In the space of just a few weeks, Richard Gadd has gone from being a cult comedian with a loyal following to the creator and star of one of the most talked-about TV shows in the world.
Richard created and starred in Baby Reindeer, which is inspired by his own experiences of being stalked, as well as delving into other traumatic events from his life.
Since its release last month, Baby Reindeer has been dominating the pop culture conversation, as well as Netflix’s list of most-watched TV shows, and it’s fair to say this has impacted its creator’s life somewhat.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published earlier this week, Richard recalled an incident when he tried to grab a drink at a pub in London before watching a Pogues concert.
“It was bedlam,” he recalled, describing the ensuing scene as “chaos”, complete with it “people coming up all the time”, “talking about the show and how it affected them” as well as sharing their own personal stories.
“I kind of thought, oh, I can’t really go into pubs anymore and expect to sit there quietly in a corner and have some food,” he explained
Earlier in the interview, Richard revealed that before flying out to LA, “the captain came back because he had heard I was on the plane”.
“He spoke to me and then the other pilot came back, too, so that was quite surreal,” Richard added.
“I still don’t think of myself as famous. I don’t believe it inside, so when people come up, I still find it quite strange.”
Asked how his life has changed, Richard admitted the show’s widespread success is something he’s still adjusting to.
“I am not very big online, and I don’t post much and I don’t read much,” he said. “I don’t Google the show or myself. I still keep a quiet life. But I have noticed the crazy part of it, the sudden public attention with people coming up to me and the sudden feeling that there’s more eyes on me all the time.
“Naturally being a very self-conscious person, it can be quite challenging.”
Upon its release, Richard’s show was met with a hugely positive reaction from critics, and has not budged from the top spot on Netflix’s list of its most-watched shows in a number of weeks.
However, conversations have also been raised about whether enough work was done to conceal the identities of the real-life people who inspired characters in Baby Reindeer.
Richard has repeatedly spoken out against internet “sleuths” trying to decipher the real people behind the show, as has his co-star Jessica Gunning, who plays stalker Martha in the Netflix miniseries.