Billie and the Real Belle Bare All | |
---|---|
Directed by | John Pereira |
Presented by | Billie Piper |
Theme music composer | Amy Winehouse |
Opening theme | "You Know I'm No Good" |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Production | |
Production locations | The May Fair Hotel, London |
Running time | 23 minutes |
Production company | Tiger Aspect Productions |
Original release | |
Network | ITV2 |
Release | 25 January 2010 |
Related | |
Secret Diary of a Call Girl |
Billie and the Real Belle Bare All is a one-off television programme that aired on ITV2 on 25 January 2010, ahead of the Series 3 premiere of Secret Diary of a Call Girl . The programme, which took place at The May Fair, consisted of Billie Piper, who stars as Hannah Baxter in Secret Diary of a Call Girl, interviewing Dr. Brooke Magnanti, a former call girl who, until November 2009 remained anonymous, known only by the pseudonym, "Belle de Jour."
Magnanti first rose to fame as a blogger who documented her life as a call girl. She later released a series of books, including The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl , and writes a column in various newspapers.
The programme starts with Billie Piper entering a hackney carriage, as her character frequently does on Secret Diary of a Call Girl, and driving to the Mayfair Hotel. Whilst in the cab, Piper, through a voice-over, says "the first thing you should know is today, I'm going to meet a whore", a reference to the line in Episode 1 of Secret Diary of a Call Girl, [1] "the first thing you should know about me is that I'm a whore". [2] Piper walks into the Mayfair Hotel and walks across the lobby, heading towards the lift, another direct reference to Secret Diary of a Call Girl. As she enters the hotel the screen splits in two, showing the original scene from Secret Diary of a Call Girl. [3]
The interview was then conducted in the Schiaparelli Suite of the hotel, [4] where Piper and Magnanti discussed her experiences of being a call girl and the social issues surrounding prostitution. Towards the end of the interview Piper asked various quick questions, such as how much Magnanti would earn, to which she replied that she would charge £300 and keep £200 (£100 was given to the agency). She also revealed whilst doing the 'girlfriend experience' she would earn anything from £800 to £1,400.
Piper and Magnanti then took part in a photoshoot on the bed in the suite, and whilst doing so Piper narrated through voice-overs, summarising her thoughts on Magnanti and prostitution itself.
The Guardian stated that Piper's interviewing style was "very much girls on the couch for a cosy chat" [5] and that Piper did not negatively interview Magnanti on topics surrounding prostitution, stating that Piper gave Magnanti a "pretty easy ride". [5] However Sam Wollaston of the same publication gave a more negative review, saying "[Piper's] never interviewed anyone before. To be honest, it shows. She interrupts mid-answer, sometimes when Dr Magnanti is in the middle of saying something quite interesting." [6] Wollaston later satirically stated that "maybe her interviewing style is quite refreshing after the machismo of Humphrys and Paxman". [6]
The episode, which aired from 10:00 pm, attracted 344,000 viewers, a 1.4% audience share. [7] Although Billie and the Real Belle Bare All received moderate ratings considering ITV2 is a digital channel, its rating were significantly lower than any Secret Diary of a Call Girl episode.
A call girl or female escort is a prostitute who does not display her profession to the general public, nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency. The client must make an appointment, usually by calling a telephone number. Call girls often advertise their services in small ads in magazines and via the Internet, although an intermediary advertiser, such as an escort agency, may be involved in promoting escorts, while, less often, some may be handled by a pimp. Call girls may work either incall, where the client comes to them, or outcall, where they go to the client. Some porn stars are known to escort as well.
Billie Paul Piper is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at age 15, which made her the youngest female singer to enter the UK Singles Chart at number one. Her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also entered at number one. In 1998, Piper released her debut studio album, Honey to the B, which was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Her second studio album, Walk of Life, was released in 2000 and spawned her third number-one single, "Day & Night". In 2003, Piper announced that she had ended her music career to focus on acting.
Belle de Jour is a 1967 surrealist erotic psychological drama film directed by Luis Buñuel, and starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, and Michel Piccoli. Based on the 1928 novel Belle de Jour by Joseph Kessel, the film is about a young woman who spends her midweek afternoons as a high-class prostitute, while her husband is at work.
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Brooke Magnanti is an American-born naturalised British former research scientist, blogger, and writer, who, until her identity was revealed in November 2009, was known by the pen name Belle de Jour. While completing her doctoral studies, between 2003 and 2004, Magnanti supplemented her income by working as a London call girl known by the working name Taro.
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The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl are memoirs of a former London call girl written by Dr. Brooke Magnanti, under the pseudonym Belle de Jour.
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