What Happened To The Real Martha Scott After Baby Reindeer?

This article contains spoilers for Baby Reindeer (2024)

Summary Baby Reindeer is based on true events from creator and star Richard Gadd's real life, but some details like "Martha"'s fate were altered for the screen adaptation.

Richard Gadd obtained a restraining order against his real-life stalker just like Donny in Baby Reindeer, but the real "Martha" did not go to prison.

Richard Gadd has kept the true identity of his stalker hidden, leaving her current whereabouts a mystery.

The true story basis of Baby Reindeer raises the question of what happened to the real Martha Scott after the events of the Netflix miniseries. Baby Reindeer is the screen adaptation of Scottish comedian Richard Gadd's one-man stage show of the same name about a struggling comedian who is relentlessly stalked by a woman named Martha after serving her at the pub where he works. As indicated by the disclaimer in the first episode, the events of Baby Reindeer are based on a true story, in which Gadd was stalked by an older woman in his 20s.

In addition to writing all seven episodes, Gadd continued to play the fictionalized version of himself named Donny in the Netflix miniseries. Although Gadd insists that Baby Reindeer is "extremely emotionally truthful" (via GQ) to his experience, he notes that the character of Martha, played by Jessica Gunn in the Baby Reindeer cast, is "not a fact-by-fact profile" of his real-life stalker. In addition to changing her name, Gadd also altered his stalker's fate from what actually happened to the real "Martha" after the events of Baby Reindeer.

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Related 10 Great (But Intense) TV Shows Like Baby Reindeer Netflix’s Baby Reindeer is a fictional retelling of a comedian’s experiences with being stalked, and it’s darkest moments can be extremely intense.

Richard Gadd Obtained A Restraining Order Against Baby Reindeer's Real Martha

Unlike Martha In Baby Reindeer, Gadd's Real-Life Stalker Did Not Go To Prison

Baby Reindeer's ending shows Martha getting arrested on three counts of stalking and harassment after indirectly threatening to stab Donny and his parents in a voicemail message. Martha is sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty on all three counts. Donny is also granted a five-year restraining order against Martha and indicates that her plea hearing was the last time he ever saw her. However, the outcome of Baby Reindeer is not exactly how the events played out in Gadd's real life.

The real "Martha" also wasn't incarcerated for her crimes against Gadd, as he told The Times that he "didn’t want to throw someone who was that level of mentally unwell in prison."

By the time of Gadd's interview with The Guardian shortly after the Baby Reindeer stage show's premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2019, the real "Martha" had "finally [been] restrained from contacting [Gadd] himself." However, the duration of his restraining order and the time it was granted are unknown. It appears the real "Martha" also wasn't incarcerated for her crimes against Gadd, as he told The Times that he "didn’t want to throw someone who was that level of mentally unwell in prison." In September 2019, "Martha" was "still at large."

​​​​​​Richard Gadd Hasn't Publicly Revealed Where The Real Martha Is Today

Gadd Has Kept Martha's True Identity Hidden

Other than Gadd's restraining order against her and her lack of jail time, very little is known about what happened to the real "Martha" since Gadd has concealed her real identity. In addition to using the pseudonym "Martha," Gadd noted that they "went to such great lengths to disguise her" in the Netflix adaptation of Baby Reindeer that he believes not even she would recognise herself. Gadd has never publicly revealed her real name nor where she is today.

Gadd's 2019 interview with The Guardian revealed that the real "Martha" was "still "harassing [Gadd's] friends and family" until recently at the time. However, as of 2024, Gadd feels the situation is "resolved," suggesting that this behavior has finally stopped. Although he still has "mixed feelings" about the whole thing, Gadd has continuously emphasized that his stalker was as much a victim as a villain and simply needed help, a conviction that comes through very clearly and masterfully in Baby Reindeer.

All seven episodes of Baby Reindeer are available to stream on Netflix.

Sources: GQ, The Guardian, The Times