Richard Osman has claimed that "everyone" in the television industry knows the identity of Richard Gadd's sexual abuser, who is depicted by actor Tom Goodman-Hill in the comedian's hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer.
For those who have yet to watch the breakout drama, which is currently the streaming platform's number-one show, it's a semi-autobiographical series based on Gadd's one-man Edinburgh Fringe show.
The series follows struggling comedian Donny Dunn, who is relentlessly stalked by a middle-aged woman named Martha after offering her a free cup of tea during a pub shift, forcing him to confront the trauma caused by sexual abuse at the hands of a TV writer named Darrien during the early days of Donny's comedy career.
Osman, who is a best-selling author and previous host of BBC's Pointless, discussed the show on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, which he co-hosts with journalist Marina Hyde.
He told Marina that "everyone knows who he is talking about".
"There's a very, very serious thing that happens with a male comedy producer and Richard Gadd, who, as you say, did the show in Edinburgh and has been very open to people in the industry about who that person was, so people in the industry know who that person was," said Osman.
"Now it comes out now and a completely different person is identified, someone who has produced Richard Gadd before, but is definitively not the person in any way," he continued. "But the person they've cast in that role looks like this other guy, looks like the guy who's been falsely accused. And it's such a weird, bizarre thing to do because this poor guy has had death threats and he's had to issue a statement to say it's not me.
"And it is not him, definitely not because people in the industry know who it is. And it's definitely not him."
Taking to Instagram in April, Gadd issued a statement urging people to stop speculating about the real people who inspired the characters of Martha and Darrien, naming director and writer Sean Foley as someone "unfairly caught up in speculation".
"People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation," penned the 34-year-old.
"Please don't speculate on who the real-life people could be. That’s not the point of our show."
Gadd's stalking ordeal began back in 2015 and continued for four and a half years, resulting in 40,000 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, and 100 pages of letters received from his stalker.
The comedian hasn't said much about the real Martha but has said the issue "is resolved".
Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix.
Anyone affected by Richard's story or the themes mentioned in this article can find support by contacting Victim Support or the National Stalking Helpline.