Richard Gadd, the writer and star of the acclaimed seven-part Netflix series Baby Reindeer, has disclosed that an eighth episode was removed from the show prior to its release. During a recent appearance at the Future Vision television summit, hosted by Australians in Film and Screen Australia at ACMI in Melbourne, Gadd shared insights into the episode that featured a storyline set in Scotland, which he insisted should be cut from the final edit.
“I really fought to cut an episode of Baby Reindeer,” Gadd stated, surprising attendees. “I really wanted to cut it.” The scrapped episode was conceived as a means of providing a narrative break, as Gadd’s character, hapless standup comedian Donny Dunn, grapples with the persistent attention of his former lawyer-turned-stalker, Martha Scott, played by Jessica Gunning.
Gadd recalled that during the show’s development, Netflix provided feedback indicating that the series felt excessively dark and that viewers needed a respite from the tension. “There was a note that kept coming in – and probably rightfully so – that the show was just too dark,” he explained. The episode involved Donny escaping London to visit his parents in Scotland, where he spent time with his father, including attending a football match together.
While the idea of providing a lighter moment was appealing, Gadd ultimately felt that the absence of Martha Scott in earlier episodes diminished the show’s impact. “When we got to the edit, I felt you miss her every time she’s not on screen,” he said. As a result, episode three emerged as a combination of several narrative threads, reintroducing Martha much sooner.
The decision to modify the edits has proven successful for Baby Reindeer, which has garnered over 96 million views on Netflix and received critical acclaim, winning three BAFTA awards and six Emmys, including three awarded to Gadd himself. Despite the accolades, Gadd expressed regret over the omitted episode, particularly for actor Mark Lewis Jones, who portrayed his father. “He’s one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with,” Gadd remarked, noting the talent that audiences will never fully appreciate due to the cut.
“It’s a shame because people will never quite realise how much he gave to that project.”
The series is inspired by Gadd’s two previous stage shows, Monkey See, Monkey Do, which won the top comedy award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016, and Baby Reindeer, which debuted in Edinburgh in 2019. Both productions draw from Gadd’s personal experiences with sexual abuse and stalking.
In its promotional material, Netflix emphasized the authenticity of the series. This claim has led to legal challenges, as Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey is suing the streaming service for defamation, alleging that it falsely claimed she had been convicted of stalking and imprisoned for five years. Harvey is seeking $170 million in damages. Although Gadd is not named as a defendant in the case, he is restricted from discussing the matter publicly due to legal constraints.
As the conversation around Baby Reindeer continues, the revelations from Richard Gadd highlight the complexities of storytelling in television and the often challenging balance between narrative depth and audience engagement.
