Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Secret Diary of a Call Girl is a dramatic television series airing on Showtime, centered around Hannah Baxter (played by Billie Piper), a university graduate living in London and working as a call girl under the alias "Belle du Jour." The show is based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous real life call girl of the same name. Set in London, the show introduces Hannah/Belle as a seemingly normal girl who leads a double life as an escort, the truth of which is hidden from her family and friends, most notably her best friend Ben (Iddo Goldberg). Belle faces challenges in the form of her clients- some strange, some dangerous, her sometimes overbearing madam, revealing her secret to Ben, and the unwelcome collisions of her personal and professional life. Ben, once he knows the truth about his friend, is conflicted in his feelings towards the matter and sometimes clashes with Hannah about how she handles various situations. His reservations about her career also stem from the romantic feelings he secretly harbors for her, despite his on-and-off relationship with his one-time fiancé and current girlfriend Vanessa. Later in the series she mentors another call girl, Bambi (Ashley Madewke), a relationship that sustains its own ups and downs, and writes a book that is met with shocking success. Secret Diary of a Call Girl has been compared to Sex in the City for its comedic approach to sex and the manner in which the main character sometimes addresses the audience. MORE