Baby Reindeer (2024) is a drama thriller series written and created by comedian Richard Gadd who stars in the lead role of Donny Dunn.
In Baby Reindeer, Donny is an aspiring comedian and a bartender who has a moment of pity and empathy for a woman named Martha and offers her a free drink.
Martha is overjoyed by this kind act and then proceeds to stalk Donny and cause all sorts of trouble in his life.
Martha’s presence makes Donny’s life complicated, but he also realizes that his own experiences have partly led to this situation as he has also indulged Martha at times.
The title comes from Martha’s nickname for Donny because she reminds him of a toy she turned to for comfort when she was a child in a turbulent home.
Drawn from life experiences
The series is based on Gadd’s one-man show of the same name that premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019.
That show has won multiple awards including the prestigious Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre.
It had runs in several theatres before it was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The play itself is based on Gadd’s real life as he did have a stalker after him at one point.
Gadd is also an ambassador for We Are Survivors, a UK charity that supports men who are victims of sexual abuse.
He has spoken about his experiences before and how they have impacted his career in significant ways.
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