Secret Diary of a Call Girl - The Complete First Season

This is a great show, and Billie Piper does an amazing job as Belle. I was very excited that this show was finally going to be released in US/Canada only to find that the majority of the music has been changed during the show, to a bunch of music that doesn't remotely fit the show. Also the dvd quality itself is absolutely terrible. The show is out of focus and the lighting is horribly bright. None of these flaws were on the British version and I am thinking Lionsgate somehow majorly cheaped this down. I am very disappointed.

I've seen a few courtesan friendly movies, and this one is a wonderful series. Billie Piper does a wonderful narrative and lead heroine act, where she embraces the common taboos that society creates for itself, yet finds her own balance of the accumulation of pleasure, wealth, humanity, and even guilt. A great show, well written, well scripted, and yes, for those that appreciate the beauty of the female in general, you won't go wrong because this pretty much shows all her beauty, clothes and sans clothes, as well as her thoughts and hopes. I'm looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds with every episode. There is certainly more to this show than simple nudity, there is a humanity to it that is just as enjoyable.

The smart films and tv shows about sex workers realize and narratively utilize that there is a vast difference between a high class escort and say, someone you would pick up in the seedy part of town. It's like comparing a wealthy corporate lawyer to a struggling independent--similar enough, yet drastically different lifestyle/daily life. This show acknowledges that aspect from the start--quite literally in a voice over--and is about a high class escort who goes by "Belle." (It's based, though I'm not sure how closely, on the memoirs/blog of an actual London escort.)

Like most media about "courtesans" it tends to over-glamourize its material and is to an extent the traditional "happy hooker story," but it counter-balances that and partially justifies itself by developing an interesting, fairly well-developed protagonist--one who enjoys the money and the sex, but finds some inner conflict in leading a double life, dealing with various issues, etc. The most interesting parts of the show to me were the exploration of this duality/lifestyle, though for those of you also interested in its sexual content--there is plenty of that as well. I find the show quite addicting and very fast paced. i also am not usually a fan of british humor (i just usually don't "get it") but i find the show funny and the drama is balanced well (strong enough to be interesting, but not overwhelming in balance with the show's comedy--it's "drama-lite.")

I did want to say one last thing, about the DVD picture quality which someone said was a very poor treatment/transfer. I can only speak from my own experience, but in my case I found almost NO difference between the DVD played upscaled on my blu-ray player (PS3), and watching the show in HD on Showtime (using the same television for both viewings.) The picture quality in my experience, was quite fine, though not everyone has HD or upscaling and people's picture calibrations may differ.