Fiona Harvey, the woman who has been alleged to have inspired the Baby Reindeer stalker Martha yesterday branded the Golden Globes ‘a load of drivel’ after the Netflix show’s double-award win, Daily Mail reports.
According to the report by Daily Mail, Fiona Harvey, who is suing the streaming platform for more than £130million, slammed the glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles after Jessica Gunning won Best Supporting Actress in a TV series for her portrayal of Martha Scott.
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.
Ms Fiona Harvey is claimed to be the inspiration behind Martha, who stalks Richard Gadd’s character Donny Dunn after he serves her a free cup of tea in the pub where he works.
The 59-year-old Scot told the Daily Record that she did not have a high opinion of Gadd or Gunning and said: ‘It’s 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.
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 (£39 million) each; punitive damages at $20million (£16 million); as well as ‘all profits’ from Baby Reindeer at $50 million (£39 million). This totals £133million.
Ms Fiona 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.
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.
In a previous interview, Gadd has said that the situation was ‘resolved’ but did not explain how. He added: ‘It’s very emotionally true. I was severely stalked and abused.’
In an interview with Piers Morgan, Ms Harvey denied the stalking allegations though admitted she had met Gadd several times in Camden, north London.
In response to the lawsuit, a statement from Netflix said: ‘We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.’
The trial is due to take place in California, in front of Judge Gary Klausner, in May 2025.