Baby Reindeer's Donny star Richard Gadd was suicidal over shocking stalker threat
As Netflix unveils its chilling new drama Baby Reindeer, audiences are in for a spine-tingling ride into the dark and disturbing world of stalking and obsession.
Based on the harrowing true story of Richard Gadd, who both pens and stars in the series, Baby Reindeer delves deep into the terrifying ordeal he endured at the hands of a relentless stalker.
In the series, Richard portrays Donny, a character inspired by his own experiences, whose life takes a terrifying turn after a simple act of kindness spirals into a nightmare of relentless harassment and intrusion.
Determined to reclaim his narrative and confront his trauma head-on, Richard channelled his experiences into a powerful stage play titled Baby Reindeer, which garnered critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before making its mark in London's Bush Theatre.
In a candid interview, Richard opened up about the emotional toll of his experience, revealing how he battled thoughts of suicide and grappled with feelings of despair and hopelessness.
In a 2019 interview with The i newspaper, he shared: “I felt there was almost a moment in my life where I felt completely depleted by what happened to me. And I felt there was no going back from this. I thought that I was done. My brain was forever changed. I was forever in this period of depression and doubt and anxiety.”
Richard won two awards for Baby Reindeer – the Scotsman Fringe First Award for new writing and The Stage award for outstanding performance. He continued: "I clawed my way back from the absolute precipice of suicide, really - and that award showed just how hard I fought. For me, it was always much more than a reward. It was me showing that I was stronger than I ever thought I was.
“And I know that might sound weird or it might sound arrogant or whatever, but I needed that. I needed something I could hold or something I could show."
Now, the acclaimed play has been adapted into a gripping seven-episode mini-series for Netflix, offering viewers a raw and unflinching portrayal of the devastating impact of stalking.
It all begins innocently enough when Donny offers a free cup of tea to a woman named Martha, portrayed by Jessica Gunning, during his shift at a local pub. Little does he know, this seemingly innocuous gesture sets off a chain reaction of stalking behavior that spans years and thousands of intrusive messages.
“Stalking on television tends to be very sexed-up,” Richard told Netflix. “It has a mystique. It’s somebody in a dark alley way. It’s somebody who’s really sexy, who’s very normal, but then they go strange bit by bit. But stalking is a mental illness. I really wanted to show the layers of stalking with a human quality I hadn’t seen on television before.”
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this story you can contact Samaritans in the UK and Ireland on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie
