Richard Gadd Admits He Hasn't Watched Baby Reindeer and 'Probably Never Will' — But Played It on Mute on Release Day

Millions of people watched Baby reindeer since its premiere in April, but Richard Gadd is not one of them.

During an interview for the August digital issue Deadline’s AwardsLineGadd, 35, admitted he hasn’t returned to the limited series he created, wrote and stars as Donny Dunn, a bartender and aspiring stand-up comedian who becomes an unhealthy obsession with Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning).

Amazing as Baby reindeer is, earning 11 Emmy nominations this year, Gadd hasn’t watched the show and doesn’t want to revisit it anytime soon.

“I remember thinking, ‘Maybe some people will watch it this weekend,'” Gadd, 35, told the news outlet. “It came out on Thursday and I thought people would probably catch up on it on Saturday Sunday and I might get a few messages on Monday. I was hoping the reviews would be good enough that I might be able to do another TV show after that.”

“So it came out at 8am on Thursday and I haven’t watched the show since it came out,” he told the news outlet. “I probably never will again, to be honest. But I put it on Netflix, hit play and turned off the TV because I thought, ‘Maybe the algorithm will catch it.’ Around noon I realized there was no need for it, because my phone just exploded.”

The true story behind it Baby reindeer: Where is Martha now?

Richard Gadd in ‘Baby Reindeer’.

Ed Miller/Netflix

Since the premiere of the film Baby reindeer on Netflix — which Gadd adapted from a one-man play based on real events that happened to Gadd — has been controversial.

Fiona Harvey, who seemingly inspired Martha, began speaking after the show’s huge success. In April, she remained anonymous, but said Daily mail that she was a “victim” because Gadd “wrote a bloody show” about her and was using it to now “stalk” her.

Gadd, for his part, said AwardsLine he never intended for viewers to seek out a real-life Martha.

“The fact is that the discussion around the series has become a kind of narrative about who’s there, which is not something I ever wanted,” he told the newspaper. “People on the street or at 7 a.m. on the subway say, ‘Oh, I saw it Baby reindeer. So who is Darrien? Who is Martha?”

Harvey also raised the stakes in June when she filed a lawsuit against Netflix claiming its portrayal of Martha was defamatory and inaccurate, accusing Netflix and Gadd of “destroying” her livelihood, according to documents previously obtained by PEOPLE. She is seeking more than $170 million in damages.

In a statement to PEOPLE in June, Netflix said it plans to “vigorously defend this matter and stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”

baby reindeerwith The ending explained: what does it all mean?

Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning in ‘Baby Reindeer’.

Ed Miller/Netflix

For Gadd, ultimately, there is a silver lining of Baby reindeer and the resulting hubbub: a new series that the British actor will star in, write and executive produce, currently titled lions, from HBO and the BBC.

Set in Scotland, the series will “capture the wild energy of a changing city” as estranged brothers Niall and Ruben navigate the “difficult question: What does it mean to be a man?” The story will span nearly four decades, from the 1980s to the present day, chronicling “the ups and downs of the relationship between the brothers, from their meeting as teenagers to their split as adults – with all the good, bad, horrible, funny, angry and challenging moments on way.”

Gadd said in a statement in June that working with HBO was a dream come true, recalling the series sets he owned with the network’s shows, such as The Soprano family and Wire, and viewing them “from beginning to end” as “some of the happiest moments of my childhood.”

“Since then, it has always been a dream of mine to work with HBO and be a part of their iconic slate of shows,” he said in a statement. “I’m so grateful to Francesca Orsa, Cara Buckley and Clint LaVigne for taking this opportunity on the show, as well as Ruben and Niall who — despite growing up in a Scottish town with no streets — would absolutely pinch themselves for this! Can’t wait for you to start.”

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Baby reindeer now streaming on Netflix.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education