The ethics of Piers Morgan’s interview with a woman whose alleged stalking inspired the hit series 'Baby Reindeer' have been questioned by a leading sexual harassment expert.
Dr Caroline West said she won’t be watching the interview, which will air on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel at 8pm tonight, as it’s just “sensationalism” and “not helpful” to conversations around stalking.
Netflix’s 'Baby Reindeer' is based on true events that happened to the show’s creator and lead actor Richard Gadd after he was stalked and harassed by a woman, named Martha in the series, for more than four years.
Dr West said today’s interview with the ‘real Martha’ is unethical.
“Judging by the person doing it, it’s just going to be more sensationalism,” she told Lunchtime Live.
“What we need out of this is an honest understanding of trauma, violence, sexual violence and domestic violence.
“[Stalkers] can be victims themselves, even though they cause such violence and upset to people, so I don’t think minimising that violence with a shock-jock interview is helpful to the conversation here.”
'Blown away'
Dr West said the show had some of the most realistic depictions of sexual violence she’d ever seen.
“I was blown away by it and had to pause it on several occasions because it was so accurate of sexual violence,” she said.
“It’s one of the best portrayals I’ve seen in a long, long time.”
*WORLD EXCLUSIVE*
The real-life Martha from Baby Reindeer breaks cover and gives me her first TV interview about the smash hit Netflix show.
Fiona Harvey wants to have her say & ‘set the record straight.’
Is she a psycho stalker?
Find out tomorrow on @PiersUncensored pic.twitter.com/MxaE5SEiTa— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 8, 2024
The sexual violence and harassment professor with UCC said watching such a series can be traumatising for past victims.
“Watching it can make you relive memories,” she said.
“But also, if you go online afterwards and see people say, ‘Why did they do this, why did they do that’ and all that victim blaming stuff – that can be traumatising.
“I would advise survivors of sexual violence to mind themselves because that secondary trauma really just compounds the violence of the trauma itself.”
Richard Gadd in Baby Reindeer on Netflix. TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy Stock PhotoPresenter of the Home Show Sinead Ryan said she also won’t be watching tonight’s interview as “we don’t know enough” about the real person involved.
“It’s clear from the show and the depiction of Martha in it that there’s no doubt this is someone who has serious mental health issues.
“Piers Morgan has made a career out of interviewing murderers in prison, a shock-jock type approach and it’s inevitable he would have got an interview for this lady.
“Whatever this interview might do for Piers Morgan’s YouTube channel, I’m not convinced it will help her get what she needs, or anyone else in a similar position.”
Baby Reindeer has been watched on Netflix 65 million times as of May 5th.
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Main image: Jessica Gunning and Richard Gadd, the lead actors in Netflix's Baby Reindeer. Image: Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo
