Episode 1.1 (Secret Diary Of A Call Girl)
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"Episode 1.1" is the series 1 premiere of the British television show ''
Secret Diary of a Call Girl ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'' is a British drama television series that aired from 27 September 2007 to 22 March 2011 on ITV2, based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous Belle de Jour. It stars Billie Piper as Belle, a high-end London ...
''.


Plot

The episode begins with
Hannah Baxter Hannah Baxter (Billie Piper) is the lead semi-fictional character and protagonist of the British ITV2 television series ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl''. Hannah secretly has a double life as a high-class call girl as her alter ego Belle, for ...
walking across the eastern Golden Jubilee Bridge, she is then seen entering
The May Fair The May Fair Hotel is a luxury hotel on Stratton Street in Mayfair, London, near the site of Devonshire House in Piccadilly. It opened in 1927 with King George V and Queen Mary in attendance. The hotel is now owned by Edwardian Hotels, and In ...
and heading towards the lift. Whilst doing so she narrates, telling the viewer that she is a "
whore Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
". Hannah then wakes in her flat and begins directly addressing the audience, differentiating between herself and her
alter-ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...
, Belle. She then continues describing her personal and professional life, her personal and professional living space and even her and Belle's contrasting fashion. However she is interrupted by a call from her agent, Stephanie, who informs her that a client will be round in 30 minutes. The client arrives and as he does Hannah runs through her "rules" with the audience, telling what makes her a good prostitute. Hannah quickly establishes that the man has a
public sex __NOTOC__ Public sex is sexual activity that takes place in a public context. It refers to one or more persons performing a sex act in a public place, or in a private place that can be viewed from a public place. Such a private place may be a ...
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
, in particular in fields and stables. The scene then changes to a London café with red semicircular awnings , where Hannah meets her best friend and ex-boyfriend, Ben, who has no idea of her double life as a
call girl A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who (unlike a street walker) 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.< ...
and mentions the good tasting custard crusts, which he said are handmade, not machine made. Whilst walking past an estate agent's office, and Ben asks whether they should play a game of "spoilt little rich girl". The two view a luxurious London
townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...
, and halfway through the tour of the property they run out. She then meets another client at a hotel, a young man named Daniel; however, he leaves halfway through his appointment, whilst Hannah is performing
fellatio Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may ...
on him. Stephanie, at the Floridita (closed in 2017, now the 100 Wardour Street Restaurant, Soho) later discloses that he wanted somebody with a '
girl next door The girl next door is a young female stock character who is often used in romantic stories. She is so named because she often lives next door to the protagonist or is a childhood friend. They start out with a mutual friendship that later often ...
' image. Hannah persuades Stephanie to book Daniel with him, yet this time she dresses in a simple manner to please him. Her next client is scheduled with her first client and when he arrives she pulls out a
saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...
and asks who should wear it. The episode ends with the client entirely
nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...
aside from a saddle placed on his back as Hannah rides him like a horse.


Broadcast and reception


Broadcast

The series premiere garnered an average of 1,997,000 viewers, peaking at 2.1 million. ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'' received an 11% audience share for the 10:00 pm timeslot. Episode 1.1 gave the highest audience rates
ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
had ever seen from a non-sports programme. Episode 1.1's viewing success has never been matched by a subsequent ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'' episode; the closest to this was Episode 1.2 with 1,475,000. Not only was the episode a success, ranking at number 1 for ITV2's viewing figures that week, but the second highest programme that week, a Sunday repeat of ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'', was 870,000 viewers behind. Additionally, ''
Secret Diary of a Call Girl ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'' is a British drama television series that aired from 27 September 2007 to 22 March 2011 on ITV2, based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous Belle de Jour. It stars Billie Piper as Belle, a high-end London ...
''s Sunday repeat ranked at 6.


Reception

The episode was mostly well received by reviewers.
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
noted the similarities between the show and ''
Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City (newspaper column), newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the ...
'' and Piper's skill whilst breaking the
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
. "Piper does lots of talking to the camera, a stylistic similarity to the early episodes of ''Sex and the City''. While that show eventually dropped
Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...
's on camera monologues, ''Call Girl'' is clearly borrowing the voice from Belle's r Brooke Magnantiwritings – and Piper manages to pull off what would usually seem awkward." To summarise, IGN stated it was "well written, well acted and stylish".
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
, despite giving a positive review, mentioned that Hannah's "frequent voiceovers and direct-camera addresses turn the awkwardly named show into a how-to guide for prospective prostitutes". Concerns such as Slant Magazine's and whether the programme glamorises prostitution have been echoed throughout various publications. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
''s reviewer Aubry D'Arminio stated Hannah's unwillingness to emotional engage herself with others was one of her favourite aspects of the programme, saying "Hannah doesn't want to connect with people at all.... Not allowing herself to "get close" or be "the real me" isn't a call girl's rule for Hannah (like it was for
Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g. ...
obertsin ''
Pretty Woman ''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), La ...
''), it's a twisted compulsion. And that's why I love the show." D'Arminio also praised
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
, ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl''s American broadcaster, for not simply buying format rights, saying "I'm just thankful that Showtime imported ''Call Girl'' without recasting it like its sister network
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
is doing with '' Worst Week of My Life'' or
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
did with ''
Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...
''."


References


External links

* – UK Official Website on
Itv.com itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 13 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV brand (or the UTV brand in Northern Ireland). The website offers online streaming, ...
*
Secret Diary of a Call Girl
' – Official Website on ''
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
'' {{Secret Diary of a Call Girl 2007 British television episodes