Baby Reindeer has become very popular Netflix since it was released, capturing viewers with its heartbreaking yet engaging storytelling about a man’s frightening experience with stalking.
The miniseries drama features Richard Gadd as Donny, who plays out his own real-life trauma and explores his suffering over the course of the eight difficult episodes.
Besides Scottish comedian Richard and Nava Mau, viewers have been amazed by Jessica Gunning’s performance, who plays the character Martha in the show.
Pretending to be a lawyer, the lonely middle-aged woman first meets ‘Donny’ when he gives her a free cup of tea at the bar where he works, as an act of kindness.
Soon things escalate, leading to ‘Martha’ sending Donny 41,000 emails and hundreds of hours of disturbing, cruel voice messages over three years in a stalking nightmare.
Her portrayal of Martha is undeniably terrifying, leading viewers to investigate her previous acting work, leaving many shocked at where they’ve seen her before.
No, Baby Reindeer isn’t her first experience, as she has already appeared in several well-known TV series that you’ve probably watched and loved, such as the ones listed below…
Pride
Jessica starred alongside Bill Nighy, Andrew Scott, Imelda Staunton, and Dominic West in the 2014 film Pride.
The movie follows UK gay and lesbian activists working to help miners during their long strike of the National Union of Mineworkers.
In it, Jessica plays Siân James, who is part of the Women’s Support Group.
In response to the discovery of her previous role, GrantTucker wrote on X: ‘Obsessed that Martha from #BabyReindeer was also Welsh queen Sian, saviour of miners and homosexuals, in Pride. Jessica Gunning’s range knows no bounds.’
‘Pride is one of my favourite films and she was brilliant as Sian’, replied cdaly72.
Doctor Who
It probably never comes as a surprise to learn that an actor has appeared in Doctor Who at some point in their career.
Jessica played Stacy Campbell in the Doctor Who story Partners in Crime.
It was part of the fourth series, which aired in 2009.
‘Love that Martha from #BabyReindeer is this queen from Doctor Who that turns into Adipose because Donna twiddles her necklace’, tweeted LiamGaughan98.
‘Yess! I clocked this straight away’, declared absolutegazelle.
‘THATS where I recognised her from’, added a stunned Matt_Aspden.
Inside No. 9
Jessica was a funny addition to the Inside No. 9 cast in 2015.
In Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith’s anthology series, she played an Australian woman named Shona who got intimate with comedian Jack Whitehall.
Episode La Couchette follows a group of passengers on a sleeper train from France trying to get some rest, but they fail miserably as their compartment quickly fills up and becomes chaotic – especially so when one of the passengers dies suddenly.
‘That’s immediately where I remembered her from! One of my most loved Inside no 9 episodes!’, wrote X user emmabwilkes.
But that’s not all, as you may also recognize Jessica from appearances in White Heat (2012), The Outlaws (2021), Law & Order: UK (2009), Holby City (2011), or Mutual Friends (2008).
Baby Reindeer is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
