Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd was supported by his co-star, Jessica Gunning, while presenting an award at the BAFTA TV Awards on Sunday night.
The actor and comedian, who rose to international stardom due to his smash hit Netflix show, has been at the centre of discussions since the show’s release, with viewers debating whether Netflix did enough to hide the identity of the real-life people in the show - particularly after Richard’s alleged real-life stalker Fiona Harvey’s recent interview with Piers Morgan.
Richard and Jessica took to the stage to present the award for Limited Drama Award, which went to the Sixth Commandment.
Richard didn't make any comment on Harvey's interview with Piers Morgan and kept things simple as he and Jessica announced that The Sixth Commandment had won the Best Limited Series Award.
The writer and actor’s appearance comes just days after viewers had a very divisive reaction to Piers Morgan’s interview with the person who allegedly is the real-life version of ‘Martha’ in the hit Netflix show. In the show, Martha obsessively contacts Richard’s character via email, voicemail, text messages and letters, leading him to eventually obtain a restraining order against her.
During the interview, the woman, whose name is Fiona Harvey, strenuously denied sending Richard multiple messages and later told the Daily Record that she had felt “set up” by Piers.
© John Phillips/BAFTAShe said: “There was a heavy emphasis from Piers Morgan on Gadd and the emails I am supposed to have sent. I have my own thoughts on it that I'd like to keep to myself but I wouldn't say I was happy. It was very rapid to try to trip me up. He did it fast-paced to catch me off guard. It seemed to me that I was set up. I feel a bit used.”
While Richard has yet to speak about the interview, he did release a statement during earlier speculation which read: “Hi everyone, people I love, have worked with, and admire … are unfairly getting caught up in speculation. Please don’t speculate on who any of the real-life people could be. That's not the point of our show.
© Scott GarfittSpeaking to Piers, she said: “It's a work of fiction. It's a work of hyperbole, as I've always said… And there are two true facts in that. His name is Richard Gadd, and he worked as a jobbing barman on benefits, in the Hawley Arms. And we met two, three times.”
Baby Reindeer: Martha's obsession in numbers
© Ed Miller/NetflixRichard Gadd has been vocal about his stalker, named 'Martha' in the show, and just how many messages, voicemails, tweets and emails he received from her before contact was cut off. It included:
- 41,000 emails
- 744 tweets
- 100 pages of letters
- 350 hours of voicemails
Speaking about the interview, one person posted: “The one thing that's clear from the Fiona Harvey interview is that Jessica Gunning did an outstanding job portraying her. Just...wow. #BabyReindeer #PiersMorgan," while another person added: “The fact this woman had never met or seen footage of Fiona and only had a description of her from Richard Gadd is insane. She absolutely nailed her likeness, she deserves all the awards for this role.”
