While many people assume the infectious giggle heard in the TikTok video belongs to the real Martha, plenty of evidence suggests it does not. In the comments, some people have pointed out how it’s possible the video from 2012 was filmed before Richard Gadd even knew who “Martha” was. And while the laugh in the TikTok video is similar to how Jessica Gunning laughs on “Baby Reindeer,” that may not have been how the real Martha would actually laugh. Gadd has been adamant in not divulging the real Martha’s identity, and he told GQ in an interview, “We’ve gone to such great lengths to disguise her to the point that I don’t think she would recognize herself. What’s been borrowed is an emotional truth, not a fact-by-fact profile of someone.”
Still, when it comes to anything true crime-related, audiences will seemingly want to get in on the action. From browsing TikTok and Reddit, many wannabe sleuths have tried to determine who the real “Martha” might be, and that might honestly go against the ethos of the “Baby Reindeer.” Speaking with Variety about what he wanted to achieve with the show, Gadd said, “As much as it is an examination of stalking and abuse and love and loneliness, I really wanted it to be an examination of the ramifications of trauma. And I think that’s quite subtle in the show, but a lot of people are really getting that aspect of it.”
2024 will see many great true crime documentaries come to streaming. But people can break up their routine a bit with a fictional show only based on a true story with “Baby Reindeer.”