Netflix says ‘Baby Reindeer’ clearly involved dramatisation

Netflix’s ‘Baby Reindeer’ has sparked controversy over dramatisation vs. true story, leading to a $170 million lawsuit and ethical questions

"Baby Reindeer" clearly involved dramatisation, Netflix said on Tuesday, in response to concerns over its compliance standards sparked by online speculation about the real-life people behind the characters in its hit mini-series.

"This is a true story" appears on screen after the opening of the show, the chilling story of a bartender stalked by a customer, written by and starring comedian Richard Gadd.

Netflix was sued in June for at least $170 million by a Scottish woman who said she had been defamed by her portrayal as a stalker in the global hit, which won best limited series at the Emmys.

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on Tuesday the show was Gadd's true story, although elements were clearly dramatised.

"I am very proud of Richard and proud of the story he told, and the way he told it, and it is his true story," he told the Royal Television Society London Convention.

Baby Reindeer differed from other shows in the same genre by not claiming to be "based on" a true story but to be an actual one, raising questions about the ethics of portraying real people.

"It is not a documentary, and there are elements of the story that are dramatised, we are watching it performed by actors on television, we think that it's abundantly clear that there is dramatisation involved," Sarandos added.