A nightclub advertising an event with Fiona Harvey, thought to be the inspiration behind Martha in Baby Reindeer, has ‘cancelled’ her appearance.
The poster promoting the meet and greet had sparked outrage from viewers of the Netflix show, who branded it ‘unfathomably disgusting.’
However, the venue has now said 58-year-old Harvey’s personal appearance will no longer go ahead as it was deemed ‘unsafe.’
It is not clear whether the event was a hoax as Kasbah Nightclub in Coventry has a history of advertising false personal appearances as a publicity stunt.
It has previously advertised non-existent events with the likes of Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev in 2022 and Matt Hancock the following year, according to Coventry Live.
In an Instagram statement announcing Harvey’s event’s cancellation, the business thanked various publications for the ‘free publicity.’
‘Unfortunately, the promoter of this Saturday’s meet & greet with Fiona Harvey has deemed the event unsafe and cancelled the appearance due to the negative publicity, the nightclub’s statement began on Instagram.
However, the promotional poster posted on the business’s social media accounts advertising a meet and greet, autograph signing, and selfies with Harvey has not been removed.
It also includes an obscene reference to a message about ‘hanging her curtains’ Martha, played by Jessica Gunning, sends the comedian she’s stalking Donny, portrayed by the show’s creator Richard Gadd.
The poster reads: ‘Fiona Harvey aka Martha from Baby Reindeer. A personal appearance where she will sign autographs, take selfies and maybe take some lucky reindeer home to hang her curtains!’
The bottom of the promo says ‘sent from my iphon’, echoing the same, misspelled signature Martha in Baby Reindeer would use to sign off her messages to Donny.
Fans were nonetheless outraged that a nightclub was exploiting Gadd’s real-life experience of stalking for commercial gain and raised concerns over Harvey’s safeguarding – after she last week said she felt ‘used’ in an interview with Piers Morgan.
On Instagram, Ryanprew99 fumed: ‘If this is real it’s a disgrace and you should be ashamed.’
Agreeing with their sentiment, Chiragpraakash raged: ‘Unfathomably disgusting @kasbah_coventry. Don’t think I’m ever going to kasbah again.’
Withlovemicah also added: ‘As a business you should be appalled that you need to use a male’s sa story to gain customers. absolutely vile.’
Luizegraustina said: ‘Is this a joke?? How are you planning to safeguard this woman?’
After the internet sleuth unveiled the ‘real Martha’ despite pleas from Gadd to preserve her anonymity, she was interviewed by Morgan on Uncensored in a two-part special.
In it, she repeatedly denied stalking Gadd in real life, describing the show as ‘a work of fiction, a work of hyperbole.’
Reflecting on her sit-down with Morgan, Harvey later said she felt ‘used’ by him as he relentlessly questioned her over an infatuation with Gadd.
She claimed Morgan, 59, grilled her over the subject of 41,000 emails sent to Gadd for a 10-minute chunk of the interview.
In an attempt to defend herself, she hit back that even if the emails were true, it did not mean the entire saga was completely factual.
‘It seemed to me that I was set up. I feel a bit used,’ Harvey added.
Morgan reportedly described the interaction as a ‘sparring match’ between the pair, for which his interviewee claimed she was only paid £250.
Gadd has not directly commented on the interview but said today that he will never discuss the identities of the real people the characters in Baby Reindeer are based on.
‘I don’t think I’ll ever comment on it ever again,’ he told Hollywood Reporter, days before the sit-down chat was aired.
The comedian continued: ‘The Internet’s always going to do its thing. I can’t really comment on that.’
‘I’m called Donny Dunn. It exists in a sort of fictional realm; even though it’s based on truth, it exists in a fictional realm. Let’s enjoy the world that I’ve created,’ the 35-year-old remarked.
‘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 it and if I start playing a game of whack-a-mole, then I’m almost adding to it.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Kasbah Nightclub for comment.
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Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix.
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