Baby Reindeer triggers 47 per cent rise in stalking calls to helpline

Netflix hit show Baby Reindeer has triggered a surge of stalking complaints, with one charity reporting a 47 per cent increase on calls compared to last year.

The National Stalking Helpline revealed it has helped 832 victims, compared to 564 this time last year, with the rise attributed to the release of the much-discussed seven-part mini-series.

Month on month, the charity also saw a 26 per cent surge in calls between March and April, The Mirror reports.

Baby Reindeer is based on comedian Richard Gadd’s real-life experience of being stalked by a woman, who in the show is portrayed as ‘Martha’ and played by Jessica Gunning. 

Over four-and-a-half years, Gadd says he received 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, letters totalling 106 pages and 350 hours of voicemail messages from his stalker.

The national helpline – run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which was set up in 1986 following the disappearance of a 25-year-old estate agent – said it welcomed the rise in calls as it signals victims are able to get the support they may need.

Policy officer Tallulah Belassie-Page said: ‘Shows like Baby Reindeer do a great job of raising awareness about the crime of stalking, particularly for male victims who may not have felt empowered to reach out and seek support.’

One male victim, who said, like Gadd, he had been subjected to stalking from a woman while he worked at a pub, said: ‘After months of text messages and items being left for me at work, I alerted the police thinking it would put a stop to the nightmare, but I was very wrong. 

‘I’ve spent the last few years reeling from the whole thing and feeling unbelieved, but the show, and Gadd’s bravery to dramatise his own experience, has normalised my experience and made me feel less alone – I am forever grateful for that.’

A statement on the helpline’s website regarding the show said around 14 per cent of victims seeking support identify as male, while 17 per cent of perpetrators identify as female.

The chariyy said: ‘In light of the widespread media interest in Richard Gadd’s Netflix series Baby Reindeer we would like to commend all victims of stalking who have had the courage to come forward and seek support for this devastating crime. 

‘The experiences portrayed in Baby Reindeer are a shocking reminder of the extent to which stalkers will pursue their victim through any means possible and how frightening this is for anyone who is the subject of such fixated and obsessive behaviours. 

‘While this is predominantly a crime which disproportionately affects women, with around 64% of stalking victims identifying as female and 71 % of perpetrators identifying as male, there is no such thing as a typical stalker or stalking victim and Baby Reindeer highlights the fact that anyone can experience this.’

Baby Reindeer has provoked debate and worldwide acclaim since it was released by Netflix last month.

Latest audience figures show it has garnered 60 million views to date.

However, the series’ success has not been without controversy. 

In past interviews, Gadd has said that the episode with his stalker — whom he has never named — was ‘resolved’ and that ‘the situation… with the person who stalked me is certainly over’. 

Both Gadd and Netflix also insisted that the storyline does not reveal the stalker’s true identity.

The comedian previously claimed to have disguised his stalker’s identity to such an extent that he said, ‘I don’t think she would recognise herself’.

But online sleuths swiftly identified Fiona Harvey, 58, who says she has suffered death threats and abuse from internet trolls as a result of the series and has now engaged a lawyer amid claims she could sue for defamation.

And yesterday, her side of the story was bolstered by a former barmaid who worked alongside Gadd at the celebrity pub where he claims to have been stalked saying Harvey was ‘targeted as a joke’.

The woman, who is now in her early 30’s, said she felt ‘uncomfortable’ working at the Hawley Arms in Camden because of its ‘misogynistic culture’, which was fuelled by ‘drug-taking, alcohol and promiscuousness’.

She told MailOnline: ‘Something doesn’t sit right with me about him portraying himself as being the innocent party and being stalked. It just doesn’t fit in with my perception of working there.

‘I worked there the same years as he did with the same staff members.

‘There was some underlying joke going on. I feel sorry for her. She was clearly vulnerable and clearly lonely. 

‘I think she was targeted as a joke between the male staff members and he led her on for the laughs. 

‘She must have got the impression that he fancied her because of this, hence the alleged stalking.

‘I just don’t like the thought of someone vulnerable being taken advantage of.

‘They targeted somebody who was vulnerable and thought it was funny. I really feel for her. 

‘She’s clearly not very well. Why would you pursue someone who’s clearly not stable?’