Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd ‘offered seven-figure deal by Netflix to stop rival services from snapping him up’

Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has been offered a near seven-figure deal by Netflix to prevent competing services from signing him, sources say.

Netflix has reportedly offered the 35-year-old writer and actor nearly £1 million to work exclusively on creating more hit shows for them.

The autobiographical dark comedy thriller Baby Reindeer, based on Richard’s own experiences, was released on Netflix in April.

The miniseries follows an aspiring comedian, a victim of sexual assault, who is stalked by a woman he meets while working as a bartender at a pub.

A source close to the TV business told The Sun: “It’s not a done deal yet, the streamer and Richard are negotiating the details of a contract that would see him start work on a new show as soon as possible.

“The fact that it could end up being worth seven figures reflects how much Netflix wants to keep it ‘in-house’ after the incredible response to Baby Reindeer.

“They hope to be able to reach an agreement which will see Richard produce a series of shows for them, which could prove equally successful and stimulating.”

This follows reports that Richard’s next project will be a Scottish drama series to air on US channel HBO and the BBC.

Richard will write and produce the six-part, 45-minute drama series, which will span nearly 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, covering the relationship between two men from their meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults.

Lions will begin production in Glasgow in early 2025 with Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck directing while Wendy Griffin will executive produce the series.

Tally Garner and Morven Reid will executive produce for Mam Tor Productions, Richard, Gaynor Holmes for the BBC and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland.

The news comes as a welcome diversion from reports that real-life Baby Reindeer stalker Fiona Harvey is seeking £135 million from Netflix after claiming the streaming giant’s series was not based on a true story.

Baby Reindeer plays Richard’s character, Donny Dunn, who is stalked by Martha, who has been in prison for a historical crime and is sent to prison for stalking him.

Internet sleuths easily discovered that the character was based on Fiona.

Netflix has pledged to “vigorously defend” a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.

It comes after Fiona was too afraid to go to grocery stores as fans of the Netflix show continued to harass her, her lawyers claimed.

The 49-year-old Scot, who claims to be the inspiration behind the Netflix harassment drama, is suing the streaming giant for at least $170 million for defamation and negligence.

Speaking on News Nation’s CUOMO, Harvey’s attorney Richard Roth argued that Harvey is not a public figure, adding that she felt she had to reveal herself as the real Martha because she was being harassed.

“She’s been harassed, stalked, she gets death threats, she’s afraid to go out and buy groceries and she’s not a public figure,” Roth said.

“She is destroyed, she is broken.”

Her lawyers argue that it was defamatory for Harvey to portray Martha’s character as a convicted felon.

“When Netflix launches the series, it doesn’t say, ‘This is based on a true story,’ or ‘This is inspired by a true story,'” Roth explained.

“It has five words on it: ‘This is a true story’ – so make sure it’s true.”

The lawyer continued: “Spoiler alert, over the course of the series, we learn that she was convicted of harassment and spent four and a half years in prison. That never happened. She was never even arrested.

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“And then, at the end of the series, she pleads guilty to four different counts of harassment, and then gets four more felony convictions.

“So they presented this woman as a twice-convicted criminal when she had never been arrested for anything.”

Roth went on to say that the series made it too easy to identify the woman who inspired Martha.

“Give him a different cultural heritage. Give him a different accent,” Roth suggested, before adding, “They didn’t do anything.

“Everything here leads to Fiona Harvey, and it’s very easy to figure out who she is.”

Netflix said it intends to “vigorously defend this case” and defend “Gadd’s right to tell his story.”

MailOnline has contacted Netflix for comment.