As career moves go, Billie Piper's "goodbye sci-fi sidekick, hello whoredom" transition appears to be paying off quite nicely. The 25-year-old British actress parted ways with Doctor Who after the 2006 season finale, "Doomsday." As the series' perky girl next door Rose Tyler (pictured left), the former pop star won two National Television Awards.
Now Piper gets top billing. In Secret Diary of a Call Girl, she plays Belle (pictured right) -- legal secretary by day, sex worker by night. Based on the memoir by an anonymous London call girl, Diary became a top-rated series on England's ITV2 last year and makes its U.S. debut June 16 on Showtime.
Piper, who met the real "Belle" in person, said in a statement: "I found her absolutely fascinating and some of her ideas quite romantic. I thought she was funny, sharp and intelligent. I'm sure there are many down sides, but Belle enjoyed what she did and felt very much in control of it. That is a major point: Being a prostitute was her choice. She wasn't forced into it."
Now Piper gets top billing. In Secret Diary of a Call Girl, she plays Belle (pictured right) -- legal secretary by day, sex worker by night. Based on the memoir by an anonymous London call girl, Diary became a top-rated series on England's ITV2 last year and makes its U.S. debut June 16 on Showtime.
Piper, who met the real "Belle" in person, said in a statement: "I found her absolutely fascinating and some of her ideas quite romantic. I thought she was funny, sharp and intelligent. I'm sure there are many down sides, but Belle enjoyed what she did and felt very much in control of it. That is a major point: Being a prostitute was her choice. She wasn't forced into it."
Photos courtesy BBC and Showtime
Trailers for the show from Showtime:
