Half Man, writer and actor Richard Gadd’s eagerly-anticipated follow-up to the hugely successful Baby Reindeer, begins with a joyous scene. A glorious wedding party is in full flow with revellers dancing merrily in the sunlight. In typical Gadd fashion, however, it doesn’t take long for a more brutal reality to kick in. He plays the hench and brooding Ruben, who viewers meet stripped to the waist and looking like he’s about to step into the UFC Octagon. Opposite him is Niall (Jamie Bell), the kilted groom clearly wishing he was anywhere but in a dimly lit barn with a man whose heavily strapped hands suggest he didn’t come to propose a toast to the happy couple. “You don’t have to speak,” Ruben tells him. “You have to listen.”

• READ MORE: ‘Half Man’ review: more dark and addictive drama from ‘Baby Reindeer’ creator Richard Gadd

It’s a scene that makes the dynamic between the pair clear – a direct and physically imposing alpha male whose mere presence suggests danger and, alongside him, the bookish and lower status Niall, forever in his shadow. The series skips back through three decades of history between the two, slowly piecing together a story of obsession, repulsion, loyalty, betrayal and life-altering violence that leads to the wedding showdown. Like Baby Reindeer, Half Man finds Gadd exploring what draws people together and the voids we fill in each other’s lives.

“Both of them need what the other one has,” Gadd says while speaking in a private room at a Soho hotel, the sleeves of his crisp white T-shirt stretching against the muscular frame he trained six days a week to build. “As a result they form a bond at a young age which is kind of unbreakable.” In a nuanced and richly written story, Gadd explores the ways in which that unbreakable bond feels like a suffocating headlock. “It’s about the thin line between love and hate,” he explains. “No matter how fractured things become, their love still outweighs the hatred.”

Half Man is about two men who display harmful traits but Gadd is keen to stress he did not write the show as a means of tackling the hot button issue of toxic masculinity. “I never want my work to have this kind of overarching moral point,” he says, drawing a line between his complicated characters and the manosphere-led characters shown in Adolescence or Louis Theroux’s recent Netflix documentary. “I don’t write to answer issues. If anything, what it offers is a lot of questions and not many solutions. At the heart of Baby Reindeer and Half Man is a confusion about human existence.”

For Ruben and Niall, that existence begins when their mothers start a relationship and bring their respective sons together in a blended family. “My brother from another lover,” Ruben (played as a teenager in a series of flashbacks by Stuart Campbell) calls Niall (Mitchell Robertson). Niall is being bullied at school until Ruben, freshly released from a young offenders institute, scares them away. Niall is also questioning his sexuality, something he is desperate to hide from the imposing figure he now shares a bedroom with. Both young men have absent fathers and harbour deep-seated resentments. Ruben meets his feelings with anger while Niall might appear innocent on first impression but slowly reveals more insidious character traits as the series progresses. Questions are asked of how responsible we are for our actions and, in Ruben’s case, why violence is so often the solution he reaches for.

Music helps set the scene for these 1980s flashbacks, which are soundtracked by era-perfect needle drops from The Boomtown Rats, Echo & The Bunnymen and Yazoo among others.

“I obsess over every little track [in my shows]”

Proof of Gadd’s obsession with music comes before our interview begins. “I need to show you something,” he says. We ask if it’s the NME cover spotted on the bedroom wall Niall and Ruben share as teenagers. In fact, it’s something better. Gadd has been scouring eBay for vintage covers of the magazine released around the time of huge events in musical history; there’s the deaths of John Lennon and Kurt Cobain sat next to the famous Blur vs Oasis cover of August 1995. Each one is framed and lines the wall of his London flat, meaning visitors move through time as they get closer to the door.

“I obsess over every little track,” Gadd says, returning to the show. “The songs offer such interesting timestamps.” That said, picking the tunes for the show wasn’t as simple as finding what was most likely to be played in a student union in 1989. There’s a scene in the second episode that requires a steely disposition to watch. Without spoiling specific details, a friend of Niall’s gets on the wrong side of Ruben’s temper while ‘Only You’, Yazoo’s shimmering and tender ballad, plays as blood spatters the floor of a university halls kitchen. Gadd explains that the song’s lyrics (“All I ever knew… Only you”) capture the poisoned connection between the pair. “Lyrically, ‘Only You’ couldn’t have been more perfect for Ruben and Niall’s relationship. I put a lot of thought and cerebral explanation into the way Half Man sounds.”

Gadd says he was adamant that every stomp, kick, and punch of Ruben’s blind fury felt as real as possible. “A problem I have with violence on TV is how choreographed and fake it can feel,” he says. “Acts of violence are always sort of awkward so I wanted it to be messy. The second it feels choreographed is the second he loses his power.”

“The battle I had with myself during my twenties was intolerable”

Toxic masculinity is something we often see projected outwards by men in the way they treat others. In Half Man, Gadd suggests its roots may actually be more tied up with how men treat themselves. When we ask if he sees a connection between the bookish and sexually confused Niall and Baby Reindeer’s similarly self-loathing Donny Dunn, the writer pinpoints their shared struggle with self-identity: “They are both going through a crisis of self.”

The struggle to truly accept oneself is something Gadd says he will continue to return to in his work. “I’ve gone through a sort of identity battle in a lot of ways in my life and I’m not done exploring that. I look back at my twenties and I’m in a lot better place now, but the battle I had with myself was intolerable at times. It was like being in a prison. I felt so trapped inside of myself, I almost couldn’t have a conversation without real trickle-down intrusive thoughts that were just crushingly negative. I was so damning about everything I did all the time.”

What surprised Gadd the most after Baby Reindeer is how many people would approach him to share that they, too, felt the same “cosmic” struggle. “Self-hate, more than we would care to admit, is something that people struggle with a lot.” Gadd knows first-hand what that feels like and says his work directly addresses people in the same boat. “I feel like it’s something that should be honoured on screen so people can see it reflected back and know that they’re not alone.”

Isolation and loneliness lay at the heart of Baby Reindeer, too. It was the breakout moment for Gadd who, until that point, had been a relatively unknown stand up comedian. He took two stage shows, ‘Monkey See Monkey Do’ and ‘Baby Reindeer’, and transformed his real life story into an excavating work that chronicled his experiences of being stalked by a female fan, Martha, and sexually assaulted by a TV industry figure he met earlier in his career.

It’s hard to state just how big the 2024 Netflix show became upon its release. It made its way onto the streamer’s list of the most-watched English-language TV series of all-time and won six Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for Gadd and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Jessica Gunning, whose masterful turn as Martha was both terrifying and unflinchingly vulnerable.

In addition to awards and eyeballs, Baby Reindeer also caught fire among a group of true crime-trained viewers keen to take a more active role in the TV they consume and begin working things out for themselves. Martha was established by online sleuths as being based on London-based lawyer Fiona Harvey, something she acknowledged while keenly disputing the depiction of the character in relation to real life events. In June 2024 Harvey brought a $170million defamation lawsuit against Netflix. Prior to speaking with Gadd, it was established that he would be unable to comment on the ongoing legal case.

“I haven’t made any new famous friends and I still drive a 2007 Skoda”

Success, in both positive and negative ways, is no longer something Gadd is a stranger to. Baby Reindeer resulted in a lucrative Netflix deal and newfound recognition, taking him from doing stand-up comedy in London pubs to Paris Fashion Week, having been personally invited to Jonathan Anderson’s spring/summer 2025 presentation for Loewe. Gadd says he doesn’t let the newfound fame alter his life too much. “I haven’t made any new famous friends and I still drive a 2007 Skoda Fabia,” he laughs. “Materialism means nothing to me, I’d rather be connected to life. I don’t want to ever feel like I’m above that, because then I won’t be able to write about it.”

Even so, it must have been hard to adjust to the aftermath of Baby Reindeer – a cathartic but exposing story informed by real life trauma that turned into a global phenomenon. At some point, any writer would lose control of the narrative. “Since Baby Reindeer, I feel like I’ve been walking around naked,” Gadd told the New York Times in a recent interview. It begs the question of whether he is still chasing that same high, or whether he is keen to step out of the limelight with Half Man and his future projects?

“My only hope is that Half Man is received well,” Gadd says diplomatically. “Whatever ‘well’ means, I don’t really know.” We put it more bluntly to him. If there was a button that would guarantee the show would play out on the same scale, rave reviews and awards but with the same intense focus on him personally, would he press it? He deflects once again and argues, fairly, that the fallout from Baby Reindeer still has him feeling windswept. “At the end of the day, I just want to make something that gets people talking,” he says. “I almost can’t speak to the success of Baby Reindeer and whether I want to replicate it or not, because I haven’t even processed it yet.”

If he can’t predict the outcome of his new TV show, what about humanity more generally? Does Gadd, whose work often plumbs the depths that people can push each other to, see any hope in our destabilised and dystopian world right now? “Maybe it’s foolish but I do believe in human beings at the end of the day,” he says. “We’re going through such a crisis right now, not just in terms of masculinity, but in society and even the way we’re interacting as countries, but I still believe in kindred spirits and just basic human decency.”

He concedes, though, that this might just be hopeful naivety speaking. “The news cycle is so extreme and there’s so much shouting and debate and discussion. You can sometimes just feel like you’re in the middle of a whirlpool not knowing which direction to turn or what to do. It leads to this mass alienation of people who just don’t know what to do anymore.”

Gadd is the first to admit he doesn’t have the answers people are looking for. But from the middle of the confusion, he offers a much needed dose of compassion and understanding. It feels like a step in the right direction.

‘Half Man’ episode one is out now via BBC iPlayer and new episodes are released every Friday

The post Richard Gadd survived ‘Baby Reindeer’ – but can he endure his own success? appeared first on NME.

Half Man is the new drama series from Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd, but what songs are in the show? Find out below. 

• READ MORE: ‘Half Man’ review: more dark and addictive drama from ‘Baby Reindeer’ creator Richard Gadd 

The six-part miniseries is airing on the BBC in the UK and HBO internationally, with the opening episode having dropped on Friday (April 24). Subsequent episodes will be released every Friday, until the season finale on May 29. 

Set largely in Scotland across several decades, the show centres on Ruben (Gadd) and Niall (Jamie Bell), two entirely different men who are as close as blood brothers can be. Niall, the younger of the two, exists at the mercy of his school bullies and it terrorised for being nerdy and gentle. He is in the closet and is terrified of revealing his secret to his psychopathic and homophobic brother Ruben, who was recently released from a juvenile detention centre. 

Watch the trailer for Half Man here: 

Comedian and writer Gadd was thrust into the spotlight with his autobiographical Netflix miniseries Baby Reindeer in 2024, a critically acclaimed and widely seen adaptation of his one-man comedy show. It later became shrouded in controversy when social media sleuths tracked down the real-life inspiration for the monstrous stalker Martha, and she later sued the show for $170m. 

In a four-star review of Half Man, NME wrote: “Ultimately, Gadd’s served up another unpleasantly captivating drama about a flawed victim and the psychologically unstable figure that haunts them. Baby Reindeer fans will drink it down.” 

Every song on the Half Man soundtrack 

The show features an original score from Russian-French composer Evgueni Galperine, alongside his brother Sacha Galperine. They have previously worked on films including Kraven The Hunter and Notes Of A True Criminal. 

So far, the show has also employed one prominent needle drop. The first episode includes a scene in which a young Ruben dances while Niall looks on from the doorway. The song playing is Ian Dury’s ‘Clevor Trever’, the distinctive track from Dury’s debut album ‘New Boots And Panties!!’ in 1977, prior to the formation of The Blockheads. 

Check back here for any further songs that pop up in future episodes. 

The post Every song on the ‘Half Man’ soundtrack appeared first on NME.

In 2024, Baby Reindeer exploded onto TV screens and dominated the global consciousness in a way few series have. For first-time showrunner Richard Gadd, there were bucketloads of awards, endless talk show appearances and even high-profile court cases to deal with. See, the main buzz about Baby Reindeer (beyond a gripping portrayal of sexual assault, depression and substance abuse) had to do with its semi-autobiographical origins. And when social media sleuths tracked down the real-life inspiration for monstrous villain-stalker Martha, she sued for $170m. Legally, Gadd’s still not allowed to talk about the details.

This is probably why Half Man, his new project, is completely fictional. Set largely in Scotland across several decades, the six-episode BBC miniseries follows two totally different step-brothers. Niall, the younger, exists at the mercy of his school bullies. Terrorised for being nerdy and gentle, he is also gay but firmly in the closet. He’s most terrified of revealing this secret to psychopathic (and homophobic) elder sibling Ruben, recently released from a juvenile detention centre for biting off someone’s nose.

After Ruben dispatches Niall’s classroom tormentors at the point of a switchblade, they become friends. Well, sort of. Ruben runs extremely hot, liable to explode into a violent rage at the merest irritation and treats Niall as you would a beloved family dog. Fondly but never equally. Occasionally, this dynamic tips over into outright abuse. When Ruben – under the impression he is rewarding Niall – brings home a girlfriend for him to forcibly lose his virginity with, it is one of the most harrowing sequences you will see all year. Despite this, Niall retains a tenderness towards Ruben that leads him to excuse his repeatedly horrendous behaviour as they grow up together.

On the whole, these early episodes are pretty average. Mitchell Robertson gives Niall a downtrodden quality, which makes him sympathetic but frustrating to root for. Whereas Stuart Campbell, who plays Ruben, mostly just shouts and swings his fists around.

Much better are the later episodes, when Jamie Bell and Gadd himself step in as thirty-something versions of the two lads. Then Gadd’s knack for creating complex, compelling characters really comes to the fore. Niall, it turns out, has a vindictive streak of his own – and Ruben’s assumed wickedness gets examined through the lens of mental illness, rather than simple good and bad. Their toxic relationship develops into a chess-like revenge game, where one’s successes and failures impact the other, slowly unravelling their motivations. It’s a bit like the classic Japanese film Rashomon, where the same story is told from different, contradictory points of view. Though in this case, the truth is self-evident – it’s more about untangling blame, guilt and at what point traumatised men should take responsibility for their actions.

Ultimately, Gadd’s served up another unpleasantly captivating drama about a flawed victim and the psychologically unstable figure that haunts them. Baby Reindeer fans will drink it down.

‘Half Man’ is streaming now on BBC iPlayer. Episodes drop weekly on Fridays

The post ‘Half Man’ review: more dark and addictive drama from ‘Baby Reindeer’ creator Richard Gadd appeared first on NME.

Jessica Gunning is set to star in a biopic covering the life of The Mamas And The Papas’ Cass Elliot, over 50 years after the singer’s death.

Elliot, also known as Mama Cass, was a founding member of the vocal group and went on to embark on a solo career after they disbanded. She released her final album, the live album ‘Don’t Call Me Mama Anymore’, in 1973 and died from heart failure a year later at the age of 32.

Now, the life of Elliot – born Naomi Cohen – will come to the big screen with the movie My Mama, Cass.

Baby Reindeer star Gunning will play Elliot in the biopic, which is based on a 2024 memoir by her daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugell, who was just seven when she lost her mother.

“I’ve wanted to tell her story for a really, really long time, and I didn’t know how to do it,” Elliot-Kugell told Rolling Stone ahead of the memoir’s release. “It’s kind of weird to say, but I feel like, in some ways, I know her better now.”

The film is currently in development, with Vertias Entertainment producing and writer Emma Forrest adapting. According to a press release, the movie is “not a traditional Mamas And The Papas biopic. It is a definitive Cass Elliot film, centred on her life, legacy, and the mother-daughter bond that shaped them both.”

The biopic aims to focus on the singer’s life and career, and finally dispel the rumour that Elliot died after choking on a ham sandwich. In 2020, a journalist and friend of Elliot, Sue Cameron, admitted that she popularised the rumour by writing it into her Hollywood Reporter obituary. She claimed she was asked to print it by Elliot’s manager because it was preferable to the implication that her death was associated with substance abuse.

According to her autopsy, Elliot died from a heart attack in her sleep after feeling unwell the previous evening, and there were no drugs in her system.

“I can’t believe we’re still talking about the sandwich after all these years,” Elliot-Kugell told Rolling Stone. “I started running my mom’s estate when I was 18. One of the first things I remember thinking is, ‘We’ve got to stop that ham sandwich rumour thing,’ because it was so painful.

“It wasn’t enough that we had lost her, to then be [made into] a joke. I’d say probably 50 per cent of the people don’t believe it now. The other 50 per cent probably still do.”

As for Gunning, she appears in the upcoming The Magic Faraway Tree movie, out on March 27. She’s also in the comedies Anxious People and Frank And Percy, which are both currently in post-production.

The post A Mama Cass biopic starring ‘Baby Reindeer’ actress Jessica Gunning is in the works appeared first on NME.

Baby Reindeer creator and star Richard Gadd has opened up about his experiences of being bullied at school.

Speaking on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, the Scottish actor and comedian revealed how he suffered from crippling anxiety after being picked on daily by older pupils.

“School could be tough in places. I definitely grew up in a neighbourhood where masculinity was at the forefront,” he told Maron.

“The school was a state comprehensive and in my early years I was picked on quite badly there. I had a birthmark on my head, which has actually faded, and it was the shape of Africa. They would call me ‘tea stain’ because it was like I had dropped a tea bag on my head.

“It got to the point where they were singing songs about me on the bus and stuff like that. They would sing mean songs and I would sit at the front. I always remember coming back on the school bus and thinking ‘I hope they don’t sing about me today’. I would start to hear singing but then realise they weren’t singing so my anxiety was so great that I had started to hear the singing.

“That’s when I realised things had actually got quite bad with the bullying,” he continued. “This one guy gave me a hard time day in and day out and I remember going home sitting with my sister coming up with something I could say to him the next day.

“I decided to say ‘At least when I go on holiday I don’t have to drop my mum off at the kennels,’ which is obviously not the right thing to say. There was about six years between us and he went right to the front of the bus and beat the hell out of me.”

Gadd’s Baby Reindeer series proved to be a smash hit for Netflix, winning big at the 2024 Emmys and this year’s Golden Globes. The actor is also nominated for a Screen Actor’s Guild award.

The series is a dramatised account of Gadd’s own experience of being obsessively stalked and sexually abused.

The post Richard Gadd opens up about being bullied at school: “He beat the hell out of me” appeared first on NME.

‘The Brutalist’ director Brady Corbet used his moment accepting for Best Director – Motion Picture Golden Globe to send his condolences to Aubrey Plaza, following the death of her husband Jeff Baena, who died January 3 at the age of 47.

READ MORE: 20 absolutely unmissable films coming out in 2025

Corbet, reading from a speech he had prepared on his phone, thanked the cast and crew members of The Brutalist, as well as his loved ones, before ending his speech with “Tonight, my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family”. Plaza was not in attendance but the dedication sparked a round of applause from the ceremony’s audience.

Baena’s body was reported to have been discovered at his home in Los Angeles by an assistant, where he was later pronounced dead. The director was known for his 2014 horror-comedy Life After Beth, which also starred Plaza, as well as writing the indie drama I Heart Huckabees. Baena and Plaza had been together since 2011, marrying in a private ceremony at their home in 2021.

Brady Corbet wins Best Director – Motion Picture for #TheBrutalist at the 2025 #GoldenGlobes and sends his condolences to Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena's families. pic.twitter.com/a9Vg3Rols7

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 6, 2025

Starting his career as an actor, Corbet would become celebrated behind the camera with films such as Vox Lux and The Childhood Of A Leader, starring Robert Pattinson. Corbet’s win was one of three for The Brutalist, which also took home the Best Motion Picture -Drama, and Best Actor In A Motion Picture – Drama award for Adrien Brody. It also won the prestigious Silver Lion at last year’s Venice Film Festival.

NME’s James Mottram included it as one of the 20 unmissable films coming out in 2025, describing it as “arthouse heaven”. Other big winners from The Golden Globes included Emilia Pérez, winning four awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for Zoe Saldaña, while British drama Baby Reindeer took home three awards in the TV categories.

The good-natured ceremony had a moment of tension when Vin Diesel gave an awkward greeting to Dwayne Johnson while presenting an award.

The post ‘The Brutalist’ director sends condolences to Aubrey Plaza in Golden Globes speech appeared first on NME.

Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser won over attendees and fans at this year’s ceremony with an opening monologue filled with barbs at Hollywood’s elite, including Timothée Chalamet. Watch in full below.

One of the best lines of the night was reserved for Chalamet, who was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. However, the actor lost out on the prize to Adrien Brody (The Brutalist).

• READ MORE: Golden Globes 2025: ‘The Brutalist’, ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘Shōgun’ win big

The biopic also missed out on bagging the Best Motion Picture – Drama award, while Edward Norton failed to win Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture for his portrayal of Pete Seeger.

“Tilda Swinton is, of course, nominated this year for her role as Timothée Chalamet” Glaser began her opening monologue. “Timothée Chalamet, you have the most gorgeous eyelashes — on your upper lip. That is such a good look”.

She went on to lampoon his new film, quipping: “You were so good and in A Complete Unknown as Bob Dylan. I read that your singing voice was so accurate that even Bob Dylan admitted that it was absolutely horrible.”

The comedian, who gained public attention for her performance at last year’s Netflix roast of NFL legend Tom Brady, received a warm reaction from the stars assembled.

Chalamet chuckled at the joke too, while Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo joined in on a gag making fun of their viral “holding space” interview during the film’s press tour, with Erivo holding Grande’s finger as she did in the clip.

Glaser’s hosting was a refreshing change from last year, when comedian Jo Koy failed to connect with the crowd or those watching at home.

Online, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart tweeted: “Nikki Glaser is very very good at this”, while X user Zoë Rose Bryant said the comedian was “reminding us why we should never have a male awards show host ever again”.

Kicking off the film and TV industry’s awards season, the ceremony proved a successful night for The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez in the film section, while Shōgun, Hacks and Baby Reindeer won big in the TV categories.

In a four-star review of A Complete Unknown, NME said that “Chalamet sings and plays his way into Oscars contention with a career-best showing”.

It added: “If you’re a Bob newbie, you’ll leave the cinema ready to dive into his back catalogue. If you’re already a fan, the next few weeks will be spent making playlists of lesser-known B-sides or reading the lore around a scene you weren’t familiar with.

“And that’s why it was a good idea to make this film – a mad idea, but a good one.”

The post Nikki Glaser mocks Timothée Chalamet’s moustache in hit Golden Globes monologue appeared first on NME.

Google has revealed its statistics for the most-searched topics in the UK, with Oasis and ‘How to get tickets’ among the most popular.

• READ MORE: Stand by me: all the players who could be in the Oasis line-up in 2025

The new figures were shared by the search engine, and revealed the famous faces, events and news-worthy moments that got people across the UK searching across the past 12 months.

Among sports events like the Euros and the Paris Olympics, and political events like the US Presidential election and UK general election, there were a handful of music-related events that made the list. These, unsurprisingly, included the massive announcement that Oasis would be making their highly-awaited return to the stage – confirming a string of huge stadium gigs in the UK and Ireland to take place next summer.

The news was soon followed by the announcement of dates in North America, South America, Australia, South Korea and Japan.

According to the Google figures, Oasis were the most searched-for artist of the year, and “How to get Oasis tickets” was the second most popular ‘How to’ search of the past 12 months – coming in just behind “How to vote in the UK” (via Sky News).

The latter comes as little surprise as the scramble for tickets to their UK and Ireland shows made countless headlines earlier this year. This stemmed from the huge demand from fans, which led to Ticketmaster crashing and people facing huge queues that left them waiting for hours, as well as the use of dynamic pricing, which was later brought into question by the UK government after the ordeal.

Another music-related search on the ‘How to’ list was “How to vote for the UK in Eurovision”.

Another artist named in the top searches for 2024 was soloist and former One Direction star Liam Payne, who died in October, aged 31, after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was second in the list of the highest searches for 2024, just behind the Euros.

As for music-related searches, Sabrina Carpenter, One Direction and Dave Grohl placed behind Oasis, listed in second, third and fourth spots respectively. Others who made the list were RAYE – most likely for her record-breaking number of wins at this year’s BRITs and huge performances at Reading & Leeds – as well as Coldplay, who announced new album ‘Moon Music’ and headlined Glastonbury, and Linkin Park, who announced their comeback tour and new album ‘From Zero’.

The most searched-for musicians and artists in 2024 were:

1. Oasis
2. Sabrina Carpenter
3. One Direction
4. Dave Grohl
5. RAYE
6. Coldplay
7. Chappell Roan
8. Linkin Park
9. Justin Timberlake
10. Cyndi Lauper

As for films, the Top Five were rounded out by Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, It Ends With Us, Inside Out 2, Dune: Part Two, and Deadpool & Wolverine, while the Top Five searched-for shows in the UK were Baby Reindeer, Fool Me Once, The Gentlemen, One Day and Fallout. 

As for news-worthy events that made the top ranking, teenage darts sensation Luke Littler made the list after he made history as the youngest player to reach the PDC World Championship final in January, as did Kate Middleton, The Princess Of Wales, after her cancer diagnosis, and Jay Slater, the British teenager who went missing in Tenerife and was later found dead.

Other popular searches included the Jake Paul Vs Mike Tyson fight, the date of the US presidential election and the ways to watch the Paris Olympics in the UK.

As for Oasis, the band have already ruled out a headline performance at Glastonbury 2025 and said they won’t be appearing at any other festivals next summer. Liam and Noel have also shot down rumours of a return to Knebworth in 2026 too.

The band did, however, announce that Cage The Elephant will be serving as opening support on their North American leg while former Verve frontman and soloist Richard Ashcroft and Cast will be joining the Mancunian icons on their UK and Ireland dates.

Elsewhere, Liam recently went back on his claims that the band are currently recording a new album, telling fans “It was a laugh”, and he also won a PETA Award after adopting a homeless dog and raising thousands for charity.

The post Oasis and how to get tickets top most Googled artists and questions of 2024  appeared first on NME.

Even though the streaming boffins kept telling us there was less telly on this year (thanks, writers’ strike), it still feels like we haven’t left the sofa since New Year’s Eve. From addictive anime and gripping drama to historical epics and spinetingling thrillers to fantastic fantasy and chaotic comic book adventures, our eyeballs have been glued to the small screen all 2024.

So, as we prepare for a nice relaxing Christmas break from the box, we’re gifting you with this handy watchlist of the past 12 months’ essential series. Oh, who are we kidding? We’re definitely going to be munching on mince pies while slurping down the new season of Squid Game. Can’t wait!

Alex Flood, Managing Editor (Entertainment and Partnerships)

Words by: Elizabeth Aubrey, Jordan Bassett, Rhian Daly, Nick Levine, David Renshaw, Gary Ryan, Ali Shutler, Emma Wilkes and Kyann-Sian Williams

20. ‘House Of The Dragon’

Season: two

The first season of House Of The Dragon put the Game Of Thrones universe back on track after that rushed and much lamented conclusion. Set nearly 200 years before Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) disastrous mission to reclaim the Iron Throne, House Of The Dragon welcomed us to a time of peace and prosperity – before a misunderstanding ignited the fuse on another civil war and had us asking: why do the Targaryens love the name Aegon so much?

Season two continues the slow-burn to all-out devastation. Friends turned sworn enemies Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) realise a little too late that all the bloodshed so far has been a mistake, Daemon (Matt Smith) almost loses his mind in the seemingly-haunted Harrenhal castle – and the young king Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) gets cooked alive with Dragonfire by his vicious younger brother Aemond’s pet Vhagar. With plenty of political maneuvering alongside the occasional epic battle, House Of The Dragon’s second season was a creeping, thrilling climb to inevitable destruction. Readers of George RR Martin’s source material know a majority of these characters are living on borrowed time, but the show is determined to make the most of the ride while it can.

Best episode: ‘The Burning Mill’

Watercooler moment: Big mean dragon Vermithor turning a roomful of hopeful Targaryen descendants into ash as they line up to “claim” him. AS

19. ‘Heartstopper’

Season: three

Ahead of its premiere, Joe Locke told NME that Heartstopper’s third season would be all “about sadness and sex”. Given that Alice Oseman’s teen drama became a pandemic hit thanks to its pillowy innocence and upbeat sweetness, this could have ruined its USP. But actually, Heartstopper manages to grow up pretty effortlessly by tackling these heavier themes with sensitivity but no hints of squeamishness. The season’s first half focuses on Charlie (Locke) as he battles depression and anorexia, while the second half follows Charlie and boyfriend Nick (Kit Connor) as they decide whether to make their relationship physical. Along the way, it explores everything from the pressures of maintaining academic excellence to the social isolation felt by asexual people. It’s all so deftly done that even the show’s first F-bomb doesn’t feel jarring.

Best episode: ‘Journey’

Watercooler moment: When artist Elle (Yasmin Finney) appears on a local radio show, she’s blindsided by crass questions about being trans. It’s quietly shocking and all too realistic. NL

18. ‘True Detective: Night Country’

Season: four

True Detective seemed DOA after a disappointing third season, but Jodie Foster and new showrunner Issa López gave it the kiss of life. Set in an Alaskan mining town that’s plunged into darkness for two months a year, Night Country weaves supernatural elements and a sensitive mental health narrative into an intricate detective story. When eight scientists at a remote research facility disappear without trace, local police chief Liz Danvers (Foster) and terse state trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) are tasked with finding out what’s happened. The two women aren’t exactly thrilled to be reunited, but we don’t know why, which adds to the cleverly layered intrigue. Foster likened the series finale to a “perfect movie”, which it is – but it’s also designed to make us confront our own unconscious bias. Crime drama is rarely this gripping, let alone this smart.

Best episode: ‘Part 6’

Watercooler moment: When Danvers’ cop protégé Peter (Finn Bennett) saves her life by shooting another key character. NL

17. ‘Solo Leveling’

If you’ve ever played a video game, you’ll likely be familiar with the addictive grind of completing challenges to level up your character and attain shiny new equipment. Smash hit Korean anime Solo Leveling takes that idea and turns it into a successful TV show.

Based on the original ‘manhwa’ comic book and webtoon, this fast-paced, all-action sci-fi is set in a fantasy world of superpowered monster hunters. Main character Sung Jinwoo starts out as a low-grade mercenary scrabbling through dangerous assignments to cobble together enough cash to feed his little sister. After a violent event though, Jinwoo is refitted with an augmented reality system that briefs him with daily tasks. Completing these rapidly increases his powers – and ability to slash a path through hordes of enemies during thrilling dungeon missions. The beautifully rendered (and ultraviolent) fight scenes have attracted legions of bloodthirsty Gen Z fans, but it’s the surprisingly moving family story at Solo Leveling’s heart that gives it heft – and makes it worth watching.

Best episode: ‘A Knight Who Defends an Empty Throne’

Watercooler moment: Jinwoo discovers the sinister castle which, within its fiery, monster-infested depths, hides the ingredients to a potion that will revive his dying mum. Good luck, mate! AF

16. ‘Nobody Wants This’

What happens when a rabbi (Adam Brody) and an agnostic sex podcaster (Kristen Bell) cross paths at a mutual friend’s party? The answer, according to Nobody Wants This, is family drama and a spot of unexpected romance. In a show where the comedy matters just as much as the romance, Brody and Bell’s chemistry is off the charts. Gentle, open-hearted Noah softens Joanne’s sharp edges while she opens his mind to new ideas, both discovering the best relationship of their lives along the way. Meanwhile, Veep’s Timothy Simons makes for superb comic relief as Noah’s dorky, self-deprecating brother Sasha – whose endearing bond with Joanne’s sister Morgan (Succession’s Justine Lupe) as the “loser siblings” should prove a goldmine for future seasons. It’s the lemon cheesecake of romcoms – slightly tart to the taste but with just the right amount of sweet.

Best episode: ‘My Girl Bina’

Watercooler moment: When Joanne tells Noah of her worries she’s too much to handle, she perfectly articulates a fear millions of women have had before. EW

15. ‘Pachinko’

Season: two

Season one of Pachinko set the bar very high – a touching and compelling story that followed one family over generations, from Sunja (Min-ha Kim) living in Japanese-occupied Korea to her grandson Solomon (Jin Ha) trying to make a success of his life in 1980s Tokyo. Gracefully weaving together the family’s stories, highlighting the similarities in their struggles and detailing the different obstacles they faced while keeping the timelines intact was a tricky task the first time around – let alone across a whole new batch of episodes. Thankfully, this year’s second season kept up the quality – somehow pole-vaulting over its predecessor comfortably. In it, Kim carries the emotional weight of the series once again, deftly portraying both a weariness and sorrow as well as an underlying resilience to make it through. You’ll need the same determination not to binge it all at once, believe us.

Best episode: ‘Chapter Sixteen’

Watercooler moment: Noa discovering who his real father is in a tense confrontation. RD

14. ‘Slow Horses’

Season: four

Has there been a more consistently brilliant series to watch in recent years than Slow Horses? This year’s fourth outing was another thrilling, edge-of-your-seat watch that focused on the relationship between River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) and his ageing, ex-spook Grandpa David (Jonathan Pryce). While David now has worsening dementia, the show has long teased there may be more to David’s past than meets the eye and indeed, we learned some dubious details about his behaviour that had far-reaching consequences for River.

Gary Oldman was yet again a delight to watch as grumpy spy-boss Jackson Lamb (his insults still as brilliantly scathing as ever) while the addition of new character Moira Tregorian (Joanna Scanlan), brought some colourful comedic moments – especially with Lamb. As ever, the show still didn’t shy away from character deaths: we had two unexpected, violent losses. Can season five possibly top this? You wouldn’t bet against it.

Best episode: ‘Identity Theft’

Watercooler moment: The audacious ending of episode one: please don’t scare us like that again. EA

13. ‘The Penguin’

Matt Reeves’ The Batman introduced viewers to a murkier, more gothic version of Gotham City that was protected by a younger, less-experienced Caped Crusader (Robert Pattinson) than we’d seen before. He did his best against The Riddler (Paul Dano) but a lot of the city still ended up underwater. The Penguin is set in the immediate aftermath of that film, as titular gangster Oswald Cobb (Colin Farrell) sets out to take advantage of a stretched police force and improve his own lot in the criminal underworld.

Most comic book stories turn their protagonist into a hero, even if their actions are totally despicable. There’s no misunderstood anti-hero in The Penguin though, as the scheming, self-interested mafioso deceives his way to the top. Cristin Milloti’s troubled heiress Sofia Falcone brings a touch of flamboyance to the darkness while scrappy underdog Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) gives us someone to root for. We’re now just counting down the days until The Batman 2 where hopefully The Penguin will get his comeuppance.

Best episode: ‘A Great Or Little Thing’

Watercooler moment: The final emotional gut-punch that cements Oz Cobbs as an all-time bastard. AS

12. ‘Only Murders In The Building’

Season: four

It’s a wonder there are any residents left in The Arconia, given how many people end up murdered there. But, in season four of Only Murders In The Building, our unlikely trio of podcast pals still had plenty of neighbours to annoy, avenge and accuse of doing a spot of killing. This time, Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short) were investigating the mind-boggling death of Charles’ longtime stunt partner Sazz (Jane Lynch), all while dealing with out-of-touch Hollywood execs and a pair of weirdo directors trying to adapt their podcast into a major movie.

Season four upped the stakes on many levels, from the raft of A-list cameos (Melissa McCarthy and Zach Galifianakis among them) to the personal connection to the victim and the depths of mystery in the latest murder. Red herrings flew around with regularity, keeping both viewers and the gang on their toes for the most gripping episodes yet. At some point, The Arconia will run out of bodies, but hopefully not too soon.

Best episode: ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’

Watercooler moment: When exactly how the seemingly impossible murder and clean-up was committed is finally revealed. RD

11. ‘The Boys’

Season: four

Which other series would feature a mutant called Splinter making copies of himself to perform a one-man orgy? Or a kinkster Spider-Man parody called Webweaver whose safe word is ‘Zendaya’? From Tilda Swinton voicing an amorous octopus to a darkly hilarious bloodbath at a Disney On Ice-style skating extravaganza, the penultimate season of Eric Kripke’s inventive superhero-satire continued its gloriously ludicrous trespass against good taste. New additions to The Avengers-like Seven included brainiac supe Sister Sage (Susan Heyward), who helped guide the maniacal Homelander (Antony Starr, rippling with menace) ever-closer to The White House, and alt-right conspiracy theorist Firecracker (Valorie Curry). Yes, in a US election year, the political and social commentary in The Boys was subtle as Thor’s hammer, but it culminated in the show’s most exhilarating season finale yet.

Best episode: ‘Assassination Run’

Watercooler moment: Where to start?! A toss-up between a wincing scene in a sex-Batcave where Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) was forced to do something to a cake that you’d never witness on The Great British Bake Off – and the season swansong where a Compound V-ravaged Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) ripped head-popping politician Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) asunder. GR

10. ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

Season: twelve

Previously, you might have argued that Curb Your Enthusiasm creator-star Larry David didn’t have the best track-record when it came to finales, having written Seinfeld’s famously sour sayonara in 1998. However, after 24 years and 120 episodes, Curb bid farewell with a fitting victory lap that felt like a legacy band playing their greatest hits at Glastonbury’s legends slot. Each carefully-crafted instalment meticulously lined up a domino-chain of social awkwardness, often involving situations that were as hilariously bad-taste as Susie Greene (Susie Essman)’s wardrobe. The season arc saw David’s curmudgeonly alter-ego put on trial in Atlanta for the (bizarrely real) crime of electoral interference after handing a voter a bottle of water while she queued at a polling booth in the blazing sun, leading to an ingeniously meta final episode, ‘No Lessons Learned’, that winkingly referenced the plot of Seinfeld’s controversial ending. Featuring guest-turns from Bruce Springsteen and David’s regular sparring-partner Richard Lewis (who died in February), Curb remained pretty, pretty good to the bittersweet end.

Best episode: ‘No Lessons Learned’

Watercooler moment: Named after the mantra David developed when he co-created Seinfeld (“no hugging, no learning”), ‘No Lessons Learned’ saw Jerry Seinfeld drop by for a throwback-filled adieu. GR

9. ‘Mr And Mrs Smith’

Who’d have thought to reimagine the 2005 action-romcom starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as a clever, comedic series? Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover did – and their take on the nostalgic blockbuster struck a gripping balance between irreverence and intrigue. Glover and Maya Erskine (PEN15) play the Pitt and Jolie roles of John and Jane Smith, freshly recruited agents for a mysterious agency who go undercover as a married couple under the watchful eye of an A.I. bot named “HiHi.” Just like a real marriage, it’s a rollercoaster – only with gunfights, missions, and espionage thrown into the mix.

For action fans, it’s a feast of massive explosions, shootouts, and tense fight scenes, but there’s also a streak of sharp humour. The Smiths’ antics and hijinks offer moments of levity, making this more than a high-octane spectacle and a clever, modern revamp of a noughties cult classic.

Best episode: ‘Double Date’

Watercooler moment: The jump cuts between moments of domestic bliss and gruelling bloodstained vignettes make for a satisfyingly mesmerising watch. KSW

8. ‘Big Boys’

Season: two

In its second season, Jack Rooke’s uni halls sitcom morphs into more of an ensemble piece. Confident Corinne (Izuka Hoyle) and sex-positive Yemi (Olisa Odele) both feature prominently, while fun-loving cousin Shannon (Harriet Webb) has to grow up fast. But the show’s heartwarming core remains the friendship between anxious baby gay Jack (Dylan Llewellyn) and diamond geezer Danny (Jon Pointing), his straight mate who’s more vulnerable than he lets on. Rooke’s show is never afraid of crudeness or a daft pop culture reference – Jack’s goldfish is named Alison Hammond – but even its funniest moments come with feelings. Big Boys’ depiction of Jack’s lingering grief and Danny’s mental health issues is incredibly tender for a series with an episode titled ‘Strictly Cum Dumping’. It’s best binged with a giant bag of sweet and salty popcorn to match the scripts.

Best episode: ‘The Night When’

Watercooler moment: When Jack inches too close to a glory hole, he gets poked in the eye… by a penis. NL

7. ‘Fallout’

After countless disastrous video game adaptations, HBO’s take on The Last Of Us proved it could be done – but Fallout felt like a much harder challenge. The beloved series has a sprawling lore that spans four mainline games and numerous spin-offs, as players explore a post-apocalyptic America that’s home to mutated beasties, armour-clad zealots and the remnants of human civilisation. There’s no singular plotline or recurring protagonist either, making it tricky to turn into a neat, 10-episode series.

Working closely with the creators though, Amazon Prime Video have made the oddball world of Fallout an easily accessible, enthralling delight. We follow Lucy (Ella Purnell) as she leaves the safety of her underground vault to track down her kidnapped father. She quickly learns that manners aren’t high on the list of essentials for wasteland survival thanks to the swaggering Ghoul (Walton Goggins) – while rookie soldier Maximus (Aaron Moten) exists somewhere between their extremes of naive goodness and selfish evil. There are shenanigans aplenty for our ragtag trio and back in the vault, Lucy’s brother Norm uncovers a wider conspiracy about the end of the world. It’s chaotic, ridiculous but full of heart and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Best Episode: ‘The End’

Watercooler moment: The Ghoul using Lucy as human bait to lure out the disgusting Gulper, all so he could reclaim a severed head – welcome to the world of Fallout. AS

6. ‘English Teacher’

Brian Jordan Alvarez has been one of the funniest comedians on Instagram and TikTok in recent years but English Teacher proved he can bring the laughs on TV too. Like its spiritual forebear Parks & Recreation, English Teacher is a workplace comedy filled with distinct, hilarious characters (stoner teacher Rick is a standout) and powered by a big, sentimental heart. Every day is about survival for Alvarez’s character Evan as he enters the classroom, whether it is dealing with problematic Gen Z students, his workmates or his relationships with ex-boyfriend Malcolm and hot new teacher Harry. Sitcoms like this often take time to find their rhythm but the supremely confident English Teacher aces every test thrown its way.

Best episode: ‘Powderpuff’

Watercooler moment: Alvarez showed his social media savvy, creating a viral dance trend as a means to promote English Teacher online. DR

5. ‘Industry’

Season: three

Industry-heads who invested in HBO’s high finance series as a fledgling stock were rewarded hugely this year, with the series reaching new dramatic heights and continuing to soar in value. The main characters remained as conniving and compromised as ever, with Yasmin (Marisa Abela) fending off paparazzi interest in her following the mysterious death of her father on board his yacht. Harper (Myha’la), meanwhile, continued to show the kind of maverick disregard for day-trading rules that gets you noticed by those at the top of the industry. Then there is Rob, played empathetically by Harry Lawtey as he attempts to navigate the trading floor with a combination of personal debt, imposter syndrome and grief following a shock death at the start of the season. Throw in the comically named Henry Muck (Game Of Thrones’ Kit Harrington) as a green tech CEO and watersports enthusiast and you have the ingredients for another unforgettable season of TV’s most nerve-jangling show.

Best episode: ‘White Mischief’

Watercooler moment: The episode focusing on loudmouth Rishi was Industry’s version of Uncut Gems, a coke-fueled nightmare featuring risky bets and unspeakable violence. DR

4. ‘One Day’

There are no second chances in life – unless you’re David Nichols. The author adapted his own bestselling novel for the movie screen in 2011, only to see everyone fall about laughing at Anne Hathaway’s attempt at a Yorkshire accent. Luckily, the bigwigs at Netflix gave him another go for this TV series starring Ambika Mod as Emma and Leo Woodall as Dexter, two star-cross’d lovers who met at Edinburgh University in 1988.

For the most part, each episode checked in on them for one day – geddit? – every year, as they grappled with their seemingly doomed infatuation. The Britpop-heavy soundtrack slapped, but it was the finely rendered passage of time, with all its triumphs and missteps, that made the show so relatable. With each of the 14 instalments lasting around 30 minutes, One Day was moreish where so many streaming titles outstay their welcome. Come to think of it, we’d take a third version.

Best episode: ‘Episode 7’

Watercooler moment: The reveal in the penultimate episode. No spoilers, but you’ll definitely have the sniffles. JB

3. ‘The Bear’

Season: three

An emotionally unavailable man with mummy issues tries to turn a humble sandwich shop into a posh restaurant. Doesn’t sound like a recipe for success, does it? And yet, The Bear remained the talk of the town as it reached series three, partly thanks to the strength of its characters. Each cast member – from Jeremy Allen White as the aforementioned Carmy to Ayo Edebiri as his ambitious charge, Syd – represented a key ingredient in this delicately balanced show.

Kitchens are high-pressure places and, with the fast-talking Chicagoans tearing lumps out of each other, The Bear was sometimes as stressful as it was funny, which only proved its immersive quality. After a couple of series that grappled with death and addiction, the action did slow down a little this time round, resulting in a more conventional workplace drama. It was a delight, though, to luxuriate in such gorgeously paired character arcs. Chef’s kiss!

Best episode: ‘Napkins’

Watercooler moment: Every time Carmy wore a white t-shirt. That’s a lot of watercooler moments. JB

2. ‘Shōgun’

Adapted from James Clavell’s bestselling novel, historical drama Shōgun dazzled this year with a stunningly-paced epic filled with violent set pieces, forbidden romance and clashing cultures. British pilot major John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) acts as an avatar for the audience as they are thrown into feudal Japan. He begins the series as a barbaric prisoner and must instead use his brain to navigate his way up the hierarchy as a means of escape. What begins as a simple mission is soon complicated by his feelings for his translator, tragic heroine Toda Mariko (a standout performance from Anna Sawai) and a country verging on civil war. Crucially, Shōgun succeeded in its even-handed storytelling. This is not simply a complicated society viewed through Western eyes, but an outsider discovering a new way of living and finding the same mixture of fault and strength that they find in him. Critically-acclaimed and with a raft of Emmy wins under its belt, Shōgun proved such a breakout hit that a deal has already been struck with Clavell’s estate to extend what was supposed to be a miniseries for an additional two seasons.

Best episode: ‘Crimson Sky’

Watercooler moment: The battle of the caravans in ‘Tomorrow Is Tomorrow’ marked the moment Shōgun began to live up to its potential as a Game Of Thrones successor. DR

1. ‘Baby Reindeer’

Such was the legal and ethical shitstorm that blew up around Baby Reindeer, a lot of people totally forgot why they were interested in the first place: creator Richard Gadd’s TV breakout was really fucking good. From the whipsmart script and note-perfect lead performances (Gadd and Jessica Gunning both deservedly won Emmys) to its astounding ability to make you cackle one minute before crying into your cuppa the next, this was prestige TV in an era when prestige TV is supposed to have had its plug pulled. Should Netflix have made it harder for social media sleuths to track down the real Martha? Yes. Was it wise to top every episode with a disclaimer saying this is a true story? Probably not. But what about Gadd’s right to take his own horrific personal experiences and do what he wants with them? Come to think of it, maybe the moral debate was what made this show great…

Best episode: ‘Episode 6’

Watercooler moment: The final mic drop of Martha’s nine-month prison sentence wasn’t just a watercooler moment, it formed the basis of alleged ‘real-life Martha’ Fiona Harvey’s decision to try and sue Netflix for defamation. AF

The post The 20 best TV shows of 2024 appeared first on NME.

A judge has ruled that Baby Reindeer is “not a true story” meaning the “real-life” Martha can sue Netflix.

• READ MORE: These ‘Baby Reindeer’ memes are dividing the internet

The drama series, which was created and written by comedian Richard Gadd, proved a ratings hit on the streaming platform. Gadd portrays a fictional version of himself, Donny, in the show. The seven-part programme depicts Gadd’s real experience of being relentlessly stalked by an older woman who is called ‘Martha’ in the show and a title card in the first episode claims it is a “true story”.

On Friday (September 27), Judge Gary Klausner ruled that this billing of the story as “true” wasn’t accurate.

Fiona Harvey, the woman believed to be the inspiration behind Martha in Baby Reindeer, filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix after the show aired earlier this year.

In his ruling, Judge Klausner said that Martha’s behaviour on the show is significantly worse than what Harvey is accused of in real life.

The judge wrote: “There is a major difference between stalking and being convicted of stalking in a court of law. Likewise, there are major differences between inappropriate touching and sexual assault, as well as between shoving and gouging another’s eyes. While plaintiff’s purported actions are reprehensible, Defendants’ statements are of a worse degree and could produce a different effect in the mind of a viewer.”

NME has reached out to Netflix for comment.

Harvey was never named on the show, but viewers subsequently attempted to find the real people behind the characters – something that led to Harvey giving her first TV interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored – where she threatened legal action against both Gadd and Netflix. She later said she was planning a case “against all those who have lied about me” in a lengthy statement.

She went on to identify herself as the inspiration behind Baby Reindeer, but denied many aspects of the story – including being a stalker, sending Gadd 41,000 emails, hundreds of voice messages and over 100 letters.

Harvey is seeking at least $50million (£39m) for actual damages, at least $50million in compensatory damages for “mental anguish, loss of enjoyment and loss of business”, as well as at least $50million for “all profits from Baby Reindeer“, and $20million (£15.6m) for punitive damages.

Klausner did dismiss Harvey’s claims for negligence, violation of her publicity rights, and for punitive damages. However, he has allowed her to pursue part of her claim relating to the emotional distress caused by “extreme and outrageous” false statements.

“It appears that a reasonable viewer could understand the statements about Martha to be about Plaintiff,” the judge wrote. “The Series states that Plaintiff is a convicted criminal who sexually and violently assaulted Gadd. These statements may rise to the level of extreme and outrageous conduct.”

Gadd recently responded to the lawsuit, which was filed in California, after Harvey accused the streaming giant of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence and violations of her right to publicity (via The Guardian).

A spokesperson for Netflix said earlier this year: “We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”

Gadd has since responded to the lawsuit too, detailing what he describes as the “exhausting and extremely upsetting” stalking he allegedly experienced at the hands of Harvey in a 21-page document filed to a California court on July 29 (as per The Guardian).

During an emotional speech at this month’s Emmy’s, Gadd also added that he never thought he’d recover from his experiences. 

In his acceptance speech, he said: “Look, 10 years ago, I was down and out right? I never, ever thought I’d get my life together. I never, ever thought I’d be able to rectify myself for what had happened to me and get myself back on my feet again. And then here I am, just over a decade later picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television.”

He continued: “I don’t mean that to sound arrogant – I mean it as encouragement for anyone who’s going through a difficult time now to persevere. I don’t know much about life, I don’t know why we’re here; none of that. But I do know that nothing lasts forever and no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. So if you’re struggling, keep going. Keep going and I promise you, things will be okay.”

Baby Reindeer was a viewing smash following its arrival on Netflix earlier this year and topped global Netflix charts back in April. It spent a month atop the platform’s viewership rankings and was named Netflix’s 10th most-watched series of all time.

For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.

The post ‘Baby Reindeer’: judge rules series is “not a true story” meaning “real” Martha can sue Netflix appeared first on NME.