Hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer has hit a giant milestone just hours after Richard Gadd jovially derided his show losing Netflix’s top spot in Colombia.
The hard-hitting series adaptation of Gadd’s stand-up show with the same name was the streaming giant’s top TV show in its first full week since release, amassing 13.3 million views in that time.
Baby Reindeer sees the Scottish comedian retell his own traumatic true story of being stalked over the course of several years, as well as his harrowing account of sexual abuse.
Released on April 11, the seven-part drama had previously broken into Netflix’s global top-five for the week from April 8 – April 14, with an already-impressive 2.6m streams.
Lost for words, Gadd posted an unannotated screenshot of the newly-updated Netflix top-10 for the following seven days to his Instagram Story.
Hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer was the most streamed TV show on the platform in the whole world from April 15 – April 21, with 13.3 million views
Richard Gadd had shared his disappointment at his series missing out on top spot in Colombia after losing out to hijacking true story
Baby Reindeer delves into its creator’s harrowing real-life stalking ordeal and brutal sexual abuse as he plays a fictionalised version of himself, called Donny Dunn
This was in contrast to the comedian’s earlier social media intervention when he reacted to Baby Reindeer missing out on Colombia’s prestigious Netflix number one spot as it fell short of true story Hijacking Of Flight 601.
Posting a picture of the rankings he wrote: ‘And I would have done it, if it wasn’t for that pesky Hijacking Of Flight 601!!!’
Hijacking Of Flight 601 tells a true story from 1973 when two armed and hooded assailants hijacked an airliner and put the Colombian government under pressure by demanding the release of 50 political prisoners and a large ransom.
Meanwhile, Baby Reindeer delves into its creator’s harrowing real-life stalking ordeal and brutal sexual abuse as he plays a fictionalised version of himself, called Donny Dunn.
Donny is flooded with 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 350 voicemails and 106 pages of letters from stalker Martha, played by Jess Gunning. The series also details Donny’s horrifying rape at the hands of his comedy mentor Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill).
Earlier this month the actor and comic, 34, opened up about what it was like to re-enact his trauma for the small screen – and how he hopes it will aid the healing process.
On reliving his ‘severe’ twenties, Gadd told Attitude: ‘It’s hugely challenging, but I hope for catharsis when the show comes out.’
In an ending that shocked, and confused, many viewers, the shattering series sees Donny visit his rapist Darrien in the final episode in an attempt to process everything, but overcome with emotion he later collapses on the street.
Donny then turns to the rambling, and sometimes complimentary, voicemails from now-convicted Martha for comfort.
But the unexpected final scenes are how Richard was determined to end the show, he revealed, something that received some push-back.
However, Gadd rued his show just missing out in Colombia as it lost to true story Hijacking Of Flight 601
The actor, 34 told Attitude earlier this month of the ‘triggering’ act of reliving his trauma for the Netflix series – and revealed he fought to keep its ending (pictured on April 18)
Donny is flooded with 40,000 emails, 740 tweets, 350 voicemails and hundreds of letters from stalker Martha, played by Jess Gunning (pictured)
‘I always wanted to end the show that way because that’s the cycle of trauma, and I fought so hard to keep it ending that way,’ he said.
Speaking to Forbes on Saturday, Gadd, who is from Wormit in Fife, explained why the ending was so important.
He said: ‘I like the surprise of going back to Darrien’s door. I love the surprise of listening to the voicemails.
‘I just think there’s a deep psychology to it that I really like the idea of someone being so lonely and so isolated that they decide to listen to their old stalker’s voicemails.’
Richard and his team went to ‘great lengths’ to protect the identities of those in the series, resulting in slight alterations to the story.
But nevertheless the tale is completely his own, he says, adding: ‘It’s probably even more close to the truth than I’d care to admit in a lot of ways.’
After offering a woman a free cup of tea at the pub where he pulled pints, Richard was flooded with communication in a harassment case that spanned over five years.
Despite telling police, there was unfortunately not much they could do because the unwelcome communication was not ‘obviously’ threatening.
The series is currently number one on Netflix charts in the UK and worldwide
