Belle has been missed. Billie Piper's pragmatic and cheery hooker with gumption is back on Showtime's adult themed "Secret Diary of a Call Girl."
Piper returns as Hannah (real name) and Belle, her working girl title. This season has veered away from the effervescent tone of the first season, and has a more depressive and realistic timbre to the lucrative yet soul destroying life of a London high-end prostitute.
These eight new episodes will see Hannah fighting for a real relationship and semblance of a normal life amidst her vocation. Her efforts are hamstrung by an ambitious young Chav escort-in-training named Bambi (Ashley Madekwe), who screws Belle over and cocks things up continuously.
Piper was pregnant during the filming of this second season and it shows, in her radiance and curvier than usual profile.
It is the introduction of Alex (Callum Blue), a doctor whom she mistakes for a client in a hotel bar that changes the course of Belle's life trajectory.
Best friend Ben (Iddo Goldberg) meets Alex, and it goes poorly. Alex surmises (correctly) that Ben cares for Hannah more than he is letting on.
Hannah is left wondering, can you still prostitute yourself if you’re falling for love?
The Showtime series is a wonderful platform for American audiences to catch up to Britain's pretty Billie Piper, who made a big splash on "Doctor Who" and even sang, turning out two successful album and three number one singles. The actor recently had a son, Winston, and is working hard to get back into Belle shape for filming season three, scheduled for production in April 2009.
A great series, for mature audiences only.
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