Baby Reindeer dropped on Netflix last week and the gut-wrenching series has already claimed the number one TV show spot in the UK and USA.

It’s based on a true story from Richard Gadd, who at the time was an aspiring Scottish comedian.

Richard, who plays a fictionalised version of himself as Donny Dunn is at the centre of a “strange and layered” relationship with a woman named Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning).

Their first friendly meeting is in a pub, as Donny shows an act of kindness to Martha who appears vulnerable.

But what follows is months of relentless stalking from Martha, as Donny tries to survive a dark and "intense" period of his life which brings up past trauma of abuse.

Speaking about Baby Reindeer which first began as a hit play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, Richard told Tudum: “It’s a true story.

"In a weird way, I first started feeling like this could be a good story during the whole ordeal itself. It was one of the most intense periods, when I was listening to these voicemails.

"I’d go to sleep at night and these voicemails — her words would bounce around my eyelids. I remember thinking, ‘God, if I was ever to speak about this onstage, I’d fire the words around. Put the voicemails in a big cacophony and fire it.’ That’s how the play was born.”

Who is the real Martha Scott on Baby Reindeer?

However, some fans who have found themselves binge-watching Baby Reindeer might want to know the real identity of "Martha".

It has yet to be revealed who she is, as Richard claimed he does not want to reveal her.

He explained to GQ: “We’ve gone to such great lengths to disguise her to the point that I don’t think she would recognise herself.

“What’s been borrowed is an emotional truth, not a fact-by-fact profile of someone.”

He told The Independent in 2019 that "Martha" sent more than 41,000 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, 106 pages of letters, sleeping pills, a woolly hat, a pair of brand new boxer shorts and a cuddly reindeer toy.

She also used to turn up outside his home and appear at his stand-up shows.

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Discussing the stalking ordeal Richard said “Martha” wasn’t to blame.

He said: “I can’t emphasise enough how much of a victim she is in all this.

“When we think of stalkers, we always think of films like Misery and Fatal Attraction, where the stalker is a monstrous figure in the night down an alleyway. But usually, it’s a prior relationship or someone you know or a work colleague.

"Stalking and harassment is a form of mental illness. It would have been wrong to paint her as a monster, because she’s unwell, and the system’s failed her.”

Baby Reindeer is available to watch on Netflix in the UK now.