Edinburgh Fringe Festival reveals how they protect performers like Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has shed light on its safeguarding policy for performers following the portrayal of abuse and allegations of stalking in Baby Reindeer.

The hit Netflix show depicts a comedian named Donny being preyed upon at the renowned festival by an older, successful TV writer.

While this initially leads to some success at the festival, their friendship-turned-working-relationship soon takes a turn, culminating in sexual abuse and extensive psychological trauma.

Comedian Richard Gadd, 34, who created the show, explained that it was based on his own experiences, telling The Independent that it had a profound effect on his work.

“It was becoming increasingly hard to play the frivolous funnyman when I’d been through these kinds of things,” he said.

“So I had no choice, really, but to conflate the two. Because I don’t think I could have really survived having repressed it, and carried on doing these one-liners and surface-level routines. It was almost a survival choice. Because I was struggling so much.”

Now, an Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has told The Independent that the festival has extensive safeguarding resources in place for any comedians like Gadd who may need them.

“The safety and well-being of artists is paramount,” the spokesperson said. “Aggression towards, or exploitation of, any Fringe artist is completely unacceptable.

“The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is the small charity that supports participants taking part in the Fringe every year.”

Their safeguarding process exists year-round through the Artist Services team who support artists “at any stage of their career”.

The Fringe also has a drop-in space called the Fringe Central Hub that offers support including “1-2-1 mental health and wellbeing sessions to workshops, networking events, and 1-2-1 advice and support from the Artist Services team.”

The spokesperson said there are around 300 venues at the festival which “individually have their own policies and processes to support their artists throughout their time with them.”

If an issue arises, the best course for an artist is to speak with their venue first, then, if necessary, access the aforementioned services.

The Fringe Society said they work “closely” with the police when serious incidents occur but stressed that they are “rare”.

The spokesperson added: “We work closely with Police Scotland where serious matters arise and given the thankfully rare nature of these type of events, we can respond on a case-by-case basis to give the artists and venues the specific support they need.

“As previously mentioned, ensuring the safety and well-being of all artists at the Fringe is paramount, and we work closely with venues, promoters, producers and artists throughout the year.”

The festival also took the opportunity to flag their Unacceptable Behaviour Policy, which includes the exploitative behaviour experienced by Gadd’s character in the show.

They have an internal procedure to deal with any complaints and said that they immediately contact law the police in response to illegal behaviour.

The Fringe later played host to Gadd’s 2019 show about his experiences of stalking and abuse, also called Baby Reindeer, which was later dramatised by Netflix.

Gadd said that while he reported his experience of stalking to the police, he did not report the sexual assault allegedly carried out by a man he met at the Fringe.