‘Baby Reindeer’ Creator Richard Gadd Reveals Cut Episode Where Donny Visited Family in Scotland: Execs Said ‘You Need to Give the Audience a Respite’

Richard Gadd has revealed that he actively pushed to eliminate a complete episode from his Netflix breakout “Baby Reindeer,” confirming the existence of what would have been an eighth episode.

At the Future Vision television conference in Melbourne, the Emmy-winning writer told attendees he personally advocated for cutting a Scotland-based episode during the show’s development phase.

Network executives had suggested including lighter material to offset the series’ intense stalking narrative, leading to the creation of an episode where Gadd’s character Donny Dunn escapes to his Scottish homeland to visit family.

“When we were developing it, there was the note that kept coming in about the show being too dark,” Gadd told interviewer Tony Ayres at ACMI Theatre. “You need to give the audience a respite from it all.”

The omitted episode centered on Donny’s retreat from London and his stalker Martha Scott, featuring significant screen time with Mark Lewis Jones as his father during a soccer outing.

Despite initial reasoning for the respite episode, Gadd discovered during editing that removing Martha’s omnipresent threat diminished the show’s tension. He concluded that her absence actually weakened viewer engagement.

“I felt, in a lot of ways, the sooner you get back to her the better,” Gadd explained. The elimination required restructuring Episode 3 to incorporate material from multiple planned segments.

The deleted episode’s climactic scene — Martha infiltrating Donny’s kitchen — was repurposed as the opening sequence for the revised third episode, necessitating extensive script modifications.

Gadd acknowledged disappointment over losing Jones’ contribution, praising the actor’s exceptional work and noting audiences would miss seeing his full performance range.

The editorial choice has proven successful, with “Baby Reindeer” achieving massive global reach and critical recognition including multiple Emmy and BAFTA victories. Gadd secured three personal Emmy wins for his multifaceted role in the production.

The series originated from Gadd’s theatrical work, adapting his Edinburgh Fringe experiences into the television format. His stage background includes award-winning performances exploring personal trauma and harassment.

Legal complications now surround the production, with a substantial defamation claim challenging the show’s factual representations. The case involves disputed allegations about criminal history and incarceration details. Current litigation prevents Gadd from public commentary on the matter.

The creator also detailed his dramatic physical preparation for “Baby Reindeer,” describing significant weight loss to achieve the character’s vulnerable appearance. The transformation was so pronounced that neighbors expressed health concerns.

Beyond “Baby Reindeer,” Gadd has completed production on “Half Man,” a new BBC and HBO collaboration featuring Jamie Bell. The six-episode series examines fractured family relationships and represents his next major project.

Gadd’s celebrity status exploded following the series launch, with his social media following multiplying exponentially from its modest pre-release numbers. He attributes the show’s impact to its unflinching honesty about difficult personal experiences.