Content note: the following article contains references to sexual assault and stalking that readers might find upsetting.

If you’ve not already seen Baby Reindeer, Netflix’s new miniseries, it’s likely you’ll have heard about it this past week. The show tells the story of Donny (Richard Gadd), a down-on-his-luck barman and aspiring comedian, who one day offers a cup of tea on the house to a customer he “feels sorry for”. This customer is Martha (Jessica Gunning), his soon-to-be stalker.

Harrowing, gripping and deeply personal, the show (which has been bouncing around Netflix’s top 10 ever since its release), offers a nuanced perspective into the complex psyche of both stalker and victim. We see Donny wrestle with past traumas, including his grooming and rape by a fellow comedian, while Martha becomes increasingly persistent and the police get involved. The true electricity behind Baby Reindeer, however, is that it’s based upon Gadd’s life and his experience of being stalked.

“The internet is missing the point of Baby Reindeer – here’s why”