Baby Reindeer Martha actress lands iconic role in star-studded new movie

She claimed she had struggled to get acting parts despite playing Baby Reindeer’s deranged stalker Martha in Richard Gadd’s mini-series to perfection.

But Jessica Gunning has now landed a new role that could dwarf the success of Scots comedian Richard Gadd’s hit Netflix show.

Gunning became one of the most familiar faces on television thanks to her uncanny portrayal of Gadd’s deranged stalker in Baby Reindeer and won an Emmy for the controversial role.

London-based Scots law graduate Fiona Harvey later claimed Gadd had based the stalker on her and is hoping to cash in with a defamation lawsuit because she has never been to prison. But Gunning, from West Yorkshire, said she had yet to cash in on the role as the Scots stalker despite picking up the Emmy award for her portrayal of Gadd’s obsessive nemesis, which Gadd said he based on his real-life experiences at her hands prior to finding fame.

Recently, Gunning admitted: “Richard has got incredible meetings out of this and everyone's said to me, 'What have you got?' One was about sharks — Celebrity Infested Waters — where stars swim with sharks, the other was for an Australian touring production of Peter Pan to play Mr Smee.” She joked: “I was like, 'the offers are flooding in’.”

Now Gunning, 38, is thrilled to be starring in a tale far more popular than even Baby Reindeer in which she's seen relentlessly hounding Donny Dunn, who is played by Gadd and based on himself. But her new acting job couldn’t be further from that of crazed Martha.

She has been enlisted to star opposite Claire Foy in an adaptation of Enid Blyton’s classic children’s story The Faraway Tree alongside an all-star cast and is sure to become a favourite among pre-teen viewers.

Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, 37, will also appear in the live action adaptation about Polly and Tim Thompson and their children, Beth, Joe and Fran, who are forced to relocate to the remote English countryside.

Soon after the family's arrival in the countryside, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric residents, including treasured characters Moonface, Silky, Dame Washalot and Saucepan Man. At the top of the tree, they are transported to spectacular and fantastical lands and, through the joys and challenges of their adventures, the family learn to reconnect and value each other for the first time in years.

Derry Girls star Coughlan has been cast as woodland fairy Silky. Also starring in the hotly anticipated film is Ted Lasso's Nonso Anozie, who has been cast as Moonface. Baby Reindeer star Gunning has been announced as Dame Washalot and Dustin Demri-Burns as Saucepan Man. Hollywood stars Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield will play the children's parents Polly and Tim, while British icons Sirs Lenny Henry, Michael Palin and Simon Russell Beale have also been announced and will play a trio of mystical wise men from the Land of Know-Alls. Oscar winning director Sam Mendes' production company Neal Street Productions are leading the project, with their previous credits including TV smash hit Call The Midwife and big screen successes 1917 and Revolutionary Road.

Enid Blyton's books remain in print to this day and have been translated into over 35 languages, selling over 500 million copies worldwide and making her the most translated children's author in the world. In the UK alone, over 3.5 million copies of her books are sold annually. The Faraway Tree series remains one of her most popular, having sold over 30 million copies to date and continuing to sell over half a million copies each year to new readers.

The Magic Faraway Tree is based on The Faraway Tree series of novels for children, which include 1939's The Enchanted Wood, 1943's The Magic Faraway Tree, 1946's The Folk of the Faraway Tree and 1951's Up the Faraway Tree. In 2022 another favourite children's author Jacqueline Wilson penned new instalments of the books.

CEO of Elysian Film Group, Danny Perkins, said: “Attracting such talented high-profile individuals to this project is testament to the power of Blyton's enduring legacy and the continued commerciality of her storytelling. Her work continues to inspire and enchant audiences of all ages, across the world. The Magic Faraway Tree is one of her most timeless, cherished by generations, and we are honoured to be bringing her magical world to life.”

Gadd, meanwhile, is nominated as nominated for the audience award for ‘favourite Scot on screen’, the only category voted for by the public, at the BAFTA Scotland awards. The winner will be announced at the Bafta Scotland Awards ceremony in Glasgow on Sunday, November 17.

Foy, who played Queen Elizabeth in The Crown, will follow up her Faraway Tree role in a new movie called H Is For Hawk, based on the Costa Book of the Year memoir of the same name by British non-binary naturalist Helen MacDonald. The film, which is being made by movie giant Lionsgate, also stars Harry Potter and In Bruges actor Brendan Gleeson and has begun filming in Wales. The movie follows a grieving woman who, after losing her beloved father, forms an unlikely friendship with a stubborn hawk named Mabel H Is For Hawk will be directed by BAFTA award winning filmmaker Philippa Lowthorpe, who has also adapted the script with Room w riter Emma Donoghue.

Foy previously worked with Lowthorpe for two episodes of The Crown's second season. She can currently be seen in the second series of Wolf Hall. US company Plan B Entertainment is on board to produce and develop the project alongside Good Gate Media and Film4, which will also executive produce and co-finance.

"It's hugely exciting to see H Is For Hawk start production in Cambridge and Wales, and we're grateful to the amazing team at Plan B, and to Philippa and Emma for leading the charge on this poignant and arresting film," said Film4 in a statement. "Claire and Brendan are the perfect actors to bring to life Helen Macdonald's beloved story of loss and renewal."

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