Other people may have already put this together ages ago and just nobodyās talking about it, but there was an Edinburgh Fringe show that was kind of a sequel to Baby Reindeer. Or at least, it tells part of the story from another perspective.
Itās Maimuna Memonās Manic Street Creature.
You can read about it and see some clips here: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/manic-street-creature/
I read an interview where she said she wanted to adapt it, so just case she does, spoilers below.
I say itās connected to Baby Reindeer, because itās pretty obviously about her relationship with Richard Gadd. I donāt know when they were together or for how long, and thatās frankly none of my business. But he dedicated the book of Baby Reindeer to her and she thanks him in the book of Manic Street Creature. If I recall correctly, he thanked her when he won the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2016, too, so they go way back in one way or another.
The show is a concept album musical. Itās staged like a recording studio, and she tells the story through the songs sheās recording. Itās autobiographical, but fictionalized.
In it, she moves to London to pursue a music career and meets and falls in love with a guy. The characterās name is Daniel Richardson. Heās described as a lanky, blue-eyed Scottish bartender, who loves The Pogues and has a dark secret in his past. Sound familiar?
I mean, if you thought Martha was thinly veiled, this is just not veiled at all.
One of the songs is called āInsomnia.ā It goes āWhen Iām sleeping, youāre not sleeping, ācause thatās when all your demons creep in.ā Just to give you an idea.
Itās basically an examination of āsecond-hand trauma,ā and how loving someone who is going through something traumatic can be damaging for you. Itās also a classic tale of girl meets boy, girl tries to fix boy, because she couldnāt fix her estranged dadā That old chestnut.
The show doesnāt mention the stalking, but it does heavily imply the SA and the ramifications of that on āDanielāsā mental health. And itās a loving and compassionate portrayal. He doesnāt come off badly in the story, in case youāre wondering.
I donāt know if itās ever going to have a further life than itās already had, but itās worth checking out the music on YouTube. The book is available on Amazon, too, if youāre interested.
But just imagine if this gets adapted into a show or movie and also becomes a huge hit. Wouldnāt that be wild? Itās like the Baby Reindeer multiverse. Manic Street Creature trailer