Star of Edinburgh-set Netflix series Baby Reindeer asks fans not to hunt for real-life characters

The star of Baby Reindeer issued a plea to fans, urging them to stop trying to find out who the real-life characters in the show are.

The Netflix series has become a worldwide sensation since it was released on the platform earlier this month, storming to the top of the streaming charts in dozens of countries.

It's based on a one-man Edinburgh Fringe play depicting the real experiences of creator Richard Gadd, the Fife comedian who had to deal with a female stalker who showed up at his house and sent him thousands of messages.

Since Baby Reindeer hit our screens, speculation has been rife on social media about who characters are based on.

Fans have been desperately been trying to uncover the real-life identity of Martha, the stalker played by Jessica Gunning in the series, as well as the real-life Darrien, the abusive London producer played by Tom Goodman-Hill.

A series of posts claiming to have uncovered their true identities have been viewed millions of times across social media platform X (formerly Twitter) – and this has prompted Gadd to ask for it to stop.

In a post on his Instagram account, he wrote: “Hi everyone, people I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) 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. Lots of love, Richard.”

As reported in the Evening News earlier this month, the owners of a popular Edinburgh pub have said they were thrilled to feature in Baby Reindeer

The Hoppy, on Marionville Road, was used as one of the locations in the series, and they took to social media to express their delight.

Writing on Facebook, the pub’s owners said: “Towards the end of lockdown we were lucky enough to have been asked by Netflix to use The Hoppy exterior in the brand new Netflix series Baby Reindeer.

“The cast and crew were an absolute pleasure to have in, what a great opportunity to see the pub on the big screen. Here’s the clip for those who haven’t tuned in yet!”

You can see the post and short clip by visiting The Hoppy's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheHoppyEdinburgh. Baby Reindeer is available to stream now on Netflix.