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Author Topic: Belle du Jour in the West Country  (Read 11005 times)

BBC Bristol

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Belle du Jour in the West Country
« on: 17 February 2010, 12:18:43 pm »
I am working on a series of features for BBC Radio Bristol about Belle du Jour and her life as an escort. They will be an non-judgemental look at the reality of escort work in Bristol / Bath / Weston-Super-Mare. As much as possible we want to talk to people who are directly involved and hearing their opinions, rather than the beliefs of politicians and academics.

I was wondering whether some people might be interested in working with me on this project?  Do you have any stories and experiences that you would like to share with us? It would be great to hear what your experiences are, both good and bad, funny and sad to see the reality behind Belle du Jour.

We could work around what you are interested in doing and what suits your time and logistical needs. If you would prefer to remain anonymous we can arrange this.

We are doing the features because Brooke Magnanti turned out to be a Bristol scientist, so I am particularly looking for people who live or work in the Bristol / Bath area.

Please get in touch with any thoughts or questions.
Many thanks

BBC Bristol

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #1 on: 17 February 2010, 12:19:29 pm »
Forgot to mention: it is for a radio documentary, not a TV programme.

Thanks!

amy

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #2 on: 17 February 2010, 12:43:53 pm »
I am working on a series of features for BBC Radio Bristol about Belle du Jour and her life as an escort. They will be an non-judgemental look at the reality of escort work in Bristol / Bath / Weston-Super-Mare. As much as possible we want to talk to people who are directly involved and hearing their opinions, rather than the beliefs of politicians and academics.

I was wondering whether some people might be interested in working with me on this project?  Do you have any stories and experiences that you would like to share with us? It would be great to hear what your experiences are, both good and bad, funny and sad to see the reality behind Belle du Jour.

We could work around what you are interested in doing and what suits your time and logistical needs. If you would prefer to remain anonymous we can arrange this.

We are doing the features because Brooke Magnanti turned out to be a Bristol scientist, so I am particularly looking for people who live or work in the Bristol / Bath area.

Please get in touch with any thoughts or questions.
Many thanks


Brooke/Belle didn't work in Bristol, she worked in London. So any link with the 'reality of escorting in the South West' would surely be tenuous at best?

MissMillie

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #3 on: 17 February 2010, 01:19:14 pm »
People really need to learn to research properly before posting.

BurlesqueHoney

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #4 on: 17 February 2010, 01:32:09 pm »
Will the ladies that help with this radio production get expenses paid and some compensation for giving up their valuable time?  Surely if you expect people who are in the business because they can earn a relative decent wage in just a few hours to get involved the least you need to pay their social non sexual rate on average about ?50 an hour.  It is really annoying the arrogance and presumption media 'professionals' have who after all do not work for free - just assume anyone else will!

Interestingly no one out of the numerous proposals of hard hitting novel documentaries, radio productions etc etc has ever had the courtesy to actually answer this simple question!  How much are you prepared to pay in order to compensate loss of earnings while any ladies help you to earn on the backs of them???????   Can we for once have a clear and unambiguous answer?  Otherwise each new request of this nature is likely to result in a negative reception. 

BBC Bristol

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #5 on: 17 February 2010, 01:35:08 pm »
Brooke/Belle didn't work in Bristol, she worked in London. So any link with the 'reality of escorting in the South West' would surely be tenuous at best?

Hello Amy, thanks very much for your post. I am sorry that I was not clearer in my original message.

Although Brooke Magnanti was living and working in London when she was an escort, she is now working at the Bristol Initiative for Research of Child Health, and as far as I am aware resides in Bristol. This is why we are interested in her story.

However, we are not looking to do a direct comparison with Brooke Magnanti's life; it will be a wider piece on the experiences of different people from this line of work.

Many thanks,
Apologies again for not being clearer.

BurlesqueHoney

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #6 on: 17 February 2010, 01:37:52 pm »
Again the dirty business of payment is skillfully evaded!  I rest my case! 

MissMillie

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #7 on: 17 February 2010, 01:53:32 pm »
Burlesquehoney, looks like your in for a long wait!

amy

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #8 on: 17 February 2010, 03:23:09 pm »

Although Brooke Magnanti was living and working in London when she was an escort, she is now working at the Bristol Initiative for Research of Child Health, and as far as I am aware resides in Bristol. This is why we are interested in her story.

However, we are not looking to do a direct comparison with Brooke Magnanti's life; it will be a wider piece on the experiences of different people from this line of work.

I know that Brooke lives and works in Bristol now, I just don't see what relevance this has to her previously working as an escort when she never did this in Bristol, and thus what useful purpose it would serve to compare her to ladies who are working in this part of the country.

If you are not looking to link this story to Dr Magnanti, it might have been a good idea to leave the 'Belle de Jour' out of your thread title, as it is looking just a little like the sort of crass bandwagon-jumping which I'm sure you are keen to avoid.

BurlesqueHoney

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #9 on: 17 February 2010, 04:44:47 pm »
Mmmh, I am wondering if there is something wrong with my browser ? it does not seem to refresh as I cannot see any response to my earlier question(s).  Despite asking a very clear question it appears the OP lacks the courtesy to answer my straight forward enquiry.  So I will repeat once more.  Will you offer ladies some form of compensation for giving up their valuable time and/or sort out expenses etc.?  Not a difficult query to grasp ? I would like an answer please.

To be frank, I am exasperated and infuriated by the ignorance and arrogance of the majority of programme makers who appear on all manner of industry boards or actually contact me by email.  They present half baked proposals that usually coincide with some headlining event in order to jump on the bandwagon and cash in on the heightened media and public interest.  I find it particularly distasteful that currently so many media parasites try to cash in on the (self) outing of Belle de Jour.  Brooke probably would not have taken such a step had she not been hounded by media and merely pre-empted being exposed.   I am furious by the sheer cheek to usually assume that escorts will provide a huge amount of free titillation while these talentless media hacks exploit us as latter day Ms Merricks to be proverbially prodded and poked about.  No topic seems to be too preposterous or ridiculous in the quest for sensationalist ratings boosters.  And in the cases when ladies I know have taken the time and effort to actually participate their contributions have been grossly distorted and their efforts have been negated by infantile editing. 

But I am livid with anger that as someone who pays a considerable amount each month to the British Broadcasting Corporation, our fees are being wasted on producing trashy radio and TV programs by it seems clueless amateurs that should fail to qualify for a Media Foundation course given their appalling lack of sensible preparation and research!     



MissMillie

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #10 on: 17 February 2010, 05:37:03 pm »
And why is it 'du' in the title, I'm pretty sure it was 'de'!

BurlesqueHoney

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #11 on: 17 February 2010, 06:10:44 pm »
And why is it 'du' in the title, I'm pretty sure it was 'de'!

In all fairness it would be grammatically correct to say 'du' - it is 'le jour' so the genitive case in French would 'du'

MissMillie

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #12 on: 17 February 2010, 06:17:05 pm »
Sorry.

anonymoussw

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #13 on: 17 February 2010, 07:22:37 pm »
And why is it 'du' in the title, I'm pretty sure it was 'de'!

In all fairness it would be grammatically correct to say 'du' - it is 'le jour' so the genitive case in French would 'du'

But the blog is definitely 'de' because it's a reference to an old french movie of the same name...
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
"if" - Rudyard Kipling

BurlesqueHoney

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Re: Belle du Jour in the West Country
« Reply #14 on: 17 February 2010, 08:12:11 pm »
And why is it 'du' in the title, I'm pretty sure it was 'de'!

In all fairness it would be grammatically correct to say 'du' - it is 'le jour' so the genitive case in French would 'du'

But the blog is definitely 'de' because it's a reference to an old french movie of the same name...

True - Catherine Deneuve was the original Belle de Jour of said film.  But it is still grammatically correct to use the genetive case.  As much as the journo irritates me - would be a little unfair to criticise him/her for using 'du' as opposed to 'de'.

Surely it is more poignant that we still did not get an answer re: any financial arrangements and the ridiculous attempt to justify their local program because of Brooke's current residential status.  Plus there seems to be a total gender bias/discrimination with regards to the target group