Secret Diary of A Call Girl

Secret Diary of A Call Girl is a British Series that will begin airing on Showtime (USA) this week. It stars Billie Piper, who has a cult following among fans of the sci-fi series, Dr. Who.

Based on "The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl by Belle De Jour" who is a real person with a real blog about her escapades, the series achieved critical success in the UK.

Watchin' it or ditchin' it?

First off --- I have been watching it straight, I'm done with the first season. All eight thirty minute-episodes of it flew by so fast, I did not expect to finish the series in one sitting.

What is it about: Hannah Baxter's family and friends think she's a legal secretary in an international firm that lets her work crazy hours. The truth, and she narrates this on the first two minutes of the pilot, is that she is whore.

Going by the name Belle de Jour to her clients, Hannah is a highly priced London call girl who does what she does not because she is poor or has a sorry past she's trying to overcome. She does what she does because she loves sex and she loves money, plain and simple.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl is not a dark tale. It's not an exposé. It's not an inside look at a prostitute's psyche. There are no sexually transmitted diseases, no battery, no women murdered, no drugs and no policemen in this story. This is what Carrie Bradshaw's story would have been, had Carrie Bradshaw been an actual prostitute (or Samantha's more like it).

What I like about it:

• It's a candid look at the oldest profession in the world. Light and humorous.
  
• Billie Piper and her character- Belle/Hannah. She is both funny and sexy; smart and sassy. She shares the secrets to her trade while animatedly talking to the audience via the camera, she hooks you in.
  
• The clients and the supporting cast in Belle's trade. They are normal, average people with quirks, making the series all the more funnier.
  
• The montages, this being the story of a call girl, you will see plenty of it. You see privates here and there...The shots are provocative alright, bordering on soft porn. But, heck, they're part of the appeal of this show. It's still tasteful not trashy.
  

What I don't like about it: I did not notice the time while watching the first season, and that only means I was having fun the whole time so, what's not to like?

Good Reviews:
Entertainment Weekly
TV Guide
Variety

Bad Reviews:
Newsday
Baltimore Sun
Philadelphia Inquirer