Netflix is sticking with its claim that Baby Reindeer is a made-up story, despite a current lawsuit. Anne Mensah, who is Netflix’s vice president of original series, spoke at the Edinburgh TV Festival this week.
She highlighted how the show, created by Richard Gadd, has helped more men who have been abused to reach out for help.
Mensah said, “The show was important for those reasons, and if you think the controversy took away from that, I’d be really disappointed. I fully support the show. It’s a drama, not a real-life documentary.”
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The popular Netflix series, inspired by Gadd’s claim that a woman stalked and assaulted him, led people to guess who the real-life person behind the character Martha (played by Jessica Gunning) might be.
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Mensah said that Netflix is very serious about keeping people safe, especially after a warning from the UK government.
She added, “I don’t create shows just to get attention. It was about giving Gadd the chance to share his story. Seeking attention is the opposite of what I stand for.”
Fiona Harvey has now come forward, saying she was the real person behind the character Martha and has sued Netflix for $170 million, claiming defamation and negligence. Her lawyer, Richard Roth, is using a report from The Sunday Times that says Netflix pushed Gadd to add a “this is a true story” message before each episode.
Roth told Piers Morgan Uncensored, “This isn’t just negligence; it’s intentional wrongdoing if they were told not to claim it was a true story but did it anyway. They’ll need to prove they have the facts to back up their claim.”
Source: Deadline