| Billie and the Real Belle Bare All | |
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Billie and the Real Belle Bare All intertitle |
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| Format | Documentary Interview |
| 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 | |
| Location(s) | The May Fair Hotel, London |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Tiger Aspect |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV2 |
| Original airing | 25 January 2010 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | 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.
Contents |
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 May Fair 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 scene was so similar to the original that various publications, including the Daily Mail, mistakenly reported that Piper was filming scenes for Secret Diary of a Call Girl.[4]
The interview was then conducted in the Schiaparelli Suite of the hotel,[5] where Piper and Magnanti discussed her experiences of being a call girl and the social issues surrounding prostitution. When Piper asked Magnanti if working as a call girl was like "switching from one person to another" she replied, " It was a bit like putting on a uniform. The hair, the make-up, particular dresses, underwear, the shoes. Definitely the shoes. Once the shoes were on, I was working."[6] 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.[6]
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"[7] and that Piper didn't negatively interview Magnanti on topics surrounding prostitution, stating that Piper gave Magnanti a "pretty easy ride".[7] 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."[8] Wollaston later satirically stated that "maybe her interviewing style is quite refreshing after the machismo of Humphrys and Paxman".[8]
The episode, which aired from 10:00 pm, attracted 344,000 viewers, a 1.4% audience share.[9] 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.
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