BBC star weighs in on Baby Reindeer controversy - 'Comedy industry knows identity of Richard Gadd's abuser'

Richard Osman has dropped a bombshell, claiming those in the comedy industry knows the identity of the individual who sexually assaulted Richard Gadd, the creator of Baby Reindeer. The TV favourite and former Pointless host, aged 53, claimed that Richard hasn't kept his abuser's identity a secret within the industry, revealing that "everyone knows who he [Gadd] is talking about" in his harrowing stage show and its Netflix adaptation.

The series, which delves into the comedian's haunting experiences with stalking and sexual assault, recently aired its fourth episode on Netflix, shocking audiences with a raw depiction of Gadd's alter ego, Donny, being abused by a made-up male TV writer named Darrien.

This portrayal sparked wild guessing games among viewers, as they tried to unmask the real inspiration behind the fictional abuser. However, the situation took a dark turn when an innocent man was mistakenly identified as the real-life Darrien, leading to a barrage of threatening messages online and police stepping in.

Confirming the serious nature of the incident, a spokesperson for the British police stated: "We're investigating after a man reported receiving threatening messages on social media. Enquiries are at an early stage and we are in the process of gathering information from the victim."

In the latest episode of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, journalist Marina Hyde and famed author Richard Osman unpacked the complications involved in transforming personal trauma into art - with Hyde pointing out that Netflix's compliance team had not done enough to safeguard individuals from being identified once Baby Reindeer aired on the platform.

"Well, that's the interesting thing," Osman chimed in. "As you say, there's a very, very serious thing that happens with a male comedy producer and Richard Gadd, who, as you say, did the show in Edinburgh and has been very open to people in the industry about who that person was, so people in the industry know who that person was."

Osman, who recently inked a deal with Netflix for adapting one of his books into a movie adds: "Well, that's the dilemma you see, the complexity of him having put the material out there before in another format. And obviously, that person hasn't been prosecuted, has never gone to trial, but everyone knows who he is talking about.

"Now it comes out now and a completely different person is identified, someone who has produced Richard Gadd before, but is definitively not the person in any way. But the person they've cast in that role looks like this other guy, looks like the guy who's been falsely accused. And it's such a weird, bizarre thing to do because this poor guy has had death threats and he's had to issue a statement to say it's not me. And it is not him, but definitely not because people in the industry know who it is. And it definitely not him."

Richard Gadd has been vocal in urging fans to be careful with their guesses about who might be who in his show, reminding everyone on Instagram: "People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation. Please don't speculate on who any of the real life people could be. That's not the point of our show."

Sean Foley, who's directed and written for the stage, echoed Gadd's plea by reposting the Instagram message to his Twitter followers on Tuesday morning. He also informed them via tweet that the police are looking into the nasty messages he's received: "Police have been informed and are investigating all defamatory abusive and threatening posts against me."

Earlier, chats with Variety revealed that Gadd clarified why characters were anonymous - for legality and protection of those vulnerable. His words were: "It's all emotionally 100% true, if that makes sense. The truth has been borrowed from instances that happened to me and real people I have met."

"But definitely, you can't portray the exact truth, for both legal and artistic reasons. I mean there are certain protections, you can't just plagiarise somebody else's life and name and put it on television. And naturally, we were very conscious that some characters in it are vulnerable people, so you don't want their lives to be more difficult. Hence you need to alter things to safeguard yourself and others."

For further support on sexual assault, help is available at at www.rapecrisis.org.uk or by dialling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.