists in a fictional realm, let’s enjoy the world that I’ve created. If I wanted the real life people to be found, I would’ve made it a documentary.

‘I’ve spoken publicly about how I don’t want people to do it and if I start playing a game of whack-a-mole, then I’m almost adding to it. I don’t think I’ll ever comment on it ever again.’

Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix.

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