Doctor Who mastermind Russell T. Davies is weighing in on the controversy surrounding Netflix‘s smash hit series Baby Reindeer.
The writer said in an interview with The Times that the BBC would have been “much stricter” when it comes to disguising the real-life identities of the characters created by Scottish comedian Richard Gadd. “Compliance and editorial policy drives us mad here but I sleep at night,” Davies said.
His comments follow a whirlwind of scrutiny for Netflix producers, and even fans of the series, who took it upon themselves to try and unveil the real people depicted on the show, including the trans woman Gadd’s character dates, played by Nava Mau, and the TV producer who sexually assaults him, portrayed by Tom Goodman-Hill.
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On Thursday, British host Piers Morgan will interview a woman named Fiona Harvey who claims to be the inspiration behind the show’s stalker, Martha. Harvey was identified on Facebook by fans of the show and subsequently wrote a string of posts detailing a not-so-friendly relationship with Gadd.
“Fiona Harvey wants to have her say & ‘set the record straight,’” Morgan detailed in a post on X (formerly Twitter), along with a photo of the newsman standing behind Harvey on the set of his Piers Morgan Uncensored. The post went viral, with many users questioning the moral responsibility of providing such a public platform to someone who may be suffering from mental illness.
Morgan’s post came hours after Baby Reindeer came up during a U.K. parliament hearing focused on British film and television projects and featuring Netflix policy chief Benjamin King.
He told lawmakers that the streamer and producers at Clerkenwell Films took “every reasonable precaution” to disguise the identities of the people who inspired Gadd’s work, which began as a stage play of the same name.
King said: “Ultimately, it’s obviously very difficult to control what viewers do, particularly in a world where everything is amplified by social media. I personally wouldn’t be comfortable with a world in which we decided it was better that Richard was silenced and not allowed to tell the story.”
Richard Osman, TV host and author of The Thursday Murder Club — soon to be adapted by Netflix — argued that Baby Reindeer would be “patient zero” for Netflix’s compliance with the U.K. broadcast code. Speaking on his podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment, co-hosted by Marina Hyde, Osman said: “It’s an interesting case of what happens when you suddenly have an enormous hit on your hands. If there is even the slightest crack in the foundations of that hit, it will open into a chasm.”
He concluded: “All of the money that’s spent on compliance and aftercare and all of those things is just in case. This is the absolute classic example of just in case.”
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