Baby Reindeer sparks police probe after man falsely accused by Netflix viewers

25 April 2024, 20:14 | Updated: 25 April 2024, 20:22

Police have launched an investigation after a man was falsely accused of sexually attacking Richard Gadd, the creator of the new hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer.

The show is based on real experiences in Gadd's life, and follows his character Donny, a struggling comedian who is relentlessly staked and harassed by a woman named Martha

The seven-episode show which was released earlier this month also takes inspiration from other aspects of his life.

In an episode, Donny is depicted being groomed and sexually abused by writer Darrien.

Amateur sleuths who watched the show have taken it upon themselves to identify the real people behind the story, including the perpetrator of the abuse - leading to the allegations against writer and director Sean Foley.

Mr Foley tweeted: "Police have been informed and are investigating all defamatory abusive and threatening posts against me."

In a statement to ITV News, West Midlands Police said: "We're investigating after a man reported receiving threatening messages on social media.

"Enquiries are at an early stage and we are in the process of gathering information from the victim."

Sean Foley is also a comedian and actor. He is know for the several plays including The Play What I Wrote and a number of comedy productions on the West End.

Read more: Laurence Fox ordered to pay £180,000 damages to two people he labelled 'paedophiles' on social media

Foley’s tweet comes after Gadd urged those searching for the real-life identities of Darrien and his stalker Martha, played by Jessica Gunning, to stop it.

The writer and actor asked viewers to endspeculation, revealing that innocent people have also been “unfairly” getting caught up in the rumours.

He posted on his Instagram story on Monday, “People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation.

“Please don’t speculate on who the real life people could be. That’s not the point of our show.”

Gadd's play, also called Baby Reindeer, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and later enjoyed a successful run at London's Bush theatre.

Five years later, it became one of Netflix's most successful streamed shows.