Netflix is facing a legal battle with ‘real-life Martha’.

Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd reportedly told the production company that made the hit Netflix show, Clerkenwell Films, that the woman who inspired ‘Martha’ on the show was never convicted for stalking – despite the show depicting that she was sentenced to nine months in prison for the charge.

Fiona Harvey, who appeared in an interview with Piers Morgan claiming that she plans to sue Netflix over her depiction as ‘Martha’ on the series, as in reality she never went to court or was sentenced to prison.

According to the Daily Mail, Richard informed Clerkenwell Films of the true story, and that she was the subject of an “exclusion order” which is a civil order and not the same as a criminal conviction. The report comes after Benjamin King, a Netflix executive, told a Commons committee that ‘Martha’ was a “convicted stalker”.

Piers Morgan next to Fiona Harvey, who is sitting in a chair© X
The broadcaster conducted an interview with the ‘real Martha’

Richard has touched on the true story, telling The Guardian: “It’s very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused. But we wanted it to exist in the sphere of art, as well as protect the people it’s based on.”

Speaking about ‘Martha’, he added back in 2019: “She needs help. But she’s not getting any. So her instability would just come down the phone at me every day.”

Baby Reindeer stars Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning
Baby Reindeer stars Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning

Richard’s stalking ordeal took place over four years from 2015, where she sent 40,000 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, and 100 pages of letters.

Speaking to Piers, Fiona shared her side of the story, explaining: “It’s a work of fiction. It’s a work of hyperbole, as I’ve always said… And there are two true facts in that. His name is Richard Gadd, and he worked as a jobbing barman on benefits, in the Hawley Arms. And we met two, three times.”

Baby Reindeer behind the scenes© –
Richard had a restraining order against the real-life Martha

Meanwhile, Netflix’s CEO Ted Sarandos has spoken about the success of the hit show, telling the New York Times that it was all down to the streaming platform’s algorithm. He said: “When you see something like Baby Reindeer – there was a time when something like Baby Reindeer would not even be seen in the United States. And if it did, it’d be on PBS once. It’s very, very big in the UK, and in the way that Netflix does, it gets picked up in the algorithm and starts getting more and more presented.

Richard Gadd in Baby Reindeer© Ed Miller/Netflix
Richard Gadd in Baby Reindeer

“When something gets that big in one country, it’s likely there’s a lot of audience for it outside of that country. And it’s been an enormous hit around the world.”