LONDON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - "Baby Reindeer" clearly

involved dramatisation, Netflix ( NFLX ) said on Tuesday, in

response to concerns over its compliance standards sparked by

online speculation about the real-life people behind the

characters in its hit mini-series.

"This is a true story" appears on screen after the opening

of the show, the chilling story of a bartender stalked by a

customer, written by and starring comedian Richard Gadd.

Netflix ( NFLX ) was sued in June for at least $170 million by a

Scottish woman who said she had been defamed by her portrayal as

a stalker in the global hit, which won best limited series at

the Emmys.

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on Tuesday the show was

Gadd's true story, although elements were clearly dramatised.

"I am very proud of Richard and proud of the story he told,

and the way he told it, and it is his true story," he told the

Royal Television Society London Convention.

"Baby Reindeer" differed from other shows in the same genre

by not claiming to be "based on" a true story but to be an

actual one, raising questions about the ethics of portraying

real people.

"It is not a documentary, and there are elements of the

story that are dramatised, we are watching it performed by

actors on television, we think that it's abundantly clear that

there is dramatisation involved," Sarandos added.

Fiona Harvey has publicly claimed to be the inspiration

behind the show's "Martha", played by actress Jessica Gunning,

who shares a physical resemblance with Harvey, who like the

character is a London lawyer.

In a complaint filed in Los Angeles, Harvey said Netflix ( NFLX ) and

Gadd had gone too far by suggesting through the show that she

was a twice-convicted stalker who had been sentenced to five

years in prison.

Harvey denied having stalked Gadd, who in the show plays a

fictional version of himself named Donny Dunn, or having been

convicted or imprisoned. But she said many people could not tell

the difference, and that thousands of Reddit and TikTok users

talk about her as the "real" Martha.

Netflix ( NFLX ) said in response to the lawsuit that it intended to

defend the matter "vigorously".

Sarandos said on Tuesday the debate stirred by the series

was "fairly unique" to Britain, adding it was "not happening

anywhere else in the world".

He also announced a new multi-year scripted series deal with

Gadd and said "Baby Reindeer" would be one of Netflix's ( NFLX ) top four

global shows -- all produced in Britain -- when the company

publishes its audience engagement report later this week.

"Number one, two, three and four shows were all produced

here in the UK: "Fool Me Once", "Baby Reindeer", "Bridgerton"

and "The Gentlemen"," he added.