Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has been accused of ‘unwisely’ dating an actress while she was also auditioning for a role.
Reece Lyons, who wrote a series of tweets about the experience, said the comic had “merged” the two trials and that she was hurt by it.
However, a source close to Gadd tonight insisted he had no say in the final casting for the hit Netflix series.
It’s the latest twist in an already gripping backstory to surprise TV sensation Gadd, who was cleared of any wrongdoing by Baby Reindeer producer Clerkenwell Films following his romance with the actress.
About 14 million people have pored over every detail of Gadd’s much-talked-about dark comedy drama, based on his real-life experiences of being stalked by a woman, ‘Martha’, after meeting her in a London pub.
The program shows how Martha’s obsession develops as she emails Gadd hundreds of times a day, shows up outside his house and harasses his family and friends.
This past week the focus was on Martha, and the real version of her, who bitterly complained about being stalked by Gadd instead of the other way around.
Some 14 million people have pored over every detail of Richard Gadd’s (pictured) much-talked about dark comedy drama, based on his real-life experiences of being stalked by a woman, ‘Martha’.
Reece Lyons (pictured), who wrote a series of tweets about the experiences of dating Gadd and auditioning for his show
But now Gadd is facing claims from actress Ms Lyons, who auditioned to play the role of his transgender girlfriend Teri in the drama.
Ms. Lyons, who is transgender herself, said she met Gadd at the bar after he attended one of her stand-up performances.
She wrote on X: “He started telling me about his upcoming Netflix show that he had written. It was about the role of his ex-girlfriend, a trans woman.
“I told him I was interested in auditioning and asked him to contact my agent at the time. “But there’s something else,” he said. ‘What?’ I answered. ‘I find you really attractive.’
Ms. Lyons tweeted: “I said I didn’t think it was wise to mix the upcoming audition and dating at the same time, and he said he understood.”
However, the pair went on four dates between October and November 2021.
Ms Lyons wrote: ‘What if I say no? Does this mean he would feel slighted and I wouldn’t get the chance to audition?
The program shows how Martha’s obsession develops as she emails Gadd hundreds of times a day, shows up outside his house and harasses his family and friends.
This past week the focus was on Martha, and the real version of her, who bitterly complained about being stalked by Gadd instead of the other way around.
Ms. Lyons, who is transgender herself, said she met Gadd at the bar after he attended one of her stand-up performances
Ms. Lyons tweeted: “I said I didn’t think it was wise to mix the upcoming audition and dating at the same time, and he said he understood.”
‘He hurt me. I also understand that there was no conscious intention to do this.”
She emphasized that she does not see herself as a ‘victim’ of any ‘abuse’.
But she warned others to be wary of getting involved in a casting process “where someone combines a work opportunity with a dating dynamic at the same time.”
The casting for Baby Reindeer was carried out by production company Clerkenwell Films. Hollywood website Deadline, which broke the story, said it understood Gadd did not have final approval for Baby Reindeer’s casting, but did provide feedback to Clerkenwell Films on audition tapes.
A source close to Gadd insisted that he had no say in the final casting decision, saying: “Any potential romantic relationship was ended by Richard Gadd in December 2021, with the formal casting process for Baby Reindeer beginning three months later.”
Ultimately, Ms. Lyons did not get the role, which went to actress Nava Mau instead.
On Twitter, Ms. Lyons does not mention Gadd or directly refer to Baby Reindeer, but Deadline said it had verified his identity.
The website claimed that Clerkenwell Films investigated Ms Lyons’ comments after she informed the company about her X-posts.
In the end, Ms. Lyons did not get the role, but it went to actress Nava Mau (pictured)
Baby Reindeer has taken the world by storm
Gadd wrote for the show and based it on his own experiences of being stalked and abused
It said Gadd had not previously disclosed the romantic relationship to Clerkenwell, and that Ms Lyons was not interviewed by telephone or in person as part of the investigation, and that the correspondence was in writing.
A Clerkenwell source said her story and other evidence were sufficient to conclude Gadd had behaved professionally and that casting decisions had not been compromised.
Deadline said Ms. Lyons would not comment beyond her X-thread.
The publication added that sources close to Gadd did not deny that conversations about an audition took place during the time they were dating.
The Mail has contacted Gadd and Clerkenwell Films for comment.