Even if you haven’t seen Netflix’s disturbing runaway hit “Baby Reindeer” you’ve no doubt heard of controversies surrounding it. The mini-series centering around an aspiring comedian targeted by an obsessive stalker was allegedly based on reality, and unfortunately for the creators, the internet loves a good mystery.
Speculation over the real-life identities of the show’s major players began almost immediately. British television director Sean Foley received death threats from people convinced he was the basis for Darrien, a rapist. Web sleuths then upped their game and tracked down Fiona Harvey, who appears to be the basis of the show’s stalker, Martha, leading Harvey to appear on Piers Morgan’s show to tell her side of the story. Now it appears amateur investigators have uncovered the identity of the kingpin himself, main character Donny Dunn.
Richard Gadd is a Scottish-born actor, writer, and former comedian, not unlike a certain titular Baby Reindeer of a certain crazed character’s deranged obsession. The similarities don’t end there. Eagle-eyed Redditors have pointed out an uncanny physical resemblance between Gadd the man and Dunn the character. Both are pictured above and indeed, they are hard to tell apart.
Gadd first raised eyebrows when he appeared on several talk shows pleading with fans to stop trying to uncover the real-life people who inspired the characters on “Baby Reindeer.” While the request was reasonable, some self-proclaimed sleuths felt it was an odd move for an ordinary bystander with no skin in the game.
Little by little, breadcrumbs of evidence came to light. It was revealed that Gadd had briefly worked as a bartender, same as Dunn. Physical evidence placed Gadd at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at the same time the fictional Dunn was supposed to have performed there. IMDB.com lists Gadd as the creator, writer, and star of “Baby Reindeer.” Any one of these things could be a coincidence, but when you put them all together, they seem to point in one direction.
We at The Hard Times won’t weigh in on whether or not we believe Gadd to be Dunn, but should Gadd happen to be reading, we recommend you take a cue from Fionna Harvey and appear on Piers Morgan’s show to tell your side of the story. You definitely want a shot at controlling the narrative on this thing.