Picture: Netflix
In a making-of documentary released alongside the new 7-part limited series from the team behind It’s The End of the F***ing World, creator and star Richard Gadd has talked about the origins for the new dark comedy.
As we covered in our main preview of Baby Reindeer, the show itself is based on a true story, which was then transformed into a stage play and now a Netflix limited series. Commissioned three years ago, the limited series is now available and has been released to pretty positive reviews from the handful of outlets that have published thus far (to say that Netflix had subdued marketing for this one is an understatement).
“41,071 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, 744 Tweets, 46 messages, four fake Facebook accounts, 106 pages of letters, and one cup of tea.”
Those are the numbers behind the story being told throughout seven episodes of Baby Reindeer.
“It is a stalker story, but it’s a stalker story with a twist.” Gadd says in the short behind-the-scenes doc, “It’s a stalker story done very differently. Every now and again, I have these giddy bursts of excitement where I’m almost like a kid back at school, and then I have the bouts of “Oh my god, everyone’s gonna know my shit.”
Going on to describe the plot, Gadd says, ” I sometimes find the Baby Reindeer plot quite hard to describe, which kind of speaks to its strengths in a way. It’s a true story, based on my early twenties, when I went through quite a lot of pretty crazy things. Baby Reindeer follows the story of a man who gives a woman a cup of tea on the house, a kind gesture to cheer her up, and then the negative fallout of that kind gesture, a sort of a gesture that goes on to create extreme negative ramifications in his life, and how ultimately his warped relationship with that woman, Martha, goes on to force him to confront other things in his life.”
The show’s underlying theme is to show the “messy side of stalking” and the side that isn’t necessarily black and white. It’s an exploration of personal crisis, the unexpected consequences of human interactions, and the journey of turning profound personal struggles into art.
Given that the show deals with some serious and rather heavy themes, Gadd said he wanted to keep the show light in some ways with plenty of humor throughout. “I really wanted the humor to provide a sort of release during the series. You know, with a show like this that goes to the territory it goes to, I just knew that without laughter along the way, it could have been a very, very dark experience indeed.”
Picture: Netflix
The documentary gives plenty of behind-the-scenes looks at how the film was shot and insights into how Gadd saw his stalker came to life via Jessica Gunning. However, it ultimately concludes with Gadd talking about what he hopes audiences take away from the new series, “I want people to feel a sense of peace around it and people who’ve been through similar things to feel a great sense of comfort in it. I ultimately want it to stand on its own two feet as a really good piece of art and a good television show. That’s what I hope.”
The making-of documentary concludes with a note: “If you or someone you know is struggling, information and resources are available at wannatalkaboutit.com.” That link goes to Netflix’s internal help support page, contains advice for struggling people, and covers sensitive topics on shows like Everything Now, Sex Education, Heart of Invictus, You and Ginny & Georgia.
The full making-of documentary can be found in the extras of the show page on Netflix. Baby Reindeer is now streaming globally.
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