Stalking: State Of Fear review - A timely report on the rise of stalking, ... trends now
Stalking: State Of Fear (ITV1)
Opinion polls are obsolete. Focus groups are irrelevant. If you want to know what people are really thinking about, take a look at television viewing figures.
The surprise hit on Netflix, clocking up nearly five million views in its first two weeks, is the stalker drama Baby Reindeer - starring its writer, Richard Gadd, who based the story on his own real-life ordeal.
The show's success reflects how common the crime has become. Once, only pop stars and film actresses had stalkers. But today in Britain alone, nearly two million women are living in fear of obsessive prowlers dogging their every move online, at work and in their homes, according to a statistic on Stalking: State Of Fear.
This one-off documentary didn't spell out how many men, like Gadd, are also living under siege. But it's estimated that 80 per cent of victims are female - which suggests up to half a million men could also have a stalker.
Why the crime has surged so fast in recent years was not explained. The only insight into its spread came from Louise, a woman in Glasgow whose former business partner began tormenting her after she changed job.
Horse-mad Gracie Spinks (pictured) contacted officers to report a terrifying campaign against her by her former supervisor at work, Michael Sellers
Pictured: Michael Sellers, who stabbed Gracie to death and killed himself
Today in Britain alone, nearly two million women are living in fear of obsessive prowlers dogging their every move online, at work and in their homes, according to a statistic on Stalking: State Of Fear. Pictured: Tributes to Gracie
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