Richard Gadd

Notable works and rolesBaby ReindeerWebsitewww.richardgadd.com

Richard Robert Steven Gadd (born 11 May, 1989) 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 real-life experience.^[1]

Early life and education

Richard Robert Steven Gadd was born in the village of Wormit, Scotland.^{[citation needed]}

He trained at the Oxford School of Drama, completing the one-year course in 2012.^[2]

Career

Comedy

Gadd's early Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows Cheese & Crack Whores (2013), Breaking Gadd (2014)^[3] 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^[4] as well as a Scottish Comedy Award for Best Solo Show in 2016.^[5] It was also nominated for a Malcolm Hardee Award for Innovation^[6] and a Chortle Award for Innovation.

Gadd's 2016 Fringe show Monkey See Monkey Do won the Edinburgh Comedy Award^[7] for Best Comedy Show and was also nominated for a Total Theatre Award for Innovation.^[8] Later that year, Gadd won a Chortle Comedian's Comedian Award^[9] and was nominated for an Off West End Theatre Award for Best Performer.^[10] The show then had several sell-out runs at Soho Theatre,^[11] toured the UK and Europe,^[12] and had a run at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where it was nominated for the 2017 Barry Award.^[13] In 2017 it was broadcast on Comedy Central as part of their Soho Theatre Live series.^[14]

Gadd's next show, Baby Reindeer, about his experiences with being stalked, premiered at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.^[15] It won two awards: the Scotsman Fringe First Award for New Writing^[16] and a Stage Award for Acting Excellence.^[17] The show then went on to a five-week run at The Bush Theatre in London^[18] where it won an Off West End Theatre Award for Best Video Design, as well as receiving a nomination in the Best Performer category.^[19] The show later transferred to the Ambassador's Theatre in London's West End, but was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.^[20] A few months later, the show went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre.^[21] In 2024, Netflix released a seven-episode drama based on the play.^[22] 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.^[23]

Acting

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.^{[24][better source needed]}

Screenwriting

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.^[25]

Personal life

Gadd identifies as bisexual.^[26] He is an ambassador for We Are Survivors, a UK charity dedicated to helping male survivors of sexual abuse.^[22] Gadd himself is a survivor of sexual abuse by a manipulative older man he met earlier in his career.^[27] Gadd asserts that, from 2015 to 2017, he was stalked and sexually assaulted by an older woman.^[28][29] These events were dramatised in his 2019 Edinburgh show and a Netflix series Baby Reindeer. The accused woman adamantly denies these accusations.^[30][31]

References

External links

• Richard Gadd at IMDb
• Richard Gadd on Instagram