INSIDER SECRETS

‘Baby Reindeer’ Creator Reveals Why Secret Eighth Episode Was Cut

Richard Gadd explained why the show only had seven episodes at an event on Monday.

As if the first seven episodes of the Netflix psychodrama Baby Reindeer weren’t scintillating enough for audiences, the show’s creator revealed on Monday that there were originally plans for an eighth episode. During a speaking appearance at Future Vision 2025 in Melbourne, Gadd disclosed that the unseen eighth episode of the show would have provided some “light relief” from the show’s otherwise gloomy storyline. The Scottish actor stars in Baby Reindeer as aspiring comedian Donny Dunn, as he tries to elude a relentless stalker played by Jessica Gunning. According to Gadd, he “fought hard” against including the eighth episode—in which Donny seeks refuge from his stalker by visiting his parents—and successfully managed to have most of the scenes cut or worked into other episodes. The show, which is based in part on Gadd’s experiences when he was younger, won the actor an Emmy and a Peabody. But it has also created legal headaches for Netflix due to its billing as a true story. In June 2024, a Scottish lawyer who claimed to be the inspiration for Gunning’s character filed a $170 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix, which is still being litigated.