Piers Morgan thinks that Fiona Harvey, the woman alleged to be the real-life inspiration for the stalker Martha in the television series Baby Reindeer, was “failed” by Netflix.
“They failed in their duty of care to Harvey, there’s no question about that — Netflix in particular,” Morgan, 59, said during a Tuesday, May 14, appearance on ITV’s Lorraine. “The key question is whether they’ve defamed her. If you accuse somebody of being a convicted stalker and they’re not a convicted stalker, that’s a pretty serious mistake to make.”
Harvey, 58, appeared on Piers Morgan: Uncensored on Thursday May 9, for her first on-air interview since Baby Reindeer premiered on Netflix last month.
She claimed that the show, which was created by star Richard Gadd, is “a work of fiction” despite being billed as a true story. She also denied most of the key events in the series, including the show’s claim that she sent Gadd 41,000 emails and 350 voicemails over a four-year period.
“He’s crazy and wants to make this up,” Harvey claimed. “I mean, I’ve not phoned the guy. I don’t have his number.”
Morgan has faced criticism for his decision to interview Harvey on his YouTube channel. During his appearance on U.K. talk show Lorraine, Morgan was unbothered by claims that he exploited an allegedly vulnerable person for views.
“I have a YouTube channel called Piers Morgan: Uncensored and I want people to click on it. Shock horror,” he quipped. He also called the sit-down “one of the biggest things I’ve ever been involved in.”
After the interview, Harvey claimed that she was offered £250 ($313) for the appearance and plans to seek further compensation.
“I asked if that was what they paid everyone and, if so, I wanted to see documentation to that effect,” she told Scotland’s The Daily Record on Tuesday. “That documentation has not been forthcoming. I have not signed a contract for the interview and I will be seeking far more.”
She noted that she would “settle for a million [pounds]” and claimed that Morgan “didn’t even say goodbye” to her and “only got the photograph taken with me because he needed it for the publicity.”
Morgan said on Tuesday that Harvey is “not going to get a million pounds” for the interview.
“What she wants is an agent. We gave her the same amount we give, I would say, 95 percent of all of our guests,” he said. “We don’t discuss the terms, but we paid for her to have a nice haircut, a car and everything else. I think we have performed our duty of care [and] we’ve stayed in touch with her since.”
Harvey also told The Daily Record that she is seeking the same amount of money from Netflix.
“If I can’t get that show to shut down easily, if they don’t give me the money — and I’m talking £1 million — politicians will shut the show down,” she said. “I want at least £1 million and they know it.”
Gadd, 35, meanwhile, said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Monday, May 13, that the show “exists in a sort of fictional realm, even though it’s based on truth.” He emphasized that he didn’t intend for the real-life people who inspired the show to be identified.
“If I wanted the real life people to be found, I would’ve made it a documentary. I’ve spoken publicly about how I don’t want people to do [identification guessing] and if I start playing a game of whack-a-mole, then I’m almost adding to it,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll ever comment on it ever again.”
Gadd previously defended director Sean Foley after some fans speculated that he inspired the Baby Reindeer plotline about sexual abuse.
“People I love, have worked with and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation,” Gadd wrote via his Instagram Story last month. “Please don’t speculate on who any of the real life people could be. That’s not the point of our show.”
