It was announced today that Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has a new drama in the works. HBO and the BBC are set to co-produce Gadd’s six-episode series Lions, which he will write and executive produce with Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck directing.
Here is a description of Gadd’s upcoming series: When Niall’s estranged ‘brother’ Ruben shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives. Spanning almost forty years from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious series will cover the highs and lows of the brothers’ relationship, from their meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way. It will capture the wild energy of a changing city – a changing world, even – and try to get to the bottom of the difficult question…What does it mean to be a man?
Per Gadd, “Ordering an HBO box set of The Sopranos, The Wire, or Oz and watching it from start to finish were some of the happiest moments of my childhood. Since then, it has always been a dream of mine to work with HBO and be part of their iconic roster of shows. I am so grateful to Francesca Orsi, Kara Buckley, and Clint LaVigne for taking this chance on the show and on Ruben and Niall too who – despite growing up in a dead-end Scottish town – would be absolutely pinching themselves at this! I cannot wait to get started.”
Gadd’s limited Netflix series Baby Reindeer became an immediate hit when it first premiered in April. The incredibly bizarre and brilliantly told true story quickly turned Gadd into a household name as fans binge-watched en masse, analyzing every detail of this wild tale of obsession gone completely off the rails.
The seven-episode series is based on Gadd’s 2019 award-winning Edinburgh Fringe one-man play. In the television version of his life story, he portrays Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian-slash-bartender who is being stalked by an insane woman named Martha Scott (portrayed by a brilliant Jessica Gunning) with whom he just might resonate more than anyone else. Their relationship is positively warped beyond hope for repair and the stalking, at times, goes both ways. He seems simultaneously repulsed and intrigued by her.
It was Gadd’s willingness to face the darkest aspects of his life and himself that made this such a standout series and one deserving of awards attention. In an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, Gadd explained why he wanted to share his complicated and tragic story with the world. “Sometimes in the pit of despair, inspiration emerges. I was now in the fourth year of being stalked, by a woman, whose only skill greater than her ability to harass was her ability to evade the law.”
Audience reactions to Gadd’s Edinburgh and Netflix versions of Baby Reindeer were mixed, which he could appreciate. Following Edinburgh, he told Tudum, “People came up to me at the end and would tell me things like, ‘I didn’t know whether to punch you or hug you,’ and ‘I felt sorry for you, then I hated her, then I hated you and I felt sorry for her,’ and to me, that was the biggest compliment the show could get. All I ever wanted to do was capture something complicated about the human condition. That we all make mistakes. That no person is ever good or bad. That we are all lost souls looking for love in our own weird way.”
Gadd’s tale was a huge success for Netflix. The series had a 98% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and landed in the streamer’s Global Top 10 TV (English) list reaching the Top 10 TV in 92 countries.
There has also been a lot of controversy with the real-life Martha, a woman named Fiona Harvey, claiming defamation. She has sued Netflix for $170 million and the streamer is ardently defending the matter and Gadd’s right to tell his story.
Fans of Gadd’s work can expect a fascinating, extremely entertaining, deep-dive into the complex relationships and moral quandaries that make us human. This fan can’t wait!
