Netflix's Baby Reindeer viewers say chilling true story is 'best TV they've ever seen'

Netflix's new true story drama, Baby Reindeer, has been hailed by viewers as 'the best TV they've ever seen'. The chilling series is based on a real-life case of a simple act of kindness spiralling into a toxic obsession.

The gripping narrative was created and performed by Richard Gadd, who portrays the character Donny. Gadd reveals that Donny is a character inspired by his own harrowing experiences of being stalked by a woman named Martha, played by Jessica Gunning, reports Bristol Live.

In the opening episode, Donny, feeling pity for Martha, offers her a complimentary cup of tea at his pub job. Audiences quickly witness how this small act of kindness transforms into an alarming invasion of privacy.

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Martha would bombard Donny with over 80 emails daily, "continuing long into the night". Over a span of five years, she sent around 40,000 emails, 740 tweets, 100 pages of letters, 45 Facebook messages, and left 350 hours of voicemail.

Despite the volume, Martha's messages were not explicitly threatening or violent, leaving the police unable to intervene effectively against her intrusive behaviour. Reflecting on his desperate plea for assistance, Richard said: "The laws surrounding harassment and abuse are so stupid because they look for black and white, good and evil, and that's not how it works."

The seven-episode series, affectionately termed by Martha as 'Baby Reindeer', ranges from 27 to 45 minutes per episode and delves into the "human quality" of stalking.

In a conversation with Netflix, the show's writer Richard Gadd expressed his perspective on the portrayal of stalking in media. He said: "Stalking on television tends to be very sexed-up... It has a mystique. It's somebody in a dark alleyway. It's somebody who's really sexy, who's very normal, but then they go strange bit by bit.

"But stalking is a mental illness. I really wanted to show the layers of stalking with a human quality I hadn't seen on television before."

Social media has been abuzz with reactions to the series. TV critic Scott Bryan said: "Baby Reindeer up there as some of the best television of the year (so far) for me."

Others were equally full of praise. One said: "The scary part is how real this can be...and is for many." A second said: "I wasn't prepared for Baby Reindeer. From the minute it starts to the very end I was truly captivated. It was triggering, uncomfortable, awkward and hilarious at times. A masterpiece."

A third who had watched the whole series, praised the entire production. They said: "Just finished watching it all in one go, despite feeling I've been on a very uncomfortable journey with Donny (Richard), I'm so glad I watched. Incredible writing and acting."