Baby Reindeercreator and star Richard Gadd has revealed that an entire episode was cut from the miniseries. Released on Netflix in 2024,Baby Reindeeris based on the disturbing true storyof Gadd’s own experiences. Gadd plays Donny Dunn, a struggling writer-comedian who is relentlessly stalked and harassed by a woman named Martha.
The series was a huge hit, withBaby Reindeerholding onto the #1 spotin Netflix’s Top 10 TV English titles for its second, third, and fourth weeks (after debuting at #5). It was also an awards darling, taking home six Primetime Emmy Awards, including three for Gadd himself.
WhileBaby Reindeeris a tight seven episodes, Gadd recently shared that an entire episode was cut from the series. Speaking at the Future Vision television summit in Melbourne, Australia,Gadd said that there was originally aBaby Reindeerepisode set in Scotland that he successfully fought to cut(viaThe Sunday Morning Herald).
The reason for this episode was that Netflix thoughtBaby Reindeerwas “just too dark” and the audience needed a break.The episode would have seen Donny flee London to get away from Marthaand spend time with his family. Ultimately, Gadd felt that the show suffered due to Martha’s absence, and as a result, episode three became “an amalgamation of a few episodes.” Read Gadd’s full comment below:
Richard Gadd: I really fought to cut an episode ofBaby Reindeer. I really wanted to cut it.
I remember when we were developing it, there was the note [from Netflix] that kept coming in – and probably rightfully so – that the show was just too dark, you need to give the audience a respite from it all.
And so there was an episode where I escape London to get away from Martha and everything, and I go and visit my parents [in Scotland]. There’s a whole episode where I go to the football with my dad, I spend a day with my dad, and stuff kind of happens.
When we got to the edit, I felt you miss her every time she’s not on screen, and I felt in a lot of ways, the sooner you get back to her, the better. And so episode three is an amalgamation of a few episodes.
The episode that’s missing ended with her in my kitchen, which is actually how we started [the final version of] episode three. So the edit was almost a complete rewrite of what was in the script.
What Cutting The Episode Means For Baby Reindeer
Netflix Was Right To Listen To Richard Gadd
Netflix isn’t wrong —Baby Reindeeris incredibly dark and hard to watch. But that’s the whole point. For seven straight episodes, Donny doesn’t get a break from Martha’s harassment or his own troubled thoughts. What makes the show work so well is how muchthe audience experiences this nightmarish, all-consuming situation with Donny.
Donny and Martha’s toxic relationship is the crux of the entire series. Despite her brutal torment of him, Donny can’t help but feel a certain level of affection for Martha, and he develops his own fixation with her.Baby Reindeeris about a man and his unhealthy tether to his stalker —having an entire episode without the stalker makes no sense.
The one downside to the scrappedBaby Reindeerepisode is that viewers miss out on scenes with Donny and his father, Gerry, played by Mark Lewis Jones. Gadd expressed remorse for this, saying of Jones, “[He’s]one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with… And it’s a shame because people will never quite realise how much he gave to that project.”
Our Take On Baby Reindeer’s Cut Episode
It Was A Terrible Idea
Jones is indeed fantastic as Gerry Dunn, but as great as his and Gadd’s cut scenes likely were,the episode would have caused major pacing issues forBaby Reindeeras a whole. In its finished product,Baby Reindeeris a taut, tense series. An episode away from Martha would have caused it to go slack.
As for Netflix’s desire for a respite inBaby Reindeer, this cut episode likely would have caused an adverse effect on viewers. While Donny may find temporary reprieve from Martha’s stalking, we know that it’s only a matter of time before her harassment starts again. There’s no way we’d be able to relax with Donny and his dad if we’re waiting for Chekov’s “iphonn” to go off.
Baby Reindeer
Cast
Baby Reindeer is a dark comedy series based on a true story and a stage play of the same name. It centers around Gus, a barista who becomes the focus of an intense and unsettling obsession by one of his customers, Martha. After a seemingly harmless interaction, Martha’s fascination with Gus spirals out of control and begins to wreak havoc on his life.
