A woman who is alleged to be the person who inspired the character Martha in Netflix series Baby Reindeer has seemingly been booked for a controversial nightclub appearance in Coventry.
Baby Reindeer is a semi-autobiographical series written by the comedian Richard Gadd that claims to tell the “true story” of a struggling stand-up (played by Gadd) who is stalked by an older woman named Martha.
Now, the nightclub says it’s planning to hold a “world exclusive” night with Fiona Harvey, the woman on which the character is allegedly based according to a post on Facebook.
Kasbah nightclub advertised the event, writing that “a personal appearance by Fiona Harvey aka Martha of Baby Reindeer” will take place this weekend. It added: “she will be signing autographs, taking selfies and she may also take a lucky reindeer home to hang her curtains!”
The news has been met with shock on Twitter by fans of the show. One wrote: “Why are they giving this woman a platform”, while another shared the club’s social media post and wrote: “Are you okay @kasbahcoventry?”
In the comments section underneath the club’s post on Facebook, one wrote: “This isn’t ok, don’t take advantage of someone so vulnerable.” A second user of the social media network wrote: “this is absolutely vile” while another added “this is wrong on so many levels.”
NME has contacted the club for comment.
Why are they giving this woman a platform??
— KV⛈️ (@Kafui_vx) May 13, 2024
Are you okay @KasbahCoventry https://t.co/FTS8tXdtiz#babyreindeer
— town sigh-er 😣 (@lilbreadpedlar) May 13, 2024
It comes just a week after some viewers of Baby Reindeer expressed concern at the “exploitative” nature of a recent interview Piers Morgan’s did with Harvey.
Harvey appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Thursday (May 9), her first television interview since confirming her identity earlier in the week.
In the interview, Harvey denied many aspects of the show’s narrative, saying that she did not stalk Gadd, attack his girlfriend, destroy the bar he worked in or contact his parents.
Harvey also confirmed that she will “absolutely” be taking legal action against both Gadd and Netflix, saying that she is “exploring all the options out there”.
The interview left many viewers with negative reactions. “I’m uncomfortable with how comfortable we are putting deeply unwell people in front of cameras,” wrote one person on X/Twitter.
Another user described the interview as “cruel”, “irresponsible” and “ghoulish”.
Harvey herself has given her own reaction to the interview, telling the Daily Record: “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.”
Netflix or Gadd himself have yet to comment on claims the woman is the ‘real-life’ Martha. Netflix’s policy chief Benjamin King said that Netflix and the production company “took every reasonable precaution in disguising the real-life identities of the people involved in that story”.
Almost immediately after the show premiered on Netflix last month, some viewers attempted to uncover the real identities of characters in the show, including Martha. Gadd himself subsequently urged people to refrain from speculation, saying, “that’s not the point of our show”.
Yesterday, the cast of the show appeared on the red carpet at the BAFTA awards.