Secret Diary of a Call Girl is a British TV series on the life of a high class prostitute, living in contemporary London , created by Lucy Prebbel. After this introduction, you already know that subject of the show is rather unusual. Production lasted 4 seasons, however, in our opinion the first season was the most interesting.
The uniqueness of the show comes from the fact that series is based on the blog and books written by Dr Brook Magnatti aka "Belle de jour", who during her doctoral studies was supplementing income by working as a London call girl.
In the Secret Diary of a Call Girl we follow the life of the main character Hannah Baxter, who under the cover of a night legal secretary leads a secret life as Belle. We are witnessing the development of her career and the difficulties she has to face trying to reconcile work and private life. The production in rather obvious way sugarcoats a not easy life of prostitute, but it also shows the negative side of the profession and the burden of the decision Belle has to take. Hanna Baxter is very realistic when it comes to what she’s doing. In one of her first sentences she says “you should know about me (…) that I am a whore." "Escort, hooker, prostitute, whore… I don’t mind how you call me. That’s just semantics" she adds. Belle admits she likes her job. However, just like other professions it has its pros and cons and it’s not for everyone. Probably you would like to ask, why is she doing it? Well, that’s because "I love sex and I love money (…) plus I am (..) lazy. What I really like is being my own boss." Hanna Baxter is also the narrator in the series and she mostly turns directly to the audience, which gives an interesting effect, and is without doubt a big advantage of this production. Step by step, Belle introduces us to the secrets of her profession. She doesn’t hide mistakes and misunderstanding that happens from time to time, despite her innate perfection. She talks about rules, money, responsibilities, organization, having an agent, safe sex and hygiene. Belle reveals also her little tricks such as ... using only men’s deodorant at work - "a professional never lets her client smelling of woman."
Following episodes of the Secret Diary of a Call Girl focus on various subjects such as fetishisms, fantasizing, sex toys, role playing, partner swap, BDSM, sexual initiation, and even homosexuality. Creators also don’t avoid topics like aging, modification of the body (breast augmentation), or a need of stabilization and having a relationship so typical for many of us. You might have already guessed that the Secret Diary of a Call Girl was broadly criticize by conservative circles and by the feminists, who claimed that series objectifies women and female body. If you are expecting to see some hot and spicy scenes, nudity or eroticism – you will be disappointed. The show is rather conservative on that matter.
Although season 3 and 4 are according to us too sugary, too romanticized, overfilled with a "Hollywood" spirit and way too exaggerated, we still recommend Season 1! and 2 of the Secret Diary of a Call Girl for all those, who are interested in the subject.