Featured Image Credit: Netflix / Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Topics: Baby Reindeer, Netflix, TV and Film
Jess Battison
Topics: Baby Reindeer, Netflix, TV and Film
Sitting as the number one show on Netflix for a decent chunk of time now, people are absolutely loving Baby Reindeer.
Viewers have been left speechless by the miniseries which is based on creator Richard Gadd’s harrowing true story.
Following his ‘warped relationship’ with his female stalker of six years, the show also features the comedian as the fictionalised version of himself, Donny Dunn.
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Alongside him is Jessica Gunning as Martha, who Gadd changed the name of to protect his real stalker’s identity, although that hasn’t stopped viewers from attempting to track her down online – something the creator has issued a plea against.
Gunning has also spoken about her hope that if the woman does watch Baby Reindeer, her approach to the character won’t ‘be taken away as an insult’.
"It was hopefully a multifaceted portrayal of somebody going through a lot in their life. I think the response to that final scene hopefully shows that people don’t view her as all bad or as a villain,” she told Dazed.
But while many viewers have praised her performance as Martha, others cannot believe her real accent isn't the same as in the show.
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The 38-year-old has a career on both stage and screen, and has previously appeared in the likes of Doctor Who, Law & Order: UK, White Heat, The Outlaws and Trollied.
Appearing on Lorraine recently, many viewers realised for the first time that Gunning is not actually from Scotland like her character.
During the chat, host Lorraine Kelly spoke football with Gadd, but she was taken aback by the star’s voice.
Gunning, who is from West Yorkshire, chimed in with a distinct accent as Kelly said: “You obviously sound so different!”
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The host was amazed by her accent in Baby Reindeer, admitting that she truly believed it.
“Can I say as a Scottish person - and we are both Scottish people [gesturing to Richard] - cracking accent. I honestly thought you were Scottish."
As Gunning thanked her, Kelly continued: “And you speaking like that, it's like 'wow! Is Jessica talking funny?' It's amazing."
And fans online were just as amazed, writing on X: “Cannot believe Jessica Gunning is not Scottish!!! Her accent is perfect. Amazing acting.”
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Another wrote: “Baby Reindeer is absolutely insane and props to Jessica Gunning for a better Scottish accent than most Scottish tv actors.”
One also said: “Jessica Gunning's accent is fantastic. I can count on one hand how many actors have nailed a Scottish accent.”
As others put: “Everyone should watch #BabyReindeer. Plus, aside from the phenomenal writing and acting I'm very impressed by Jessica Gunning's believable Scottish accent!”
Baby Reindeer is available to watch on Netflix.
While Baby Reindeer is based on a true story, many viewers have been left questioning which parts were fabricated for the Netflix show.
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We've separated the facts from the fiction.
In Baby Reindeer, Gadd's character Donny offers Martha a free drink after feeling sorry for her when she said she couldn't afford one.
This is true as Gadd's seemingly harmless act of kindness quickly snowballed into a shocking turn of events.
Gadd's stalker sent him 41,071 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages and 106 pages of letters over four-and-a-half years.
In real life, she also sent him a variety of strange gifts, including a reindeer toy, sleeping pills, a woolly hat and boxers.
Netflix confirmed that every email Donny receives in the show is real, all of which end with 'sent from my iPhone' - despite the fact she didn't have an iPhone and wasn't emailing from one.
In the series, Donny wasn't taken seriously when he initially reported Martha to the police.
According to Gadd, it was six years before they finally intervened.
Gadd has spoken about how some details of the show have been changed to protect identities of those involved.
He explained that 'Martha' had been disguised to such an extent that he doesn't think she'd 'recognise herself'.
It's also unclear whether the real-life Martha went to prison.
In Baby Reindeer, she was sentenced to nine months in prison and given a five-year restraining order.
Though Gadd told The Times the stalking issue has been 'resolved', adding that he 'mixed feelings about it' because he 'didn't want to throw someone who was that level of mentally unwell in prison'.