The story
Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian working behind the bar of a London pub, offers a tearful customer a free cup of tea. That small kindness becomes the start of an obsession: Martha begins following him in person and bombarding him online, and the stalking creeps into every corner of his life. As he tries to break free, Donny is forced to face his own choices, his sexuality and a trauma he has long avoided.
Why it matters
Richard Gadd turned his autobiographical one-man Fringe show into a seven-part Netflix drama that climbed to the top of the service's English-language TV chart in its second week. It won six Primetime Emmys, among them the prize for best limited or anthology series, though its real-life basis also brought a defamation lawsuit against Netflix.
Notable facts
- It began as a one-man play that premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019 and later won a Laurence Olivier Award. (source)
- It entered Netflix's English-language TV top ten at number five, then rose to number one the following week. (source)
- Jessica Gunning, who plays Martha, won both the Emmy and the Golden Globe for supporting actress. (source)