Secret Diary of a Call Girl

It's a topic we all talk about. A subject that we're afraid to talk about. A taboo, a unique idea that we all think about but often feel unable to talk about.

Based on Belle De Jour's novels, Secret diary of a call girl is a full blown intimate and sexcapade that is quite honestly, brilliant.

Forget your 50 shades of Grey, this British programme brought about a whole new wave of sex and the boundaries which we cover and don't cover and will open your eyes into lives that you had heard about, never fully believed, but will blow your mind with every episode.

Billie Piper portrays Belle De Jour, a high class London call girl, living the high life with the nice apartment, the trendy attire and when it comes down to business, she is well equipped and professional to go toe to toe with the strangers of the night.

For those already presuming this is going to be sleazy and cheap with plenty of sex, nudity and general degrading remarks and one liners, my friend, you have no idea.

Released in 2007 and finishing in 2011 this 4 season hit compiles the intimate, dramatic and frequently funny accounts of Belle, a confident professional wrapped deeply in her job as a call girl, battling the ever demanding pressures of keeping secrets from friends and family, working professionally despite personal dramas and as ever, often meeting a certain man who makes her feel that little bit different.

Piper gives Belle a wonderful confidence that shines right through to the viewers at home, the male viewers won't be complaining too much. It's not simply the skimpy clothes and raunchy seductive sex scenes, but the confidence of the character, the idea of her being special is always there and Piper never wavers. Her story is wonderfully told and we get an insight into her character through her camera facing turns, giving us her insights into the business and into her emotional connections.

Whilst each season has a serious guy in Belle's life and this can feel slightly mundane at points, its the dirty little secrets of the business you'll be hooked to, exploring the client's fantasises, seeing how the money changes hands, how call girls interact with one another and the fun they have with their clients and the drama that goes alongside the demanding profession.

Some great moments include wrestling turn-ons, movie portrayals, book scripting, fancy dress parties and exploration of various fantasies (fantastic James Bond montage) The diversity of the show is constantly shifting from simple location shots to exploring America to the darkness of clubs and the seedy realism of the human spirit is frequently mesmerizing. The fact the camera shifts from Belle in her moment to her facing the camera and giving us some cheeky quote or divulging some intriguing business information, this invites us right into the story.

But the bottom line is that this is a programme about sex. A programme that does not shy away from the nature of what it is, what we desire, how we tackle it in relationships, how we deceive others and how we crave that erotic fantasy and a feeling of freedom from reality.

There is no nonsense, any question you have will be answered and portrayed here. There is a lot of nudity, a lot of flirting and innuendos, and graphic bedroom scenes that justify the nature of the industry and indeed, life. Always enjoyable and frequently jaw dropping, Secret diary will invite you into the secret world of an industry and will open your eyes to those ideas and possibilities you were always uncertain about.

"Secret Diary of a Call Girl", Billie Piper's controversial and highly adult series, is the first home-grown drama from ITV2. Based on the blog and subsequent novel by the mysterious Belle de Jour, this is an insight into the life of a high-end call girl who turns normal prostitute stereotypes on their head. Annoyingly, the production has a slightly soft focus sheen which gives it a somewhat abstract (and low budget) feel. Visualise an '80s pop promo and you'll know what I mean!

It's only a matter of minutes before the first episode kicks into gear with Piper delivering energetic, simulated fellatio on a gawping customer. For British television, this is no-holds-barred stuff with "F" and "C" words, and relatively graphic imagery at every turn. I was pleasantly surprised at the bravery of this drama - it doesn't disappoint but despite the sexual gymnastics on display, the series lacks any real erotic content. It has the substance of a late-night MTV video.

Piper herself delivers a great performance. She's as likable as always as both Hannah and her late-night alter ego and she makes the most of the relatively light material contained within the script.

The beautiful Cherie Lunghi plays Piper's agent, Stephanie, a no-nonsense, straight-talking businesswoman. Marvellous stuff.

8 out of 10. With this series, Piper has shrugged off the shadow of "Doctor Who"'s Rose and entered a whole new territory. Without a doubt, she's an actress that will continue to enjoy success in the fields of television and cinema.

Ms Piper is quality, her timing and playing to camera are excellent, a female Alfie?

What lets the program down is the 30 minute time slot, and this restricts the progression of the narrative. I would have liked to see more of the meeting between her agent and the girls. The lingering exterior shots are reminiscent of US series, and perhaps that is a future target for this show, however they just seemed like fillers.

The amount of information that the book and blogs provide, should easily fill the time, and a decent (or indecent) series.

Made me laugh, and the bit with the saddle, brave people. I hope they did not have too many takes, looks exhausting.

By and large a good attempt at a difficult subject, I wonder what Channel 4 would have done with the same book?

As for the aforementioned Ms Piper, sultry and naughty, very good. Watch it and laugh at how ridiculous we can all appear during sex.

"Secret Diary of a Call Girl" is one of those shows that go nowhere. Sure there may be some resemblance of a longstanding plot, but in the end you're exactly where you started from. It's not like it's a loop, or a full circle - you just haven't gotten anywhere.

And I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, not at all actually. It's kind of comforting to know that when you watch it, it's just to entertain you. It has a kind of calming feeling to it - something that's incredibly hard to find. Yes, the main character's life goes up in flames, whatever, it still has the same calamity as it does when she's having sex. And even then, the scenes aren't exactly erotic. Their more awkward, and present.

The greatest part of this show is that its irresistible. It doesn't have the addictiveness of really good Chinese, or ice cream (for example), but it wont turn you off like the food you've been eating every meal for the past month might. While the writing might not be the best, and half the shots are filler, you always know that you could skip an episode and it wouldn't matter.

While the chemistry between Hannah/Belle and Ben is undeniable, it's almost hard to resist Alex's charm as well. While season one is much better then season two, season two is most definitely not bad, and almost feels like an end to a series. But, to the viewing pleasure of many, a third season is on its way.

"Secret Diary" is by no means perfect, but it is enjoyable. And I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

It seams that so many books are becoming TV shows lately with Americas huge acclaim of gossip girl which i read years ago and watched the first series and enjoyed but was slightly disappointed

BUT I also read Belles Dairy several years ago and was intrigued when i found out this interesting incite into another world was being made visual and even more so that it was an English production who tend to do more controversial things better (for example sin cites which America could never do). I was a bit sceptical about the fact Billie piper was playing Hannah/belle but she didn't disappoint she was excellent she made me feel she was a pro and nothing like the teeny bopper I remember her for!

I ended up watching all 8 episodes in one night online I was that addicted!!!!!!! And cant wait for more!

WARNING if you don't like nudity, foul language, talking about sex, watching sex scenes, or something that is kind of not moral THEN THIS NOT IS FOR YOU!!!!

BUT if you have always wondered what escort world is all about then this is for you

The only thing that really annoyed me about this show were the silent bits that seem to go on way to long watching belle shower sit stare out a window, sitting around etc the over make their point but apart form that its a solid 9