Baby Reindeer turns nasty: The extremely graphic messages, explicit gifts, 'handsy' behaviour and terrifying threats Richard Gadd claims real-life 'Martha' sent him - as $120m court case takes a very surprising twist

Only 84 radical a nighttime were capable to compression into the tiny venue to spot Richard Gadd's Edinburgh Fringe play Baby Reindeer, which ran for astir 4 weeks successful 2019.

But that low-key play – the ground of the smash-hit tv amusement Baby Reindeer – could extremity up costing the TV streaming work Netflix thing up to $120 cardinal (£92 million), positive ineligible fees.

In June, lawyers acting for Fiona Harvey, the real-life inspiration for stalker Martha, launched a no-holds-barred ineligible battle connected Netflix, demanding $170 cardinal (£130 million), claiming she had been defamed 'at a magnitude and standard without precedent'. She was besides suing for, among different things, intentional infliction of affectional distress, negligence and gross negligence.

While Netflix is warring to person the lawsuit thrown retired earlier it goes to proceedings adjacent May, Ms Harvey seems to beryllium successful nary temper for surrender. This week, her ineligible squad filed yet different amended complaint, pointing retired a fig of hugely important differences betwixt the play and the TV show, which swept the committee astatine the Emmys past month.

According to tribunal papers, the play, performed by Richard Gadd arsenic his change ego stand-up comedian Donny Dunn, ne'er claimed to beryllium 'a existent story' arsenic the TV amusement does, alternatively stating that it was 'based connected a existent story'. Additionally, it is claimed the play contains nary notation to immoderate arrest, conviction, blameworthy plea oregon imprisonment for Martha.

This, Harvey's squad argues, is cardinal due to the fact that the Netflix amusement ends with Martha pleading blameworthy to stalking Donny. As she is simply a convicted stalker, due to the fact that of a erstwhile run against a lawyer, she is sentenced to 4 and a fractional years successful situation for this 2nd offence.

By contrast, successful the Baby Reindeer play, she is ne'er arrested, fto unsocial convicted. Instead, Donny is told by constabulary that Martha cannot beryllium arrested arsenic they don't judge she has committed a crime, and he's ordered to 'apologise' to her, halt 'bothering' the constabulary and told: 'I recognize the vexation but heckling is not a crime.'

In the play, Gadd's quality tells the audience: 'The past acquisition with the constabulary was truthful burning, truthful embarrassing that I garbage to impact them again.'

It ends with him obtaining a restraining bid against her.

Harvey's squad accidental discrepancies similar these beryllium Netflix knew each on that she had ne'er been convicted of stalking once, ne'er caput twice.

According to ineligible papers filed by her squad connected Wednesday: 'The omission of the full arc and premise of the Series, a convicted stalker returns to situation aft pleading blameworthy to stalking Gadd, from the Play... enactment Netflix connected announcement that details astir Harvey's transgression past successful the Series were highly apt to beryllium false.'

Not that Harvey is the lone 1 connected the warpath. For I tin uncover immoderate of Richard Gadd's alleged experiences astatine the hands of Fiona Harvey, which person been described successful sworn statements filed into tribunal successful Los Angeles, marque for jaw-dropping reading.

Allegations see that Harvey told Gadd that her clitoris had fallen disconnected due to the fact that of excessive masturbation, that she sent him her 'lucky pants' successful the station aft helium had blocked her email, arsenic good arsenic invitations and demands for him to prosecute successful intersexual activity.

She besides allegedly complained astir her itchy pubic hair.

There were besides allegedly racist tirades astir immigrants and an reflection that she was going to the 'gun shop' and that 'if we got escaped of [London politician Sadiq] Khan everyone volition slumber easy'.

Gadd besides said that Harvey shoved him successful the backmost of the cervix aft helium confronted her astir allegedly stalking a lawyer and told him that his 'big rima was going to get him into trouble'. In his statement, helium complained of her repeated 'handsy' behaviour, with her touching his bottommost portion helium waited tables successful a pub successful Camden, North London, wherever helium worked arsenic helium attempted to marque it arsenic a comedian.

In the TV series, which besides shows Donny moving successful a pub, this unwanted intersexual interaction is depicted arsenic acold graver – Martha sexually assaults Donny successful an alleyway, thing which her squad accidental ne'er happened successful existent life. In the TV series, she is seen attacking him with a solid and gouging his eyes, which Ms Harvey claims is defamatory and untrue.

For his part, Gadd says that she was issued with a First Instance Harassment Warning missive successful 2016, which cited the Hawley Arms pub wherever 'the victim' worked. After months of further abuse, including Harvey allegedly telling Gadd: 'If I privation you dead, you are ****ing dead', Gadd says that she was issued with different First Instance Harassment Warning missive successful 2017. He includes his correspondence with constabulary arsenic proof. This is the archetypal clip that Netflix has revealed the precise details of her interaction with police.

Previously, Netflix enforcement Benjamin King told the Commons prime committee that the amusement was 'a existent story' and that Gadd had been targeted by a 'convicted stalker'.

He past 'clarified' his grounds successful an email to the erstwhile committee chairwoman, Dame Caroline Dinenage successful July, penning that 'the idiosyncratic connected whom the amusement is based' was really 'subject to a tribunal bid alternatively than a conviction'.

In her amended ailment against Netflix, Harvey includes her wide DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) cheque to beryllium that she has not been convicted of immoderate crime. The incidents successful the TV amusement not depicted successful the play see a notation to Martha waiting extracurricular Donny's level for 16 hours a day, including successful the mediate of the night.

There is besides nary notation successful the play to Martha smashing a solid implicit his head, which she does successful the TV series.

The ailment adds that successful interviews helium did to publicise the TV show, Gadd retreated from the presumption that it was a 'true story', which is the enactment Netflix utilized successful publicity worldly and connected screen. They enactment that helium called it 'pretty truthful', '100 per cent emotionally true' and 'very emotionally true'. In a ruling past week successful California, Judge R. Gary Klausner noted determination were important disparities betwixt what truly happened and what was shown connected screen.

He wrote: 'There is simply a large quality betwixt stalking and being convicted of stalking successful a tribunal of law.' He added: 'There are large differences betwixt inappropriate touching and intersexual assault, arsenic good arsenic betwixt shoving and gouging another's eyes.'

Judge Klausner did not hold with Netflix, which argued those things should beryllium viewed arsenic 'substantially true' due to the fact that she did arguably akin things successful existent life.

Netflix besides argued that astir viewers would recognize the claims made successful the amusement to beryllium 'not factual' due to the fact that it was changeable successful the benignant of a drama. The justice disagreed, writing: 'While the statements were made successful a bid that mostly has the trappings of a achromatic comedy-drama, the precise archetypal occurrence states unequivocally that 'this is simply a existent story', thereby inviting the assemblage to judge the statements arsenic fact.'

Netflix besides said the similarities betwixt the existent and fictionalised radical were truthful wide that mean viewers would not person been capable to place Ms Harvey arsenic Martha. The justice disagreed. Netflix is appealing the ruling.

The justice did broadside with Netflix successful parts of Ms Harvey's case, dismissing her negligence and gross negligence claims, and her petition for punitive damages.

As some high-powered teams of lawyers hole for the adjacent circular of hostilities, immoderate observers deliberation the clip has astir apt travel for Netflix to settee with Harvey.

This period a mediator, Gail Title, was assigned to the case. Netflix has to taxable a mediation questionnaire to her by Tuesday adjacent week. Could the off-screen play beryllium yet nearing a close?