Baby Reindeer: a 'compelling and unforgettable' series

The seven-part drama "Baby Reindeer" has been a hit for Netflix, drawing both critical acclaim and more than 13 million viewers, said Emma Jacobs in the FT. At its heart is "a visceral, complex tale of stalking and sexual violence", loosely based on the real-life experiences of 34-year-old Scottish comedian Richard Gadd, its star and creator.

The story "begins with a small act of kindness", when Donny (Gadd) – an aspiring stand-up comic working in a London pub – sneaks Martha (Jessica Gunning) a free cup of tea. Over the next few months, she carpet-bombs Donny with "love", sending him 41,000 emails and sitting for hours outside his home. The drama has a more nuanced take on stalking than, say, "Fatal Attraction"; and it is punctuated throughout with "dark humour".

Adapted from a one-man play by Gadd, "Baby Reindeer" makes for "distressing viewing", said Rebecca Nicholson in The Guardian. At points, "the sheer onslaught of pain is difficult to endure"; and episode four – in which we discover a crucial fact about Donny – is one of the most disturbing episodes of TV I have seen in a long time. 

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Still, this is a "compelling and unforgettable" series, and Gunning is "truly fantastic" as the stalker. The drama lags a bit, and its over-reliance on voiceover betrays its stage roots, said Benji Wilson in The Daily Telegraph. But there is something undeniably "thrilling" in watching a man who is "introspective to the point of narcissism" self-combust. The series is basically "public therapy" – and the question is: "Do you want to go there?"

On Netflix now