The actor who played Martha in Baby Reindeer has said she ‘genuinely didn’t know anything’ about the real person her character was inspired by. Pressure has been growing on Netflix to justify their hit series - which follows a struggling comic as he is relentlessly harassed and stalked by a woman for more than four years - after the ‘real Martha’ was identified by fans. TalkTV host Morgan interviewed Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey , who said she wanted to ”set the record straight” about details related to the Netflix show, which show creator and star Richard Gadd have said are real.
She has since threatened to sue the streaming service for allegedly defaming her after the show suggests ‘Martha’ is a convicted stalker. The show’s creator Richard Gadd has defended the show as being the “emotional truth” and has denounced internet sleuths who went in search for Ms Harvey. His co-star Jessica Gunning, who plays Martha, has echoed Gadd’s sentiment and said it was a “real shame” that Ms Harvey’s real identity came to light.
She asked whether it was problematic for the show to be based on real people, she told Radio Times: “I wouldn’t use the word problematic, I would say, maybe, sensitive.” She added that she “absolutely saw Martha as a character”, and wasn’t doing “an impersonation” of a real person, saying that she “genuinely didn’t know anything about the real person”. “I didn’t feel like we were re-enacting scenes for some.