Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
Internet sleuths believe they have uncovered the identities of the stalker and rapist featured in the Netflix series Baby Reindeer, comedian and actor Richard Gadd’s dramatised account of his experiences of stalking and sexual abuse. Gadd has pleaded with fans to stop speculating about the real-life identities (they are referred to as Martha and Darrien in the show) but that has not stemmed the tide of internet threads, tweets and TikTok videos. One of Gadd’s friends, the writer and director Sean Foley, was forced to turn to social media to say he had contacted police over “defamatory, abusive and threatening posts” made about him. Gadd has made clear Darrien was not based on Foley.
