Descriptions of TV shows like “controversial and sexy” always pique my interest. Add in additional words like “fun” and “smart” and the show clearly sets off my viewing radar. Factor in “well-acted” and “eye-opening stuff” when reading reviews and that type of show actually gets me searching for its premiere date and airtime. Top it off with a cute girl as the primary protagonist and one with a commanding presence on screen at that, and I’ll be checking out the show on first run on the weekly (rather than DVRing it.) As mentioned before on AfterEllen.com in our Summer TV Sneak Peek, Secret Diary of a Call Girl makes its U.S. premiere tonight on Showtime. The half hour dramedy is based on the supposed real life situation of a London call girl that is detailed and written about by an anonymous blogger that calls her self Belle de Jour. Some do not believe that the blogger’s claims are real. Whether true or not the claims seem to make for entertaining TV. Many AfterEllen.com readers may have already watched this first season of the show as it’s a direct British import. It aired in Britain last September. Showtime, thankfully, decided not to re-cast the show or Americanize the content or characters but rather show it as is and I can’t wait!
Billie Piper, the call girl with the secret life in the show, in essence is playing two parts. One character is Hannah the levelheaded college grad and the other is Belle the night time wage earner. Being a thoroughly modern independent woman is all about choice, right? Here’s a clip of Hannah explaining her interest in being a call girl:
See, there? What I have found pleasantly surprising in the premise of the show is that Hannah chooses to be a call girl not out of desperation, not due to the awful after effects of a childhood trauma or abuse, not because of low self-esteem but because … well, because it pays well, she enjoys sex and she’s generally lazy. How about that? Well, hey, some folks have sex with people they don’t know or like all that much for much less practical reasons than that!
Piper is receiving rather positive reviews in the U.S. press and she has already (mild spoilers for season 2 at the link) begun filming season two of the show in England even though she is currently pregnant. A third season has already been ordered as well! So, if you by chance find season one entertaining more is on the way. Additional show information can be found on its official site.
The show also stars Cherie Lunghi as Belle’s “agent,” Iddo Goldberg as Hannah’s best friend and Toyah Willcox and Stuart Organ as Hannah’s parents. Plus each week there is a new client and it’s through the clients that more of the social expose comes forth. The show premieres its first of eight episodes tonight at 10:30 p.m. following Weeds. I’ll be watching. How about you?
