The Baby Reindeer Obsession

Baby Reindeer, the new Netflix black-comedy drama, opens with the statement: “This is a true story.” Note: not based on a true story, not inspired by real events, but a true story — mostly, anyway. The writer, protagonist, and lead actor Richard Gadd told Variety: “It’s all emotionally 100 percent true,” “borrowed from instances that happened to me and real people that I met.”

The series, set in London and Scotland, tells the story of an aspiring comedian bartender whose experience with a female stalker forces him to confront his wounds from past sexual abuse. Gadd plays “Donny Dunn,” a pseudonym for himself. Baby Reindeer first ran as a play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Gadd adapted it for a Netflix miniseries. It was released in April and has been wildly successful.

About the Author

Madeleine Kearns

Madeleine Kearns is a former staff writer at National Review.

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Baby Reindeer, the new Netflix black-comedy drama, opens with the statement: “This is a true story.” Note: not based on a true story, not inspired by real events, but a true story — mostly, anyway. The writer, protagonist, and lead actor Richard Gadd told Variety: “It’s all emotionally 100 percent true,” “borrowed from instances that happened to me and real people that I met.”

The series, set in London and Scotland, tells the story of an aspiring comedian bartender whose experience with a female stalker forces him to confront his wounds from past sexual abuse. Gadd plays “Donny Dunn,” a pseudonym for himself. Baby Reindeer first ran as a play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Gadd adapted it for a Netflix miniseries. It was released in April and has been wildly successful.