EXCLUSIVEReal-life Martha continues to hit out at Baby Reindeer's Golden Globes success and says actress who played her is 'c**p' - before laying into Richard Gadd as a comedian
The real-life inspiration for the villain of stalker drama Baby Reindeer has hit out at the show’s success in America’s Golden Globes.
The hit Netflix production – supposedly a ‘true story’ – tells of Scottish comedian Richard Gadd’s ordeal at the hands of an obsessed lawyer, called Martha on screen.
British actress Jessica Gunning won a Golden Globe award as best supporting actress in a TV series for playing Martha, while the show itself won Best Television Limited Series.
But unemployed Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey – who is suing Netflix for £130million over what she says are multiple ‘lies’ in Baby Reindeer, depicting her as a twice-jailed sick stalker – has slammed the stars shown celebrating at the glitzy award ceremony in Los Angeles.
She noted with relish that Gadd – who also claimed in the series that he had been raped by an unidentified figure in the UK comedy world - had not won a Golden Globe best actor award.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Miss Harvey, 59, said: ‘Well Gadd lost best actor didn’t he? He can’t act, he can’t be a comedian, he didn’t write she show, a number of Netflix writers wrote the show.
‘And I think the media should concentrate on “Who is the rapist?”.
'Real-life' Baby Reindeer stalker Fiona Harvey (pictured on Piers Morgan: Uncensored) has hit out at the actress who played her branding her a 'c**p actress'
Ms Harvey slammed the glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles after Jessica Gunning (pictured) won Best Supporting Actress in a TV series for her portrayal of Martha Scott
‘I’m not the rapist – I’m just stuck in the middle of all of bloody-well this, feeling ghastly, physically sick.’
Speaking of her award-winning on-screen alter ego Ms Gunning, Miss Harvey went on: ‘I think she is a c**p actress. I think she knew exactly what she was doing, a woman sitting there vilifying another woman who has done nothing.
‘I’m not very happy about this at all.’
The show also won Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series beating Disclaimer, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, The Penguin, Ripley and True Detective: Night Country.
But Ms Harvey, who claims to have only had a passing acquaintance with Gadd after she went into a Camden pub he was working in a decade ago, and to have no stalking convictions, branded it's acclaim 'a load of drivel'.
‘I've already put my life on hold for a year. I can't do that anymore.
'Baby Reindeer is a lie.'
The show is said to be based on the real-life experiences of comedian and writer Gadd. After the show was aired, he asked viewers not to speculate over the real people who inspired the series.
Gunning, Richard Gadd, and Nava Mau, winners of the Best Television Limited Series for Baby Reindeer, during the Golden Globes held in Beverly Hills, California - January 5, 2025
Gadd appearing in Baby Reindeer as comedian Donny Dunn who is stalked by Martha Scott (Gunning) after he serves her a free cup of tea in the pub where he works
Ms Harvey filed a lawsuit in the US last June and has accused Netflix of spreading 'brutal lies', including that she is a 'twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison'.
She is claiming for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence, and violations of her right of publicity.
Speaking to BBC News last year, Ms Harvey said she was certain that Netflix would lose the case and added: 'I have no doubt about that. Otherwise, we wouldn't be doing it. We think we are going to win.'
The lawsuit, filed at the Californian federal court, states: 'Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money.
'As a result of defendants' lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct, Harvey's life had been ruined.'
The court documents allege Netflix 'did literally nothing' to confirm that the story represented was true, stating that Harvey 'has never been convicted of any crime and has never been to prison'.
The lawsuit seeks actual damages and compensatory damages at $50million (£39million) each; punitive damages at $20million (£16million); as well as 'all profits' from Baby Reindeer at $50 million (£39million). This totals £133million.
Ms Harvey also claims that she is being bombarded with hate from around the world because of how Martha is portrayed in the Netflix hit.
She asserts that she never stalked Gadd, did not sexually assault him, nor was she ever convicted of stalking.
Ms Harvey alleges that Netflix led viewers to believe that fictional elements of the show were factual.
It was previously revealed exclusively in the Mail that the show's writer, Gadd, who plays himself and based the premise on his own experiences, told makers Clerkenwell Films that his stalker was never convicted.
Sources indicate that Gadd told Clerkenwell that the stalker was the subject of an 'exclusion order' – a civil order and not the same as a criminal conviction of stalking.
Gadd, winner of the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series for Baby Reindeer, poses during the Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California
Gunning (pictured in the show) scooped the prize for Best Supporting Female Actor at the American award ceremony
This means that the show was always a fictionalized dramatization – though it went out under a banner which read 'this is a true story'.
Netflix executive, Benjamin King, previously told a Commons committee that Gadd had suffered at the hands of 'a convicted stalker'.
It's not clear how Clerkenwell Films described the situation to Netflix, or what compliance procedures were undertaken.
Gadd previously said Martha's identity was so well disguised that she would not recognize herself – but internet sleuths swiftly identified Ms Harvey as Martha.
The trial is due to take place in California, in front of Judge Gary Klausner, in May 2025.
