The aspiring comedian Donny Dunn (Alex McNicol) is a bartender at a pub in London. There, one day, he gives a free cup of tea to Martha, a very lonely-seeming woman. What is initially a simple, even noble act of charity quickly devolves into a nightmare when Martha develops an all-consuming infatuation with Donny and stalks him across the Internet, bombarding him with emails.
At first, Donny relishes the attention — he seems like the only person she notices. She even validates his confidence during his stand-up act with her laughter. But then her doing well starts to go awry. She stops at nothing to track him down, stalking him at work and flooding his inbox with messages. She even fabricates stories about their relationship, lies to him and calls them a couple. Martha begs him not to leave, and although Donny tries to set boundaries, Martha relentlessly ignores them, intensifying her harassment.
Meanwhile, Donny deals with a trauma from his past. Once counseled by a wealthy TV scribe, Darrien O’Connor, who promised to give him an industry toehold, their bond unfortunately turns toxic. Darrien gains control over Donny, gets him hooked on drugs, even sexually taking advantage of him as he lays unconscious from his addiction. Plagued by lack of confidence but energised by his burning ambition to become a star, Donny puts up with the ill-treatment, mistakenly imagining that it’s the price that must be paid to get ahead with his career.
Donny’s current life slowly unspools. Martha infiltrates every aspect of his existence — following him to his home, barraging his ex-girlfriend Keeley, even slandering his father. When Donny goes to the police to report her, they downplay his complaint, failing to understand the seriousness of it. As Martha’s hijinks get worse, she’s physically violent with Donny’s new paramour, Teri, a transgender therapist whom he’s met though a dating site.
Unable to free himself, Donny becomes oddly obsessed with Martha, trapped in fear and a perverse attraction. When Martha is ultimately arrested and sentenced to nine months, Donny anticipates finally feeling peaceful, only to find himself emotionally adrift. And in his unnerving awareness, he comes to realize that he somehow depended on the attention and dynamism she brought to his life.
In an odd twist, Darrien re-emerges, suggesting a second chance to team up on a TV project in his life. Even after recognizing the torments Darrien rained on him, Donny agrees. As he leaves, he listens to a voicemail from Martha recalling her favourite childhood stuffed animal, her ‘baby reindeer’, which brought her comfort throughout her troubled childhood. That brings Donny to the heartbreaking realization that in Martha’s eyes, he was her baby reindeer — a security blanket she leaned on, while she destroyed his life.
The series ends with Donny alone at a pub, lost in thought, as a bartender hands him a free drink — the same kindness he bestowed to Martha previously. It marks a heartbreaking full-circle moment.
Baby Reindeer (2024) SeriesDirected by Weronika Tofilska & Josephine Bornebusch
Character Details:
Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd)
An aspiring comedian and bartender who becomes the object of Martha’s obsession. Donny is deeply insecure, traumatized, and often resorts to bad decisions in desperate search of approval. His journey is one of self-immolation, wading through not only Martha’s stalking but also the abuse he suffered from Darrien in the past.
Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning)
A woman who is mentally unstable and client IF Donny. She is manipulative, obsessive and emotionally unstable, veering between love and fury. And while she terrorizes Donny, her tragic back story indicates that she, too, is a victim of deeply rooted trauma.
Teresa "Teri" (Nava Mau)
A transgender therapist who is Donny’s love interest. Teri is a much better person than Martha or Darrien — she does truly want Donny to heal, and he's just never gotten through to her. Their relationship eventually breaks down because of Donny’s emotional baggage.
Darrien O'Connor (Tom Goodman-Hill)
A successful television writer who first mentors Donny but eventually grooms and sexually abuses him. Darrien’s manipulation is more subtle: he leads Donny to believe that putting up with his abuse is a prerequisite to career success. His return at the end suggests Donny’s inability to escape toxic cycles.
Keeley (Shalom Brune-Franklin)
Donny’s ex, who wants to be there for him but whose presence turns more of a burden when his life is taken over by Martha’s stalking.
Liz (Nina Sosanya)
Keeley’s mother and Donny’s landlady who takes him in when Keeley leaves. She is a maternal support, but Donny’s spiral downwards strains their relationship.
General Greggsy (Michael Wildman)
The owner of Donny’s pub. At first dismissive of Donny’s issues, he gets more involved as Martha’s harassment escalates.
Gino (Danny Kirrane)
Donny’s co-worker, who serves up comic relief, but also contributes to the toxic culture at the pub, where Donny’s problems tend to get trivialized.
Detective Culver (Alexandria Riley)
The detective investigating Donny’s case, who ultimately sees the seriousness of Martha’s stalking.
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