Before its online premiere, the exclusive interview conducted by the journalist Piers Morgan to the woman who claims to be the real “Martha” from the hit Netflix show, Baby Reindeer (baby reindeer), has unleashed a wave of criticism and controversy in the United Kingdom. The fiction that tops the ranking of the most viewed titles on the streaming platform recounts the harassment suffered by the comedian Richard Gadd at the hands of a woman obsessed with him.
The miniseries, which was originally a one-man show created by Gadd himself, gained immense global popularity, but also sparked debates about the relevance given to bullying and mental health.
In the midst of the fiction boom, a woman who claims to be the real-life “Martha” decided to go public to defend herself against what she believes is a smear campaign. After calling the series “a bunch of garbage,” this person agreed to speak for the cameras. Piers Morgan Uncensored which is broadcast on YouTube.
According to a preview of this dialogue, the woman, 48 years old and originally from Scotland, decided to show herself to “clarify things” in relation to the way in which she is presented in the series. However, far from finding a space for her redemption, she then told the Daily Mail that she felt “used” and now considers that the interview was a “trap” on the part of the journalist.
She says she felt like in a “fencing combat” during the interview, accusing Morgan of trying to “trip her up” with his questions. Furthermore, she regretted the journalist’s insistence on asking if she had sent 41,000 emails and calls, to which she responded that even if she had sent some emails, that did not make her guilty of all charges.
In the trailer you can see that the interviewer questions the woman about her decision to make her story public, the moment when she recognized herself as the person portrayed in Baby Reindeer and about her history with the law, including direct questions about whether she had ever been imprisoned.
While Richard Gaddthe person affected by the harassment portrayed in the series, had tried to keep the real woman who inspired the character of “Martha”, the enormous attention the series has received led viewers to try to discover his real identity. Some users would have been successful with their searches. According to what the woman told another British media, she received death threats.
On the other hand, other critics have described the journalist’s attitude as “irresponsible.” According to mental health activists, giving a public space of this magnitude to the alleged harasser can be harmful to victims of harassment and glamorizes a traumatic situation.
Kerri Layton, a jazz singer and survivor of a 14-year bullying experience, expressed her outrage on social media. Layton alleged that her interview made him “nauseous” for several reasons, including the personal experience she had with the criminal justice system while she tried to get her own harasser away from her.
baby reindeer, miniseries of seven episodes, accumulated 60 million views in its first month. Described by critics as “distressing”, “raw” and “honest”, the British production explores traumatic events in the life of its protagonist. Martha’s bullying is just the tip of the iceberg in a complex and devastating tale of mental health.
