Baby Reindeer: Piers Morgan’s interview with Fiona Harvey shouldn’t have been allowed

Concerns over the Netflix show Baby Reindeer and the publicity surrounding its creator’s alleged stalker have prompted the UK government to highlight forthcoming new powers regulating privacy and harmful content. In the UK, recent scandals over the treatment of contestants on Love Island and guests on the now cancelled Jeremy Kyle show mean the broadcasting regulator – Ofcom – has tight rules on duty of care. But Netflix is regulated in Amsterdam by the more liberal Dutch regulator. Baby Reindeer recounts Richard Gadd’s story of being harassed, using texts from real life tweets. Fiona Harvey identified herself as the inspiration for the show’s character Martha. In a YouTube interview with Piers Morgan last week – which would probably not have been allowed on an Ofcom-regulated channel – she denied stalking and threatened to sue Netflix. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport issued a statement pointing out that the forthcoming UK Media Bill will hand Ofcom powers to police all streaming services that can be viewed in the UK.