Richard Gadd Defines Baby Reindeer’s Catharsis: “Life Looking Through a Dirty Window”

On a recent visit to Dinner’s On Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Richard Gadd didn’t rehash plot points — he talked about what making Baby Reindeer did to him. The comedian-turned-creator said the process forced him to confront feelings he’d shoved aside for years, describing the series as a genuine release.

"I look back at the person who had been through all that stuff and was so confused and so self-damning and self-hating and so adrift. I almost felt like I was like walking through life looking through a dirty window all the time, like I couldn't even connect with anything,"

Gadd said the work of writing and performing the show helped him process and move past some of that fog — a personal shift that arrived alongside new attention as both an actor and a writer.

From stage to screen

The Netflix limited series grew out of Gadd’s acclaimed one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe. It ’s rooted in his account of being stalked by a woman — he has said she followed him to his comedy gigs, came to his home, and sent him thousands of emails, details the show threads into its narrative. Released in early 2024, the seven-episode drama quickly became a word-of-mouth hit on Netflix.

Fame and its fallout

With the attention came strangers seeking guidance. Gadd told The Hollywood Reporter that the show’s candor prompted people to approach him in person looking for help.

"People were coming up to me in the street, almost looking for answers because of the raw honesty of Baby Reindeer,"

He’s been clear he never wanted that responsibility and doesn’t see himself as a guru — he’s made mistakes, too. In an earlier interview with The Guardian, Gadd said he was adamant about not presenting Donny as spotless; the series leans into the character’s vulnerability, tension, and bad decisions.

Baby Reindeer runs seven episodes and is streaming now on Netflix.