‘Baby Reindeer’s Real-Life Martha Fires Fresh Shots At Netflix; Says In Statement She’s Planning Lawsuit “Against All Of Those Who Have Lied About Me”

Jake Kanter
·5-min read

Baby Reindeer’s real-life Martha has issued an excoriating statement confirming that she is working with a legal team to take action against Netflix.

In a 500-word missive (copied in full below), Fiona Harvey said she was plotting a lawsuit “against all of those who have lied about me and used my image to make large sums of money for themselves.”

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Harvey added that Baby Reindeer had “caused untold damage to my health, my reputation, my job prospects” after she was identified within days of Richard Gadd’s megahit series premiering.

Gadd’s drama is billed as a “true story” and portrays Martha as a convicted stalker and perpetrator of sexual abuse and assault. Harvey has denied wrongdoing.

Her statement was issued through Chris Daw, a senior attorney assisting Harvey with her legal plans. The barrister is yet to be formally instructed by Harvey, but told Deadline last week that he is building a team of lawyers in the UK and U.S. to pursue Netflix, Gadd, and producer Clerkenwell Films.

Netflix, Clerkenwell, and Gadd are not commenting on the legal threat.

Harvey’s statement explicitly referenced evidence given by Netflix’s UK policy chief Benjamin King to a select committee hearing in British Parliament last week. He said Baby Reindeer was a “true story of the horrific abuse” suffered by Gadd “at the hands of a convicted stalker.”

John Nicolson, a Scottish National Party MP who sits on the influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee, wrote to King arguing that Netflix had a duty to evidence the claims made in Gadd’s series.

Harvey said: “Nobody ever approached me for any comment on the accuracy of Baby Reindeer, or the very serious and damaging allegation that I am a convicted criminal, with a serious criminal record, who has spent time in prison.”

She added: “Once I have a legal team in place, I expect that they will make a further statement, setting out the next steps that I will be taking to deal with everything that has happened, as a direct result of the dishonest and false picture of me, painted in Baby Reindeer and in the media generally.”

Following her interview with Piers Morgan earlier this month, she asked media to respect her privacy. Harvey said she was not “able to cope with relentless harassment from journalists.”

Baby Reindeer has in many ways been a British success story. Made by Clerkenwell, it exploded on Netflix, amassing nearly 65M views since debuting on April 11.

My name is Fiona Harvey.

Earlier in 2024, Netflix released a programme called “Baby Reindeer”, which they billed and marketed as a “true story”. One of the two main characters, “Martha”, was clearly intended to be based on me.

A senior Netflix executive gave evidence to parliament on oath that Baby Reindeer was “obviously a true story” of Richard Gadd’s dealings with a “convicted stalker”.

No doubt Richard Gadd, Clerkenwell Films (who produced the programme) and Netflix have made millions of pounds from this programme, in large part by making so many claims that Baby Reindeer is a true story.

I have no doubt that the character of “Martha” in Baby Reindeer was intended to be a portrayal of me. The problem for Richard Gadd and now for Netflix is that Baby Reindeer is not a true story at all. I am not a “convicted stalker”. I have never been charged with any crime, let alone been convicted, still less pleaded guilty and of course I have never been to prison for anything. This is how Gadd and Netflix chose to portray me in a TV show, for their own financial gain.

Nobody ever approached me for any comment on the accuracy of Baby Reindeer, or the very serious and damaging allegation that I am a convicted criminal, with a serious criminal record, who has spent time in prison.

Nobody ever asked for my permission to present me in this way or to use my image at all.

The media firestorm around Baby Reindeer, and my rapid identification as the “real Martha”, have caused untold damage to my health, my reputation, my job prospects and my ability to make sensible decisions about my welfare and best interests. This media firestorm continues, with daily bombardments of calls seeking comment on stories of every possible kind.

I am making this statement to make clear that I will not be making any further media comment of any kind until further notice.

With the assistance of a senior English lawyer, Chris Daw KC, I am putting together a legal team, in the UK and in the US, to take forward legal action against all of those who have lied about me and used my image to make large sums of money for themselves, with such damaging consequences for me and my family. Chris is not formally retained on my behalf and will not be making any media statements of any kind, in relation to my position or any other media stories, until further notice.

Once I have a legal team in place, I expect that they will make a further statement, setting out the next steps that I will be taking to deal with everything that has happened, as a direct result of the dishonest and false picture of me, painted in Baby Reindeer and in the media generally.

In the meantime, for the good of my health, please respect my privacy and please stop the endless calls and messages, asking for interviews, comments, and so many other things. I have made clear that I am not physically able to cope with relentless harassment from journalists and, if this continues, I will make a report to the police.

Fiona Harvey 20th May 2024

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