Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd pleaded with broadcasters and streamers to make stories that let the “little person tell their story” after winning his first Golden Globe award for his Netflix hit series.
The show won best limited TV or anthology series or TV movie.
And his co-star Jessica Gunning secured her first win for the best female supporting actress in the television category for the dark comedy series, which was inspired by Gadd’s claims of being stalked and sexually assaulted.
However, Gadd missed out on securing best performance by a male actor in a limited or anthology series or TV film, after Irish actor Colin Farrell took home his third Golden Globe, for playing the Batman villain Penguin in an HBO series of the same name.
Gadd told the audience that people embracing the story “means the world” to the cast and producers, and said he was “so grateful to Netflix … for giving me the chance to tell this messed-up story to the world”.
He added that people ask him why a show that dark has become a success, and he explained: “I think in a lot of ways, people were kind of crying out for something that … spoke to the kind of painful inconsistencies of being human.
“I think for a while now, there’s been this kind of belief in television that stories that are too dark and complicated won’t sell and no one will watch them.
“So I hope that Baby Reindeer has done away with that theory. Because I think right now, when the world’s in the state that it’s in, and people are really struggling, we need stories that speak to the complicated and difficult nature of our times.
“Any story when done right, it’s universal, and all the weird, idiosyncratic struggles we go through on a daily basis are just as worthy of being committed to screen as any.
“So commissioners, streamers, when you’re totting up the numbers and putting together the budgets for this year, remember to keep some back for the little person to tell their story.”
In the winner’s room, Gadd also touched on how the show became controversial following a lawsuit filed against Netflix by a woman claiming to be the “real” Martha Scott, the character Gunning plays.
He said: “I can’t go into too much detail on these matters, 2024 was a crazy year of ups and downs and ins and outs. It was quite hard at times to find my feet.”
Gadd also said that “every time there was a bad moment”, he reminded himself of abuse charities reporting that they had an uptick in people going to them for help.
Almost tripping on the stairs to collect her award, Gunning joked “you almost saw my Golden Globes” before sharing an anecdote about getting a hamster for Christmas as a child.
She said she kept saying “I can’t believe that is happening to me” in her “very Yorkshire accent”, which has become the “soundtrack of my life this year”.
“Thank you to Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer has changed my life in ways that I can’t even explain … I know the eight-year-old me would be chuffed to bits,” Gunning, 38, said.
The series, about a comedian and barman (Gadd) who is stalked by an older woman (Gunning) after he offers her a cup of tea at the pub where he works, was awash with prizes at award ceremonies last year, but has more recently hit the headlines for its “based on a true story” claims.
It was also up for best TV limited series at the Golden Globes, while Gadd was nominated for best actor in a limited series at the awards show.
His show, said to be inspired by his real-life experiences, previously won big at the Emmys, taking home six prizes, three of them for writing, producing and starring in the series, and one gong for Gunning for best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series.
Gadd also collected prizes at the Gotham TV Awards, Television Critics Association Awards and the Astra TV Awards last year.
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