Billie and the Real Belle Bare All
| Billie and the Real Belle Bare All | |
|---|---|
 Billie and the Real Belle Bare All intertitle | |
| 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.
Summary
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 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.
Reception
The Guardian stated that Piper's interviewing style was "very much girls on the couch for a cosy chat"[7] and that Piper did not 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.
References
- ^ Laura Burrows (26 January 2010). "Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Billie and the Real Belle Bare All Review". IGN. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
- ^ Director: Yann Demange. Writer: Lucy Prebble (27 September 2007). "Episode 1.1". Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Episode 1. ITV2.
{{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|transcripturl=and|city=(help); Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|seriesno=ignored (|series-number=suggested) (help) - ^ "Time to Tell All". Showtime on YouTube. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
- ^ Smith, Lizzie (17 December 2009). "Billie Piper braves the wintery weather in white dress as she films Secret Diary of a Call Girl". London: Daily Mail. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "TV review: Billie and the Real Belle Bare All and Mrs Mandela". Leicester Mercury. 26 January 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Belle meets Billie: The more I did it the more I came to enjoy it... you must feel like that when you've absolutely nailed a scene". London: Daily Mail. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b David Stubbs, Rebecca Nicholson, Martin Skegg, John Robinson (25 January 2010). "Watch this: Billie and the Real Belle Bare All". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Sam Wollaston (26 January 2010). "Mrs Mandela, The Real Winnie Mandela and Billie and the Real Belle Bare All". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Dan French (26 January 2010). "Glee continues strong ratings streak". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 January 2010.