Martha from Baby Reindeer demands £1m from Piers Morgan after 'piddling' £250

Baby Reindeer's real-life Martha has demanded £1 million from Piers Morgan after being offered just a "piddling £250" for the interview.

Fiona Harvey is in a cash war with the broadcaster after an explosive interview last week that has been viewed millions of times on his YouTube channel. The 58-year-old is fuming after her appearance on his YouTube Uncensored show made the host at least £250,000 already.

It has since generated over 10 million views and continues to rake in revenue for Morgan. But Harvey says she wants a bigger slice of the pie from the show’s revenue and will “settle for” seven figures.

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Speaking exclusively to the Daily Record, she said: "They offered me £250 and I asked if that was what they paid everyone and, if so, I wanted to see documentation to that effect. That documentation has not been forthcoming.

"I have not signed a contract for the interview and I will be seeking far more than a piddling £250. I’d settle for a million.

"I read a snippet online that Piers felt very sorry for me but he feels sorry for no one. His staff were being so nice and saying everything was OK but when I went in to meet him he could barely look at me.

"It was all a big act. He didn’t even say goodbye and only got the photograph taken with me because he needed it for the publicity.

"I also think he’s ill. He was very pale, white as a sheet under those TV cameras and he looked very drawn.

"He’s lost a lot of weight. Is he ill? You do wonder."

Harvey also hopes to sue Netflix over Baby Reindeer. Scots comedian Richard Gadd’s show is a seven-part TV series, which the streaming channel billed as a true story.

Baby Reindeer was based on the real-life experiences of Scots comedian Gadd, the show’s creator and star. It follows a disturbing chain of events after he gave a customer of the Hawley Arms pub in London, where he was working as a barman, a free cup of tea.

The woman, who is called Martha Scott in the mini-series, becomes obsessed with him, camping out at his home, attacking
his trans girlfriend and sending him thousands of emails.

It depicts Gadd’s nemesis, a stalker called Martha, as having been imprisoned for a historical case and then again for stalking Gadd. It has been the top show for the streaming channel in 30 countries.

But serious questions have been asked over the fact that internet sleuths were quickly able to identify Harvey as the person Martha had been based on. Gadd has urged viewers not to try to identify the real-life people from Baby Reindeer, which was adapted from his ­Edinburgh Fringe show.

But Harvey spoke to the Daily Record soon after being identified online to refute many of the claims made about Martha in the show – including that she sent thousands of emails to Gadd and that she was jailed.

Harvey, on whom the character is based, denies having been convicted of a crime or being jailed.

In the series, “Martha” was jailed prior to meeting Gadd’s character Donny and is jailed again for stalking him.

That has prompted Harvey to threaten legal action against Netflix and Gadd.

Harvey said: “If I can’t get that show to shut down easily, if they don’t give me the money – and I’m talking £1million – ­politicians will shut the show down. If the behaviour of Netflix has been discussed in Parliament as it has been discussed all over the country then the show will be shut down – as simple as that.

“I want at least £1million and they know it.”

Baby Reindeer has earned Gadd rave reviews and praise over how he portrayed stalking and sexual abuse. But last week Netflix was dragged over the coals in Parliament over the show’s duty of care to those portrayed in the hit drama.

Netflix policy chief Benjamin King told the committee chair, SNP MP John Nicolson: “Baby Reindeer is an extraordinary story and it is obviously a true story of the horrific abuse that the writer and protagonist Richard Gadd suffered at the hands of a convicted stalker.”

An insider for Piers Morgan said: “We agreed a standard appearance fee with Fiona and paid for her hair and make-up and car.”

The Daily Record has contacted Netflix, Richard Gadd’s lawyers and Piers Morgan’s production company for comment.