Richard Gadd: I won't be going back to stand-up

Baby Reindeer star says he never really fitted in on the comedy circuit

Richard Gadd says he won’t be going back to stand-up as he’s too ‘dark’ to fit in.

The Baby Reindeer creator said: ‘I get a lot of offers, but think my stand-up days are over.

‘I never really fitted in – the stand-up I did was so different and quite dark. People wouldn’t book me, because I was a risk, so there was no future in it for me.’

He was speaking to The Guardian ahead of the Baftas tonight, where he was nominated for six accolades.

And he said he has felt under extreme pressure after his Netflix show became a hit, triggering a lawsuit from Fiona Harvey, who was identified as Gadd’s stalker and subsequently filed £127m lawsuit against the streamer for defamation.

‘The show has reached such an extreme pitch – there have been times when I’ve felt like the pressure was intolerable,’ Gadd revealed.

‘It’s been a hurricane. I don’t think I’m at the point of reflection yet. I need some real time off to figure out how to get my feet back on the ground, because I feel very squeezed.’

Here is Gadd performing stand-up at the 2011 Chortle Student Comedy Award Final:

The Baftas airon BBC One at 7pmtonight.

Published: 11 May 2025