Russell T. Davies, the showrunner behind shows like Doctor Who and It’s a Sin, has spoken about the importance of disguising real-life people in scripted dramas. Davies expressed regret about not doing more to protect the identities of characters in Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, a semi-autobiographical series written by comedian Richard Gadd that purports to tell a true story about a stand-up comic who is stalked by an older woman. The show has prompted viewers to speculate about the real identities of people depicted in the show, leading to Gadd calling for fans to back off.
In an interview with The Times, Davies said that a programme like Baby Reindeer would have to be much more stringent about protecting identities if it were to air on the BBC. Davies lamented that compliance and editorial policy can be frustrating at times but that he is able to sleep at night thanks to the care taken to conceal identities in BBC-produced dramas.
The policy chief at Netflix, Benjamin King, has defended the company’s approach to safeguarding the identities of people involved in the making of Baby Reindeer, saying that Netflix and the production company “took every reasonable precaution” to protect people’s real-life identities. The woman who is supposedly the inspiration for the older woman who stalks Gadd in the show, Fiona Harvey, gave her first television interview on Piers Morgan’s show recently, claiming that many of the events depicted in the show were untrue. Harvey plans to take legal action against Gadd and Netflix and says she is “exploring all the options out there.”
Morgan has since suggested that Harvey lied during the interview and that it will become clear that she did indeed harass Gadd. Viewers have had mixed reactions to the interview, with many saying they found it ghoulis, cruel, and uncomfortable. Despite the controversy surrounding the series, Baby Reindeer has been well received by critics and fans alike, who praise the show’s powerful performances and gripping plot
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