Review: Secret Diary of a Call Girl

While "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" first showed up stateside in June on Showtime, I initially read about the show last year when it was airing in the UK. I admit, I read the Daily Mail on a regular basis, and the show's backstory is what really intrigued me. The controversial reaction that the show garnered also piqued my interest.

The television series first ran in the UK on ITV2 beginning in September 2007, exactly one year ago. It's based on a book by real-life London call girl Belle Du Jour, who first detailed her sexual escapades on the internet in blog format.

The series, created by Lucy Prebble, stars Billie Piper, Iddo Goldberg, and Cherie Lunghi. To prepare for the role, Billie Piper met with the mysterious real-life "Belle", whose identity remains a closely guarded secret. Belle helped Billie get inside the mind and life of a call-girl, and gave her pointers that would make her acting more authentic.

Showtime picked up the series this summer, beginning to air the 8-episode first season in June. The half-hour episodes fly by, and I was able to easily breeze through them in one evening. I thought for sure I'd have to watch them over at least two nights, but I became enthralled with the plotline and couldn't help myself.

Belle is a high-priced London call girl, not your average, low-wage street walker. She is college educated, and claims she's in the profession because she loves sex, and the money's good. Threesomes, foursomes, S&M, and various other sexual encounters are features of the show. The sex is both central to the show as well as besides the point. Secret Diary of a Call Girl is just as interested in showing viewers Belle's workday moments in the sex trade as it is the formalities and less pleasant sides of the business. Belle introduces us to her methodical hygiene and beauty routines, and claims that nearly £20,000 of her £100,000 per year income is spent on her beauty routine, various sex toys and supplies, and lingerie.

The Secret Diary of a Call Girl gives viewers an up-close-and-dirty look into world of prostitution, without it being a full-on pornographic video or a preachy lesson in morality. For that the series stands out, and is perhaps why the series has already been picked up for a third season before the second has even aired.

Season 1 has wrapped up on Showtime, so look an announcement about it's US DVD release to be coming soon (it's already available on DVD in the UK). Season 2 begins airing in the UK at the end of this month. Showtime has agreed to another 12-episode run, although it's not clear when Season 2 will make its way to the US.