# The Ruby in the Smoke > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Ruby_in_the_Smoke > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Ruby_in_the_Smoke.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ruby_in_the_Smoke > Source revision: 1354742775 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1985 novel by Philip Pullman The Ruby in the Smoke Cover of the first edition Author Philip Pullman Illustrator Fred Booth Language English Series Sally Lockhart series Genre Mystery, young adult novel Publisher Oxford University Press Publication date 1985 Publication place United Kingdom 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*** is a mystery novel for young adults by the English author [Philip Pullman](/source/Philip_Pullman) published in 1985. The story is set in the [Victorian era](/source/Victorian_era), where 16-year-old Sally Lockhart discovers the reason of her father's mysterious death. 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](/source/Sally_Lockhart) Quartet. It is followed by *[The Shadow in the North](/source/The_Shadow_in_the_North)*, *[The Tiger in the Well](/source/The_Tiger_in_the_Well)* and *[The Tin Princess](/source/The_Tin_Princess)*. The book was also adapted for the stage at the [Edinburgh Festival Fringe](/source/Edinburgh_Festival_Fringe) in August 2016.[2] ## TV adaptation A TV film adaptation written by [Adrian Hodges](/source/Adrian_Hodges) and starring [Billie Piper](/source/Billie_Piper) was produced by the [BBC](/source/BBC). It aired on [BBC One](/source/BBC_One) on 27 December 2006[3] and on [PBS](/source/Public_Broadcasting_Service)'s *[Masterpiece Mystery!](/source/Masterpiece_(TV_series))* 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](/source/Matt_Smith_(actor)), who would later take over the role of the [Eleventh Doctor](/source/Eleventh_Doctor) in *[Doctor Who](/source/Doctor_Who)*, in which Piper had previously featured. All four Sally Lockhart books were expected to be adapted for television; as of December 2025 no information has arisen regarding an adaptation of the third and fourth books. ### Cast Actor Role Billie Piper Sally Lockhart Julie Walters Mrs Holland JJ Feild Frederick "Fred" Garland Matt Smith Jim Taylor Hayley Atwell Rosa Garland Chloe Walker Adelaide David Harewood Matthew and Nicholas Bedwell Robert Glenister Samuel Selby Elliot Cowan Henrick Van Eeden Miles Anderson Major Marchbanks ## Stage adaptation In the summer of 2016, a stage adaptation written and directed by Madeleine Perham was performed at [The Pleasance](/source/The_Pleasance) during the [Edinburgh Fringe](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Dual_role) 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] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-cboty_1-0)** ["Lancashire Children's Book of the Year"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070626205848/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/services/children/cboty/cbotyhistory.asp). Archived from [the original](https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/services/children/cboty/cbotyhistory.asp) on 26 June 2007. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Philip Pullman's the Ruby in the Smoke | Theatre | Edinburgh Festival Fringe"](https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/philip-pullman-s-the-ruby-in-the-smoke). *Edinburgh Festival Fringe*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160829062112/https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/philip-pullman-s-the-ruby-in-the-smoke) from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["BBC – Press Office – BBC ONE Transmission Details Weeks 52/1"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071209071634/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk52/trans_bbc1.shtml). Archived from [the original](https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk52/trans_bbc1.shtml) on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 25 December 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Masterpiece"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161130110526/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/schedule/index.html). [PBS](/source/PBS). Archived from [the original](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/schedule/index.html) on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Weekly top 30 programmes on TV sets (July 1998 – Sept 2018) | BARB"](http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-top-30). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055220/http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-top-30) from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Unknown](https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/philip-pullmans-ruby-smoke#overview)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Interview: Madeleine Perham"](http://culturedvultures.com/interview-madeleine-perham/). 3 August 2016. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160829022953/http://culturedvultures.com/interview-madeleine-perham/) from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Theatre review: Philip Pullman's the Ruby in the Smoke"](http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-philip-pullman-s-the-ruby-in-the-smoke-1-4199504). 10 August 2016. [Archived](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) from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Philip Pullman's the Ruby in the Smoke (Reprint Productions) | ThreeWeeks Edinburgh"](http://www.threeweeksedinburgh.com/article/philip-pullmans-the-ruby-in-the-smoke-reprint-productions/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160828040344/http://www.threeweeksedinburgh.com/article/philip-pullmans-the-ruby-in-the-smoke-reprint-productions/) from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Philip Pullman's the Ruby in the Smoke: 4 star review by Fiona Mossman"](http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/philip-pullmans-the-ruby-in-the-smoke/713459). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160819064148/http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/philip-pullmans-the-ruby-in-the-smoke/713459) from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["The Ruby in the Smoke"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161012132759/http://therubyinthesmoke.co.uk/). Archived from [the original](http://therubyinthesmoke.co.uk/) on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016. ## External links - [Tickets.edfringe.com](https://web.archive.org/web/20160829062112/https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/philip-pullman-s-the-ruby-in-the-smoke) (Advertisement for stage adaptation. Archive.org) - [Pullman's page on the book](https://web.archive.org/web/20110105002731/http://www.philip-pullman.com/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=73) (Archive.org) - [Overview and background](http://www.damaris.org/content/content.php?type=1&id=197) - [Review of the book](https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/the-ruby-in-the-smoke-1-1417695) (written at the time of the BBC adaptation), [Scotland on Sunday](/source/Scotland_on_Sunday), 10 December 2006 - [BBC mini-site](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007cjp6) - [*The Ruby in the Smoke*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0498382/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) v t e Works by Philip Pullman Sally Lockhart The Ruby in the Smoke (1985) The Shadow in the North (1986) The Tiger in the Well (1990) The Tin Princess (1994) His Dark Materials Original novels Northern Lights (1995) The Subtle Knife (1997) The Amber Spyglass (2000) Companion books Lyra's Oxford (2003) Once Upon a Time in the North (2008) Serpentine (2020) The Book of Dust La Belle Sauvage (2017) The Secret Commonwealth (2019) The Rose Field (2025) Other The Haunted Storm (1972) Galatea (1978) Count Karlstein (1982) How to be Cool (1987) The Broken Bridge (1990) The Butterfly Tattoo (1992) The Firework-Maker's Daughter (1995) Clockwork (1996) I Was a Rat! or, The Scarlet Slippers (1999) The Scarecrow and his Servant (2004) The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (2010) v t e Films directed by Brian Percival Pleasureland (2003) The Ruby in the Smoke (2006) The Old Curiosity Shop (2007) Gracie! (2009) A Boy Called Dad (2009) The Book Thief (2013) A Song for Jenny (2015) Authority control databases Open Library --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Ruby in the Smoke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ruby_in_the_Smoke) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ruby_in_the_Smoke?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.