2 days Ago By [email protected] (John Dingwall)
Fiona Harvey's comments come as the streaming channel’s CEO, Ted Sarandon, 60, revealed Netflix has inked a first-look deal for future projects with the 35-year old Scots comedian. Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters BABY Reindee r’s real life Martha has slammed a multi-million deal Netflix has signed with the show’s creator Richard Gadd . Fiona Harvey 's comments come as the streaming channel’s CEO, Ted Sarandos, 60, revealed Netflix has inked a first-look deal for future projects with the 35-year old Scots comedian.
He also praised Gadd as a “brilliant storyteller” for his “true story” inspired by his ordeal and the hands of an alleged stalker and a male rapist. Harvey, 59, from Stirlingshire, is suing Netflix for £130 million in a California court for defamation. She claims Baby Reindeer’s convicted stalker is based on her and that her life has been ruined after the mini-series became the most talked about TV show of the year and one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time.
Harvey, who lives in London, told The Record: “How Netflix can do this in all conscience I do not know. “Baby Reindeer is not a true story. We are suing on that basis.
“It has caused total upheaval in my life and the lives of other people. “My life has been put at risk with death threats. “There is no veracity to the Netflix show with reference to me, Fiona Harvey.
“Mr Gadd is making money out of an untrue story and has sent the lives of others into abject misery.” Speaking at a Royal Television Society event in London, Sarandon was asked by presenter Kirsty Wark if Netflix needed a "stronger editorial grip" on the programme over how truthful it was. He replied: "We are facilitating storytellers to tell their stories, this is Richard's true story.
"And I could also give you a bit of news this morning, actually, Richard we did this morning, we actually finished our first look deal with Richard Gadd to do his next work at Netflix. "I think he's a brilliant storyteller, he told an incredible story, and I think the path of bringing Baby Reindeer to the world, from just a few years ago to a complete unknown storyteller, telling a story at Fringe in Edinburgh, to an international sensation, is something that is so unique to the times that we live in, and so unique to Netflix. "Frankly, that we're able to do that, I'm very proud of Richard and proud of the story he told, and we told it, and it is his true story.
" He added: “He told his story, and it's not a documentary and there are elements of the story that are dramatised. "We're watching it performed by actors on television, we think that it's abundantly clear that there is dramatisation involved. "It is interesting too, I would point out that it's a fairly uniquely British debate, this debate is not happening anywhere else in the world.
" Despite his claim that the controversy over the show is localised, a judge in the US has ruled that the lawsuit will go ahead in front of a jury there within months unless both parties agree to settle through arbitration. At the heart of the suit is the claim by Netflix that, “This is a true story” in the show’s opening credits. Harvey, on whom the character Martha is based, has denied being a twice convicted stalker as depicted in Baby Reindeer.
The show – said to be inspired by Gadd real-life experiences of stalking and sexual assault – won four gongs at the Emmys earlier this week. In a statement about the new deal, Gadd added: "I'm beyond thrilled to be continuing my creative journey with Netflix. "They took a chance on me when I wasn't proven in the television space, for that I will always be grateful.
” Both Netflix and Richard Gadd's representatives were approached for comment. Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here. Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
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