Maker of Netflix hit ‘Baby Reindeer’ asks fans to stop looking for the real people behind the characters | TV

‘Baby Reindeer’ is one of the most popular Netflix series of the moment. The story of Donny and his stalker Martha seems unlikely, but it is indeed based on a true story. “It’s all 100% true,” Gadd, the show’s creator, told Variety. “I have experienced these events myself, along with others I know. But in the series we cannot tell everything in detail, due to both legal and artistic limitations. You can’t just copy someone else’s life and name and broadcast it on television. We were also aware that some characters are vulnerable people, so you don’t want to make their lives even more difficult. So you have to change things to protect yourself and other people,” said the screenwriter.

Despite Gadd’s clear words, avid fans had other ideas. In recent days, online sleuths, media outlets and TikTok creators have launched investigations to discover Martha and Teri’s true identities. Gadd himself has taken note of the reports and headlines. “People I admire and have worked with are unfairly caught up in the speculation,” Gadd posted in an Instagram story on Monday. “Please stop speculating about who the real people might be. That is not the intention of our series.”