Totally Dublin

ITV2 got a bit raunchy last Thursday. Well, no, not really. Not to any over indulgent sense anyway. But it seemed to be a recurring theme because Channel 4 did the same thing with the return of teen shenanigans chronicler Skins. I found that a bit dull though which is why, this week, I’ve decided to take a look and see what London call-girls get up to.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl, the series based on the best selling true story and blog of Dr. Brooke Magnanti, a doctor of forensic pathology returned on Thursday night, with a double bill opening its third series. This was followed by an interview with Magnanti, carried out by Billie Piper who portrays her in the series. And both programmes were quite enjoyable.

I was quite impressed with Series 1 of Secret Diary when it came out. It was quirky and likeable, and although I thought Billie Piper was a bit awkward when it came to addressing the camera and the audience, it was still something fresh and funny. The second series dipped a bit, not least because Billie Piper was trying to play a high class call girl while clearly pregnant. Also the casting of Callum Blue, an actor with such similar physical features to David Tennant that I felt like I was watching Doctor Who – The Bits We Couldn’t Show the Kids…

The third series returns to the form of the first, with a nice narrative structure that will likely permeate the rest of the series. James D’Arcy is the new man of interest for Belle, or Hannah as she’s known to her friends, and it might just be me but I still think there’s a bit of a Tennant-like quality about him. It’s clear to see what audience demographic the producers are aiming for.

The usual supporting cast return: Iddo Goldberg as best mate (with complications) Ben; Ashley Madekwe as cockney call-girl Bambi and Cherie Lunghi as Belle’s original and Bambi’s current boss. The story is set just after the launch of Belle’s first book and her editor (James D’Arcy) is now pressuring her to begin a second. Belle’s response of “I’m going to have to do some serious whoring” sets the tone for the rest of the series.

In addition to this, Belle’s sister Jackie arrives to stay with her after splitting with her husband, with no knowledge of her sister’s true occupation. Her discovery of Belle’s collection of sex toys results in their visit to a very visual fetish club, where a silent midget wielding a giant dildo on a drill steals the scene.

Where the series works best is its source material. Not just a diary entry show in the way Sex and the City was, Secret Diary is based on real events, some of which are detailed on the real Belle De Jour’s blog (which incidentally is quite an interesting read). The show claims to highlight the diverse sexual encounters of the London elite but, considering we’re in the 21^st century, it’s not really telling us anything we didn’t already know.

The scripting of the material is good though. There is a quirk and a charm to the writings of the real Belle De Jour just as there is a quirk and a charm to Billie Piper’s portrayal of her, and it translates very well to screen. A lot of the dialogue is funny in its simplicity and that’s probably the most appealing part of the show. It’s a simple A-B-C plot that’s perfect for a half hour comedy. It might not be as stimulating (no pun intended) as some of the issues raised by other more serious programming but it is undoubtedly entertaining.

ITV lives in the BBC’s shadow in terms of comedy and drama programming. While the BBC works off a huge budget and plays it relatively safe; ITV can be seen to do the opposite, despite it not always paying off (Case in point – last year’s Demons)

Every so often though, they get it right and Secret Diary of a Call Girl is one such occasion.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl airs on ITV2 on Thursday nights at 10pm.