Baby Reindeer fans call for controversial TV star to interview Fiona Harvey
ITV/Uncensored: YouTubeIn the wake of her interview with Piers Morgan, Baby Reindeer fans want one of the UK’s most divisive TV hosts to interview Fiona Harvey, the ‘real-life Martha.’
Richard Gadd’s Netflix series has become a bona fide phenomenon, best illustrated in fans’ fixation on Harvey, a 58-year-old law graduate from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. After tracking her down on social media, many believe she’s the inspiration behind Donny’s Martha Scott in the show.
Harvey appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored for her first TV interview last night, emphatically and repeatedly denying the allegations and threatening to sue both Gadd and Netflix.
While Morgan’s broadcast was undoubtedly a success, amassing nearly five million views in less than 24 hours, some viewers have expressed their desire for an even tougher interviewer. However, that name is the source of controversy in the UK: Jeremy Kyle.
“Can we get Jeremy Kyle back on air for a special with Fiona Harvey?” one user wrote. “I think there’s only one person who can get to the truth! Bring back #jeremykyle,” another tweeted. “She needed to be on the Jeremy Kyle Show and do the lie detector test,” a third wrote.
“Jeremy Kyle has to come out of retirement for this, he’ll sort this out in one sitting,” a fourth posted. “I feel like I need everyone involved on a special episode of Jeremy Kyle. He is the only man that can sort this out now,” a fifth wrote.
For the uninitiated, Kyle was a mainstay daytime TV star between 2005-2019 (he hosted a short-lived US version between 2011-2013). On his show, he’d invite guests (generally low-income couples and families) and act as a mediator as they tried to resolve their issues; these ranged from drug addiction, adultery, and abuse to other domestic problems and even criminal matters.
The series was incredibly popular, but fiercely criticized, with many describing it as “poverty porn.” In 2019, a guest took his own life after his appearance, where he’d failed a lie detector test. The show was taken off air soon after, and an inquest found it “may have caused or contributed to” his death.
This is why others are less keen on the idea of Kyle getting involved. “The Baby Reindeer coverage is like the f**king Jeremy Kyle show never went away. The way lots of high-profile people are handling a bleak mental health issue feels of an older, sh*ttier time,” one user wrote.
“Why does the Piers Morgan interview with Fiona Harvey feel like a similar exploitation to the Jeremy Kyle show? Like the person coming on feels there is a seriousness to their invitation when in reality the purpose is just to laugh at them?” another wrote.
If you’ve watched Morgan’s interview, you can find out more about if Fiona Harvey has ever been convicted. You can also check out 10 movies and TV shows to watch after Baby Reindeer and other new TV shows streaming this month.