In her first public interview, the alleged real-life “Martha,” Fiona Harvey, calls out inaccuracies in Netflix’s Baby Reindeer. The series was created by Richard Gadd and inspired by his experience as a survivor of stalking and abuse. Although the show changed the name of his stalker to Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning) to protect her identity, internet sleuths began circulating rumors that the character was based on Harvey, leading the woman to come forward and confirm her identity. Now, she has participated in her first public interview to provide her side of the story.
While appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Harvey denied many of the details in Baby Reindeer, calling the show a “work of hyperbole.”
In the interview, Harvey revealed that she felt forced to come out due to receiving harassment and threats after she was outed on social media. She denied watching the show, as it had already “taken over enough” of her life. According to Harvey, she only met Gadd at the bar where he worked 3 or 4 times, exchanged a few e-mails with him, and gave him the “Baby Reindeer” nickname. However, she denied ever meeting him anywhere outside the bar, contacting his friends or family, heckling him, or assaulting his girlfriend.
While many viewers slammed Piers Morgan’s interview with Harvey as unethical, it was interesting to hear her story, especially as she threatened legal action against Baby Reindeer. The situation is quite complicated as, while the show includes a disclaimer that it is based on a true story, Gadd has acknowledged changing specific details for creative and legal purposes. Some of the details that Harvey called out, such as Martha receiving jail time, were already confirmed by Gadd as fictional. Hence, the show hasn’t tried to portray itself as a factual retelling but as a fictionalization of a true story.
Another complication with the Baby Reindeer defamation allegations is that the show never named Harvey or intended to reveal her identity. In fact, Gadd released a statement asking viewers not to speculate on Martha or Darrien’s real identities. However, internet sleuths continued circulating Harvey’s name far and wide on social media, leading to her coming forward. Usually, defamation occurs when someone makes a false statement about an individual, which causes harm to their reputation. Since the show never named her and admitted to being partially fictionalized, it’s unclear if it meets those parameters.
While Baby Reindeer has a defense against inaccuracy allegations given its dramatized nature, one lawyer admitted Harvey may have a case if it can be argued the show didn’t effectively hide her identity. The fact that Martha resembles her real-life counterpart and the show utilized actual tweets from Harvey that users could search for online made it possible to find her. Hence, it’s not so much the inaccuracies that should concern Baby Reindeer, but more the fact that the world knows who “Martha” is, and she’s doing public interviews when, allegedly, no one was supposed to know her identity.
Source: Piers Morgan Uncensored