Baby Reindeer: The ‘real Martha’ Fiona Harvey's revelations about the controversial Netflix show

Following the incredible success of Baby Reindeer, the internet super-sleuths have been busy speculating about the true identity of one of the show’s primary characters – Martha. A woman named Fiona Harvey has come forward claiming that she has received abuse, hate, and threats online after people on the internet narrowed down their search for Martha to deduce that the character had much in common with Harvey. Controversial British news presenter and talk show host Piers Morgan sat down with Harvey to give her a platform to voice herself and reveal her side of the story. For today’s episode of List Hai Toh Hit Hai podcast, we take a look at some of the shocking revelations made by the alleged ‘real Martha’, Fiona Harvey.

Minimal communication claims

Richard Gadd alleges that the character Martha in the Netflix series tried to communicate with Gadd over 40,000 emails, hundreds of hours of voicemails, over 700 tweets, nearly 50 Facebook messages, and over 100 pages of letters. However Fiona Harvey claims she only met Gadd five or six times and exchanged fewer than 10 emails and 18 tweets with him, contrary to the show's depiction of extensive communication. Harvey also claims that she did not leave Richard Gadd any voicemail recordings. She argues that it could only exist if Gadd had recorded their conversations at the Hawley Arms pub without her knowledge or consent. If this were actually true, the show’s depiction of her would be more than a little exaggerated.

Gadd’s mental health

While the subject of Richard Gadd’s mental health is discussed to some degree in the show, Fiona Harvey claims Gadd has severe psychiatric problems and accuses him of being a misogynist. She also reiterated that others warned her about his behaviour when they got in touch.

Show's accuracy

As one would expect, Fiona Harvey has labelled  Baby Reindeer as a work of fiction. She emphasises that Gadd’s name and his job as a bartender are the only authentic aspects of the series. Harvey insists that the scenes depicting harassment and prison time are entirely fabricated by Gadd for the benefit of the show in order to add additional drama to the narrative. Now, that’s a huge leap even for cinematic liberty.

Multiple email IDs and phones

While there are a few contradictions in some of her statements in the interview, especially regarding her mobile phones. Harvey admits to using six email addresses and four phones during the time when she was in contact with Gadd. She explains that it is a more convenient way to manage different aspects of her life more effectively. Now, compartmentalising one’s life may be an efficient way of pulling through but is it also a convenient and plausible excuse?

Public Backlash and Threats

In the opening minutes of the interview, Piers Morgan quizzes Fiona Harvey as to why she wanted to be interviewed on national television. She replied that she wanted to share her side of the story after allegedly receiving severe online harassment and death threats following the show's release. She also criticised the portrayal of Martha that has incited such extreme reactions from the viewers.

.Accusations against Gadd

Piers Morgan plays a few video clips of podcasters at the beginning of the interview, who claim that Richard Gadd left enough information in the show for people to figure out the identity of the real Martha. Fiona Harvey firmly believes in theory that Gadd intentionally crafted the narrative to persecute and tarnish her reputation. She has labelled his actions to be outrageous and psychotic.

Denial of romance

One of the central aspects of the series is Richard Gadd’s claims that Martha is a stalker who is infatuated with him. However, Harvey denies any romantic interest in Gadd, and alleged that she once rejected his advances. She also claims that it became a source of a running joke at the pub.

Plans for legal action

Fiona Harvey revealed in the interview with Piers Morgan that she is in a five-year relationship with a lawyer, who supports her unconditionally. She also added that she plans to sue Gadd and Netflix for defamation, claiming that the portrayal of events in the series are false and has caused significant damage to her reputation. However, she added that she will not rely on her partner for legal counsel, and that she will seek legal representation from elsewhere.

Well that's all for this episode, until the next time it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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• Written by Ryan Gomez