When did ‘Baby Reindeer’ happen in real life?

Richard Gadd’s Netflix miniseries, Baby Reindeer, is all the rage right now. However, some viewers remain unaware that the events of the thrilling tale are based on Gadd’s real-life experience.

The show combines themes of trauma cycles, sexual abuse, and internalized bigotry in a story about a young comedian dealing with an obsessive stalker. But when did the events of Baby Reindeer occur in real life?

Baby Reindeer’s real life timeline

Baby Reindeer is based on Richard Gadd’s 2019 one-man play of the same name, which tells the story of how he met an older woman at a pub and gave her a free cup of tea. This led to years of her stalking and harassing him. He dubbed the woman “Martha,” to protect her identity when he first performed the play. 

In a review of the play in 2019, it was revealed that the events took place six years ago, which means that they happened in 2013. He explained that he felt pity for Martha when he first met her, a sentiment that is repeated in the show. In 2019, Gadd was 29 years old, which means he would have been 23 when he first met Martha and the events unfolded. The entire timeline of Gadd’s experience with Martha spanned about 3-4 years. However, in that period of time, this woman stalked him and his family, and sent him over 40,000 emails, 350 voicemails, and countless more social media messages and letters. 

What is the story of Baby Reindeer?

The rest of the article features minor Baby Reindeer spoilers.

Baby Reindeer follows a young, upcoming comedian named Donny Dunn who meets an older woman at the pub where he works. When she claims to be a bit low on funds, he offers a free cup of tea.  Soon after, she begins to show up at the pub, striking up a friendship with Donny that eventually turns into obsessive stalking. The show is narrated by Donny, who, with the benefit of hindsight, provides information about his thoughts, regrets, and other information about Martha that he didn’t know at the time.

Baby Reindeer also chronicles Donny’s personal life, including his relationship with a trans woman named Teri, whom he was ashamed to be seen with in public, as well as his struggles with finding stability in his career. Throughout all this, Martha becomes an increasingly concerning presence in his life, moving from stalking him physically and online, to even stalking his parents and family. 

The show also dives further into Donny’s past, and recounts an older man who worked in television, and claimed that he could make Donny famous. In reality, he groomed Donny for years, inviting him for weekend-long, drug-induced “work sessions,” and sexually assaulting him while he was under the influence. Altogether, the revelation of Donny’s past adds a new layer of complexity to his story with Martha, especially as he begins to get just as obsessed with her attention, as she is with him. 

The Netflix series ends with Martha getting a nine-month prison sentence, with five years of probation. In real life, however, Gadd claims that he never found out what happened to Martha, but that the situation is completely resolved now.