The lowdown:  'Secret Diary of a Call Girl' is a British drama series which stars Billie Piper as Hannah Baxter, 
a university graduate who tells her friends that she works as a legal secretary. However, Hannah is living a double
life, and secretly works as a high-class prostitute named Belle de Jour. The series is a rather intimate look into
the world of prostitution - both the women who provide such services and their often dodgy clients, and features
some subtle humour, very adult scenes and a lot of four-letter words. Regular cast members include Cherie Lunghi
as Stephanie, the Madame who manages Belle's list of clients (and takes 40 per cent of her earnings);  Hannah's
best friend, Ben, who manages a bar in London and is one of the few who knows about Hannah's alter ego; and
Alex, a doctor whom Hannah meets in season two and eventually agrees to marry, until he discovers her other life.
Two seasons of eight episodes were broadcast on ITV2 between 27 September 2007 and 4 August 2008, while a
third is scheduled to be broadcast in early 2010. 

The episode:  Matt Smith was a guest star in the sixth episode of the first season, which was first broadcast on
1 November 2007. Belle has a bad experience with a client whom Stephanie foisted on her unexpectedly - she feels
that he is a bit weird, and sends him away without services rendered. Hannah meets up with Ben, who suggests that
she needs a break from her "trade", so she decides to try living a normal life. She is browsing a store looking for a
wedding present for Ben, and is attracted to the salesman, Tim (Smith). They go back to her place and have sex,
which feels strange to Hannah as money is not changing hands. Tim does not seem to want to leave, so she calls
Ben and gets him to call round pretending to be her boyfriend - which prompts Tim to leave very quickly.


Video clips:   Tim the saleman     3.7mb              Tim and Hannah     5.0mb              The 'boyfriend'     3.2mb

     

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