Richard Gadd has signed a multiyear first-look deal with Netflix for scripted series, the streaming service’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos confirmed Tuesday.
At the Royal Television Society convention in London, Sarandos, speaking on a panel to kick off the day, said: “I can tell you some news this morning, we've done our first look deal with Richard Gadd to make his first work for Netflix. I think he's a brilliant storyteller… I'm very proud of Richard and the story he's told and the way he's told it, and it's his real story.”
Baby Reindeer debuted in April and was an instant phenomenon, garnering critical acclaim and social media buzz before going on to earn 11 Emmy nominations. Gadd took home two Emmys on Sunday night for his acting and writing on the series.
Audiences have been captivated by the story of Donny, an amateur comedian played by Gadd in the Netflix hit, who, over the course of several years, is harassed, stalked and receives over 41,000 emails, 744 tweets, 100 pages of letters and 350 hours of voicemails from a woman (played by Jessica Gunning) who serves at a London pub. Martha, who had already served a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a previous conviction for stalking in Baby ReindeerHe was eventually sentenced to nine months in prison after threatening and sexually assaulting Gadd.
The actor plays himself in the show, based on his hit play of the same name that opened in London’s West End. “This is a true story,” reads a title card in the very first episode. Fiona Harvey, who has been identified as the “real-life” inspiration behind the character of Gunning in the series, has filed a $170 million lawsuit against Netflix for defamation and invasion of privacy.
The series remained at No. 1 worldwide for a month before being dethroned and racked up 56.5 million views within 26 days of its April 11 release. “It’s been a huge success all over the world,” Sarandos said at the time.