The Ruby in the Smoke explained

The Ruby in the Smoke
Author:Philip Pullman
Illustrator:Fred Booth
Country:United Kingdom
Language:ENGLISH
Series:Sally Lockhart series
Genre:Mystery, young adult novel
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Release Date:1985
Media Type:Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages:200 pp
Isbn:0-19-271543-7
Oclc:59171883
Followed By:The Shadow in the North

The Ruby in the Smoke (1985) is a novel by the English author Philip Pullman. It went on to win the 1987 Lancashire Children's Book of the Year Award.[1] It was also adapted for television in 2006. This book is the first of the Sally Lockhart Quartet. It is followed by The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well and The Tin Princess. The book was also adapted for the stage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2016.[2]

TV adaptation

A TV film adaptation written by Adrian Hodges and starring Billie Piper was produced by the BBC. It aired on BBC One on 27 December 2006[3] and on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! as The Sally Lockhart Mysteries: The Ruby in the Smoke on 4 February 2007.[4] The UK broadcast attracted 7.07 million viewers.[5] It is notable as marking the TV debut of actor Matt Smith, who would later take over the role of the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who, in which Piper had previously featured.

All four Sally Lockhart books were expected to be adapted for television; however, as of January 2015 no information has arisen regarding an adaptation of The Tiger in the Well.

Cast

ActorRole
Sally Lockhart
Mrs Holland
Frederick Garland
Jim Taylor
Rosa Garland
Chloe WalkerAdelaide
Matthew and Nicholas Bedwell
Samuel Selby
Henrick Van Eeden
Major Marchbanks

Stage adaptation

In the summer of 2016, a stage adaptation written and directed by Madeleine Perham was performed at The Pleasance during the Edinburgh Fringe[6] after receiving Pullman's blessing.[7] Running for the month of August in the King Dome venue, the performance was hailed as a critical success, with The Scotsman stating that the show was "a compelling tale, and full of surprises, moral ambiguities and people who are other than they seem".[8] Jane Berg from Three Weeks awarded the show five stars, stating that the show "was one of the most enjoyable hours I've spent at this festival".[9] Broadway Baby, the local reviews website, stated that the show "delighted in its Victorian setting" and was an "excellent piece of storytelling", going on to award The Ruby in the Smoke four stars.[10]

The show was created by new theatre company Reprint Productions (now Escapade), with a cast of six who multi-roled the numerous characters in the show: Rebecca Lenihan, Sydney Austin, Tris Hobson, Martin Coates, Hamish Forbes and Madeleine Golding (who also served as producer and co-founder of Reprint).[11]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lancashire Children's Book of the Year . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070626205848/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/services/children/cboty/cbotyhistory.asp . 26 June 2007.
  2. Web site: Philip Pullman's the Ruby in the Smoke | Theatre | Edinburgh Festival Fringe . 4 July 2016 . 29 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160829062112/https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/philip-pullman-s-the-ruby-in-the-smoke . live.
  3. Web site: BBC – Press Office – BBC ONE Transmission Details Weeks 52/1 . 25 December 2019 . 9 December 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071209071634/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk52/trans_bbc1.shtml . live.
  4. Web site: Masterpiece PBS . . 16 September 2017 . 30 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161130110526/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/schedule/index.html . live.
  5. Web site: Weekly top 30 programmes on TV sets (July 1998 – Sept 2018) | BARB . 10 January 2013 . 21 September 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055220/http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-top-30 . live.
  6. https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/philip-pullmans-ruby-smoke#overview
  7. Web site: Interview: Madeleine Perham . live . 3 August 2016 . 18 August 2016 . 29 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160829022953/http://culturedvultures.com/interview-madeleine-perham/.
  8. Web site: Theatre review: Philip Pullman's the Ruby in the Smoke . 10 August 2016 . 18 August 2016 . 26 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160826193132/http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-philip-pullman-s-the-ruby-in-the-smoke-1-4199504 . live.
  9. Web site: Philip Pullman's the Ruby in the Smoke (Reprint Productions) | ThreeWeeks Edinburgh . 27 August 2016 . 28 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160828040344/http://www.threeweeksedinburgh.com/article/philip-pullmans-the-ruby-in-the-smoke-reprint-productions/ . live.
  10. Web site: Philip Pullman's the Ruby in the Smoke: 4 star review by Fiona Mossman . 18 August 2016 . 19 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160819064148/http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/philip-pullmans-the-ruby-in-the-smoke/713459 . live.
  11. Web site: Archived copy . 18 August 2016 . 12 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161012132759/http://therubyinthesmoke.co.uk/ . dead.