- Fiona Harvey is allegedly the real life identity of Martha of the Netflix hit show, Baby Reindeer – who subjected writer and creator Richard Gadd to a horrific stalking experience over a course of four years
- UK nightclub Kasbah has since sparked outrage after arranging a public appearance for Harvey at the bar in Coventry
- They have since canceled the event due to the backlash
She’s allegedly the subject of the Netflix hit mini-series, Baby Reindeer.
And now Fiona Harvey – who the character of Martha is based on in the show – is being touted for club appearances.
UK nightclub Kasbah, based in Coventry, booked the Scottish stalker – who is claimed to have sent writer and comedian Richard Gadd 41,000 emails, 744 tweets, 100 pages of letters and 350 hours of voicemails over the course of four years, prompting him to create the programme based on his real life, traumatic experience – for an appearance on May 18.
“Fiona Harvey, aka Martha of Baby Reindeer,” broadcasted the poster. “A personal appearance where she will sign autographs, take selfies & maybe take some lucky reindeer home to hang her curtains!” the post continued, referencing part of Gadd’s eight-episode series.
‘It’s an insult to every survivor (male or female) of stalking and abuse’
While some thought the move by the club was funny, others were more concerned by the exploitation of someone who appears to be mentally ill.
“Going by Google reviews of the Kasbah Nightclub (dive), I’m not surprised the club is joking about stalking & those with MH issues on facebook – all for [cash emoji]. Shameless vultures,” wrote one Twitter/X user, adding, “From what I’ve seen of her mental health, she’s very vulnerable & being exploited maybe.”
Another agreed. “Whatever the accuracy of Baby Reindeer, the decision by Kasbah Nightclub to invite ‘The Real Martha’ for a meet and greet is disturbing and exploitative,” they blasted. “It’s an insult to every survivor (male or female) of stalking and abuse.”
And when those who directly criticized the club pointed out their failings, Kasbah mocked them.
“It’s f***ed up,” wrote one. “She’s mentally unwell, a serial stalker who should have faced prison and potentially carried out sexual assault against Richard Gadd like Martha did in Baby Reindeer. This is so exploitative. Just cancel it please.”
Kasbah instead replied, “Commenting on every single one of our posts is giving Martha vibes tbh Kamal,” to which the user responded, “If you seriously can’t see why platforming a serial stalker who has committed sexual assault is wrong, then I seriously hope this is the downfall of your skeezy establishment.”
Kasbah has since canceled the event.
In a statement posted to social media, they wrote, “Unfortunately, the promoter of this Saturday’s meet & greet with Fiona Harvey has deemed the event unsafe and canceled the appearance due to the negative publicity, the nightclub’s statement began on Instagram.”
It’s unclear whether the post was supposed to be a ‘funny’ marketing tactic – as the bar previously advertised non-existent events with the likes of Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev in 2022 and Matt Hancock the following year.
