Netflix’s ‘Banned Soon?’ Adult Series Sparks Frenzy—Why You Need to Watch Before It Vanishes

Ever had that moment when you realize your favorite binge-worthy show is about to vanish from Netflix, and suddenly, it feels more urgent than doing your taxes? Well, buckle up, because if you haven’t yet dived into the gloriously racy Secret Diary Of A Call Girl—arguably Britain’s saucy answer to Fifty Shades—you’re about to face a race against the streaming clock. I mean, how often do you get to see Billie Piper (yes, that Billie) navigating the double-life tightrope as Hannah Baxter, with a supporting cast that reads like a red carpet roll call: Matt Smith, Gemma Chan, Lily James… name drop city! It’s curious, isn’t it, how British TV once sent audiences into a tizzy over one woman’s scandalous escapades, and now, years later, we’re scrambling for a last chance to catch them before they’re gone—poof!—like a glass of prosecco at a hen do. If you’re craving an audacious drama laced with wit, real-life mysteries, and flashy celebrity cameos, tick tock… time is running out. Catch up before May 29 or forever hold your sequined regrets. LEARN MORE.

Netflix users only have a couple of weeks left if they want to watch the raunchy British drama that captivated ITV viewers from 2007 to 2011.

Essentially British TV’s version of Fifty Shades Of Grey, Secret Diary Of A Call Girl is one of the most raunchy shows to have hit viewers of the streaming site.

Written by Lucy Prebble and based off the book, Belle De Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl, the ITV show follows the life of a Hannah Baxter (played by Doctor Who’s Billie Piper) who struggles to balance her personal life and her job as a professional call girl.

As well as Piper, the show also starred a few other familiar faces, including Matt Smith, Gemma Chan and Lily James.

Secret Diary of A Call Girl ended up running for four seasons until its end in 2011. The show was added to Netflix in June last year, and people were pretty psyched about it.

One person wrote on Twitter that ‘we are so freaking BACK’, while someone else said: “Secret Diary of a Call Girl is on Netflix and upon rewatching it, I can’t believe this was a proper show on ITV.”

If you’ve not yet had a chance to binge Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, you’ve got until 29 May before it leaves the streaming service.

Was Hannah Baxter real?

The story was based off Dr. Brooke Magnanti’s anonymous blog (Showtime / ITV)

Secret Diary Of A Call Girl’s Hannah Baxter is, in fact, based on a real escort who lives in London.

The show was inspired by the blog post of a sex worker in London, who went by the name of ‘Belle De Jour’. Two years after the show came out, the anonymous blogger revealed her true identity to be Dr. Brooke Magnanti.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Dr Magnanti said she decided to make her identity public because she didn’t want this ‘massive secret’ hanging over her.

Since the show, Dr Magnanti has gone on to share her experiences online, even taking questions from users on Reddit a few years back.

What are people saying about Secret Diary Of A Call Girl?

Secret Diary Of A Call Girl currently has a average Rotten Tomatoes score of 63 percent across all seasons, and a 7.3 on IMDb.

The highest scoring season on Rotten Tomatoes was season 3 with a Popcornmeter of 71 percent.

Critics gave the show mixed reviews, however, with Linda Stasi of New York Post stating: “Showtime calls it a comedy – but the laughs escaped me.”

It has received mixed reviews from critics (Showtime / ITV)

While Jeff Simon from Buffalo News had a much more favourable opinion of the raunchy show, saying: “It’s close to perfect raunchy summer television.”

One IMDb review labelled the show as ‘controversial and highly adult’, while another said they found it to be ‘very funny and scarily honest’.

Of course, a show about a sex worker dealing with the struggles of leading a double life isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

But with the show coming off Netflix in just a few short weeks, there’s still time to make your own mind up.