Netflix claims it took ‘every precaution possible’ to hide real life Baby Reindeer identities

A policy chief representing Netflix told a UK Parliament hearing that it took “every precaution possible” to disguise the real life identities of the characters depicted in Baby Reindeer.

The streaming platform has recently come under fire by viewers for similarities in the character’s real life counterparts, despite creator Richard Gadd stating that even the real Martha “wouldn’t be able to recognise herself.” Richard King is Netflix’s policy chief and told Parliament that Netflix was satisfied with the duty of care standards on the Baby Reindeer series.

Via Netflix

Richard told members of Parliament that Netflix and producer Clerkenwell Films took “every reasonable precaution in disguising the real-life identities of the people involved in that story.” However, in response an MP, John Nicolson, made the point that despite this the real life identity of Martha had quickly been found online after the series was released.

Richard said Netflix had to balance protecting identities with upholding the “veracity and authenticity” of the series. He explained: “We didn’t want to anonymize that or make it generic to the point where it was no longer his story because that would undermine the intent behind the show. Ultimately, it’s obviously very difficult to control what viewers do, particularly in a world where everything is amplified by social media. I personally wouldn’t be comfortable with a world in which we decided it was better that Richard was silenced and not allowed to tell the story.”

Via Netflix

The MP asked Richard if Netflix had provided any support to Fiona Harvey, a woman who says she is the real life Martha, who is appearing in an interview with Piers Morgan tonight. Richard responded: “I cannot get into the specifics of what happened around the making of the show because it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment. I don’t want to give further fuel to some of the theories which are circling on the internet.”

Baby Reindeer is available on Netflix now – For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes about Martha like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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Featured image via John Salangsang/Shutterstock.