Showtime Picks Up ITV Series

NEW YORK, December 17: Showtime has acquired the hit British
series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, a
half-hour comedy based on the best-selling, real-life diaries of a high-end
call girl, from IMG Media.

Showtime will air the first 8×30-minute season beginning
spring or summer 2008, with a commitment for an additional 12 episodes.

British actress Billie Piper takes on the lead role of a
woman who is known as Hannah, the legal secretary, to her family and friends,
and Belle, the fulfiller of fantasies, to her clients. The series centers on
Belle’s experiences, with each episode providing a glimpse behind the scenes of
the high-class sex trade. The real Belle published her diaries in 2005 and
remains anonymous.

An IMG/Tiger Aspect/Silverapples Media/ARG production, the
series debuted this past fall on British digital channel ITV2, with more than
two million viewers tuning in for the opening episode.

"We are delighted to be partnering with Showtime to
bring this highly successful and provocative series to a U.S. audience,"
said Chris Albrecht, the head of global media for IMG. "We are
particularly proud of the role that Tiger Aspect Productions, an IMG-owned
production company, has played in the production of this show, now entering its
second season of production in the U.K."

"When Chris Albrecht called me to take a look at this
show we were intrigued," said Showtime Entertainment’s president, Robert
Greenblatt. "Initially we thought we should make an American version of
it, but we fell in love with the original episodes, were captivated by Billie
Piper's Belle, and decided to bring it to Showtime as is. American audiences
will be transfixed by the series’ poignant, sexy, comedy meets drama elements
and the series will fit in perfectly with our lineup of original programming.
It is also a pleasure to be back in business with my old friend Chris."

—By Kristin Brzoznowski