Reindeer babyThe Netflix release will leave viewers wondering who the real Martha is.
Based on actual events, Reindeer baby centers on a struggling comedian who shows a woman one act of kindness, messing up their lives in ways the comedian couldn’t have predicted.
This show was inspired by a play written by Richard Gadd, who based the story on an actual experience he had with the Stalker, wanting to share the story in a more public forum.
Who is Martha the Reindeer Baby?
Reindeer baby is based on creator Richard Gadd’s real-life experiences with Stalker, portrayed in the series as Martha. Gadd has not publicly revealed the identity of her stalker, and Martha is only used by her name in the series and the play.
In the true story, Gadd initially made her a cup of tea for free while working in a pub after she told him she couldn’t afford to drink.
It’s a moment Gadd has replayed over and over in his head, as she ended up stalking him for four and a half years. He remembered people in the pub thinking it was “funny she had an admirer” but it quickly turned scary when he bombarded her with messages and showed up at her house:
“At first everyone in the pub thought it was funny that I had an admirer. Then he started invading my life, following me around, going to my gigs, waiting outside my house, sending thousands of voicemails and emails.”
During those years, Martha sent Gadd 41,071 emails and left 350 hours of voice mail. He also sent 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, 106 pages of letters, sleeping pills, a beanie, boxers and even a toy reindeer.
Gadd went to the police about Martha, but they didn’t believe her story, and Gadd told The Times how many see the man stalking “sexy thing” as shown in movies and TV shows. He made it clear that he was still scared without knowing “How Far Can He Take” although there wasn’t the same physical threat as with a male Stalker:
“When a man is stalked, it can be portrayed in movies and TV as a sexy thing. Like a femme fatale that gradually becomes darker. It doesn’t involve as much threat of physical violence, is less common and can be downplayed. I was physically scared because I didn’t know how far he can take it, he had a knife, but I thought how scary it would be if he was a tall, scary man.”
Gadd had to prove that he was stalking her by recording her messages and digging through them for threats against her or those close to her, which took an inordinate amount of time due to the volume.
In the program, Martha was sentenced to nine months in prison and received a five-year restraining order. In real life, Gadd has given no details other than “it’s settled” commented on her stalker’s mental health while explaining her feelings on the matter:
“I had mixed feelings about it – I didn’t want to throw someone so mentally deranged in jail.”
He also told The Independent about his feelings “unusually disappointed” by a law enforcement agency and pointed out that it “needs improvement” after his experience:
“I never want to bash the police because I think there’s a national recognition right now that the police are an institution that needs improvement. I’ve met some very good police officers in my time. And unfortunately, I’ve met some who I feel have been exceptionally let down.”
Where is the real Martha now?
At the time of writing, there is no information as to where the real Martha is.
Gadd told The Independent that her relationship with her stalker is over, although she is continuing to deal with the matter “emotional consequences” about the ordeal:
“I think my situation, shall we say, relationship with the person who was stalking me is definitely over. The emotional consequences live on.”
He also spoke to the Telegraph about Stalker’s possible reaction to the series and the play, hoping that he will be confused by what happened:
“I don’t know how he really reacts to it, but I’m sure I’m confused.”
However, in a separate conversation with The Independent, Gadd acknowledged his stalker’s perspective as a victim as well and blamed his actions. “form of mental illness” rather than labeling him as such “monster:”
“I can’t stress enough how much of a victim he is in all of this. When we think of stalkers, we always think of movies like “misery’ and ‘Fatal attraction,’ where the stalker is a monstrous figure in an alley at night. But usually it’s a previous relationship or someone you know or a colleague. Stalking and harassment is a form of mental illness. It would have been wrong to paint him as a monster because he is unwell and has been let down by the system.”
Reindeer baby now streaming on Netflix.
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