Richard Gadd, who created Baby Reindeer for Netflix, took the time to thank the streaming service while collecting a new award for best breakthrough show.
Baby Reindeer, which premiered on April 11th, follows Gadd as Donny Dunn, a barman who offers a cup of tea to a crying customer. The woman, named Martha, quickly becomes obsessed with Donny, stalking him and nicknaming him Baby Reindeer. The show tackles themes such as abuse and trauma.
Gadd, who wrote the show based on his own experiences, attended the first Gotham TV Awards ceremony this week alongside his fellow castmates Jessica Gunning and Nava Mau. The show picked up an award for ‘Breakthrough Limited Series’.
During his acceptance speech, Gadd extended his thanks to Netflix for taking the show on, noting that he never expected it to reach or resonate with so many people. “I never thought in a million years this dark, weird, messed up show would go on to have this universal love that it’s received,” Gadd stated, “and I’m so grateful to them for giving us this platform to tell the story to the world.”
Gadd also shared his appreciation for his co-star, Gunning, who he suggested “elevated the show 10 times over every single time she came on to the screen.”
Since its release on Netflix earlier this year, Baby Reindeer has been praised heavily by critics and audiences alike, but this marks the show’s first award win. More success seems to be in the show’s future, as it has already been longlisted for ‘New Drama’ in the National Television Awards. Both Gadd and Gunning have also been longlisted for their performances.
Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the person who inspired Gunning’s character, Martha, recently sued Netflix for defamation. “The lies that Defendants told about Harvey to over 50 million people worldwide include that Harvey is a twice convicted stalked who was sentenced to five years in prison,and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd,” the lawsuit states.
“Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money,” it continued, “Netflix, a multi-national billion dollar entertainment streaming company did literally nothing to confirm the ‘true story’ that Gadd told.” The lawsuit seeks $170 million in damages.