Richard Gadd

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Gadd
Born1989 or 1990
Wormit, Scotland
Medium
  • Comedy
  • acting
  • writing
EducationMadras College
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow
Notable works and rolesBaby Reindeer
Websitewww.richardgadd.com

Richard Gadd (born 1989/1990)[1][2] is a Scottish writer, actor and comedian. He created and starred in the 2024 Netflix drama series Baby Reindeer, based on his one-man show and his real-life experience.[3][4]

Early life and education[edit]

Richard Gadd was born in the village of Wormit, Scotland.[5]

He was educated at Madras College and studied English literature and theatre studies at the University of Glasgow.[6] He trained at the Oxford School of Drama, completing a one-year course in 2012.[7]

Career[edit]

Comedy[edit]

Gadd's early Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows Cheese & Crack Whores (2013), Breaking Gadd (2014)[8] and Waiting for Gaddot (2015) all debuted at the festival and went on to have runs at London's Soho Theatre. Waiting for Gaddot won an Amused Moose Comedy Award in 2015[9] as well as a Scottish Comedy Award for Best Solo Show in 2016.[10] It was also nominated for a Malcolm Hardee Award for Innovation[11] and a Chortle Award for Innovation.

Gadd's 2016 Fringe show Monkey See Monkey Do won the Edinburgh Comedy Award[12] for Best Comedy Show and was also nominated for a Total Theatre Award for Innovation.[13] Later that year, Gadd won a Chortle Comedian's Comedian Award[14] and was nominated for an Off West End Theatre Award for Best Performer.[15] The show then had several sell-out runs at Soho Theatre,[16] toured the UK and Europe,[17] and had a run at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where it was nominated for the 2017 Barry Award.[18] In 2017 it was broadcast on Comedy Central as part of their Soho Theatre Live series.[19]

Gadd's next show, Baby Reindeer, about his experiences with being stalked, premiered at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[20] It won two awards: the Scotsman Fringe First Award for New Writing[21] and a Stage Award for Acting Excellence.[22] The show then went on to a five-week run at The Bush Theatre in London[23] where it won an Off West End Theatre Award for Best Video Design, as well as receiving a nomination in the Best Performer category.[24] The show later transferred to the Ambassador's Theatre in London's West End, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[25] A few months later, the show went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre.[26] In 2024, Netflix released a seven-episode drama based on the play.[27] According to a recent report by Barclays, the success and popularity of Baby Reindeer resulted in a notable annual increase in spending on digital subscriptions.[28] Gadd lost 28 kilograms to play the fictionalized version of himself in order to feel "vulnerable and fragile". [29]

Acting and screenwriting[edit]

Gadd is also an actor, starring opposite Daniel Mays in the 2017 BAFTA-nominated BBC Two single drama Against the Law. Other acting credits include BBC Three's Clique, Sky Arts's One Normal Night, Sky One's Code 404 and E4's Tripped.[30][better source needed] As a screenwriter, Gadd worked for Netflix's Sex Education, and has written episodes of Ultimate Worrier for Dave and The Last Leg for Channel 4, where he was also a correspondent. He's also had several projects aired on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland.[31]

Personal life[edit]

Gadd identifies as bisexual.[32] Gadd says he was sexually assaulted by a man he met earlier in his career.[33] He dated a transgender woman.[34] He says he was later stalked and sexually assaulted by an older woman.[35][4] These events were dramatised in his 2019 Edinburgh show and a Netflix series Baby Reindeer. The depicted woman, Fiona Harvey, adamantly denies Gadd's accusations and depiction of her, says she has never been to jail, and is pursuing legal action.[36]

Gadd is an ambassador for We Are Survivors, a UK charity dedicated to helping male survivors of sexual abuse.[27]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Klein, Brennan (15 April 2024). "Baby Reindeer Cast Guide". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  2. ^ Tonks, Phoebe (3 May 2024). "Who is Richard Gadd? Meet the man behind Netflix's chilling Baby Reindeer". Yahoo! Life. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  3. ^ Lyons, Margaret (23 April 2024). "What to Watch: 'Baby Reindeer,' an Astonishing Stalker Drama". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b Badshah, Nadeem (9 May 2024). "'Inspiration' for Baby Reindeer stalker character says she received death threats". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  5. ^ Hepburn, David (3 April 2024). "Baby Reindeer: Scottish performer Richard Gadd's new series release is". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Richard Gadd: Who is Fife comedian behind Netflix hit Baby Reindeer?". The Courier. 16 April 2024. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Richard Gadd | Notable Alumni". Oxford School of Drama. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Richard Gadd interview". British Comedy Guide. 27 November 2014. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  9. ^ "AmusedMoose | Comedy Awards | Stand-up Comedy Soho Kings Cross Awards Courses". amusedmoose.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  10. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Scot Squad apprehends two Scottish Comedy Awards". chortle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  11. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Praise be to Gadd!". chortle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  12. ^ Premier. "Best Show – Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Awards". Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  13. ^ "The Total Theatre Awards Shortlist 2016". Summerhall – Open Minds Open Doors. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  14. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Who won at the Chortle Awards 2017". chortle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Off West End Theatre Award nominations | News". oxforddrama.ac.uk. 2 May 2017. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  16. ^ "Richard Gadd: Monkey See Monkey Do at Soho Theatre". Soho Theatre. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Show & Tell". showandtelluk.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022.
  18. ^ "Melbourne International Comedy Festival". Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Comedy Central to broadcast Soho Theatre Live stand-up shows". British Comedy Guide. 24 May 2017. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  20. ^ Logan, Brian (10 September 2019). "Richard Gadd on his stalker: 'It would be unfair to say she was awful and I'm a victim'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Final Edinburgh Fringe First Award winners revealed | WhatsOnStage". whatsonstage.com. 23 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  22. ^ "Richard Gadd wins The Stage Edinburgh Award 2019 | News". oxforddrama.ac.uk. 24 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  23. ^ "Baby Reindeer". bushtheatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  24. ^ "2020 Awards – The Offies". Archived from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  25. ^ "Baby Reindeer and The Shark Is Broken are postponed". British Theatre. 5 April 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  26. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Richard Gadd wins an Olivier Award". chortle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  27. ^ a b Williams, Zoe (18 April 2024). "'I was severely stalked and severely abused': Richard Gadd on the true story behind Baby Reindeer [Interview]". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Baby Reindeer success comes amid jump in subscription spending – Barclays". The Asian Mirror. 7 May 2024. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  29. ^ Gardner, Chris (13 May 2024). "Richard Gadd on 'Baby Reindeer' Phenomenon, Losing Anonymity and What He Won't Ever Comment on Again". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Richard Gadd". IMDb. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  31. ^ "BBC Radio 4 – Richard Gadd: Daddy Diaries". BBC. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  32. ^ Canfield, David (15 May 2024). "The Cast of 'Baby Reindeer' Speaks Out: "You Have to Practice Self-Preservation"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  33. ^ "Our Ambassadors". We Are Survivors. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  34. ^ Chilton, Louis (11 April 2024). "Richard Gadd on Netflix's Baby Reindeer and his real-life story of stalking and trauma: 'I've lived in a prison of self-hate'". The Independent. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  35. ^ "Baby Reindeer review — Netflix's unsettling stalker drama makes for difficult viewing". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  36. ^ Butler, Alexander; Murray, Tom (10 May 2024). "Baby Reindeer: Fans horrified by Piers Morgan's 'excruciating' interview". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.

External links[edit]

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