Baby Reindeer's Richard Gadd reveals theory on why Martha first came into the pub

Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd has shared his theory on why he thinks his stalker Martha walked into the pub he was working at on the first day they met.

The actor writes and stars in the Netflix series, which follows struggling comedian Donny Dunn, who gives a troubled woman named Martha a cup of tea for free during a pub shift. What begins as a kind gesture soon turns into a nightmare when Martha becomes obsessed with Donny and starts to stalk him relentlessly.

The drama is based on Richard's real-life stalking ordeal, during which he received 40,000 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, and 100 pages of letters from Martha (a pseudonym) over five years.

During an appearance on ITV's This Morning on Wednesday, host Ben Shephard asked whether Richard ever found out why Martha came to the pub he worked at on the first day they met.

Offering his theory on why Martha was so upset, Richard said: "No, but I've questioned it all the time because there was a distress or something had happened.

"Sometimes I question was it the end of her stalking relationship with someone else and the beginning of her stalking relationship with me?"

"I guess I'll never know but I have often asked myself that," he added.

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Baby Reindeer is an adaptation of Richard's one-man stage play, which debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019, and won him the Scotsman Fringe First Award and a Stage Award for Acting Excellence.

Ahead of the show's premiere, Richard explained how he'd never resonated with previous depictions of stalking in TV and film and wanted to portray its complicated nature.

"It's that femme fatale trope that comes with stalking, someone who seems perfect but then they're not," said the 34-year-old. "That wasn't what this was like.

"Stalking is a severe mental illness and a sort of fantasy addiction when this person genuinely believes that this other person is fundamentally the answer to their problems and nothing you can say or do will get them out of that. I saw a very vulnerable person that needed help and that's the truth I wanted to bring to screen."

While sharing the details of his past trauma was a "tough" process, Richard hoped it would be a cathartic experience.

"Usually, it comes down to how the work is received in its aftermath when people appreciate it and come up to you and say, 'I was affected by that'. You start to feel like it's ok to have been through these things. You hope that catharsis is still to come," said the comedian.

"There were tough days and days that have stayed with me but you just have to hope it helps people on a wider scale," he added.

Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix. 

Anyone affected by Richard's story or themes mentioned in this article can find support by contacting Victim Support or the National Stalking Helpline.