Doctor Who Club of Australia

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3916

The SMH Guide has reported that the ABC has bought The Ruby In The Smoke & The Shadow In The North. They are based on the books by Philip Pullman and it stars Billie Piper as Sally Lockhart. This was the role she played after Rose Tyler.

Broadcast date as yet unknown.

Sulp Niar · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:39 pm Post subject:

Wow, I wasn't expecting that. Excellent news.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3916

Found out from DWM 375 today that The Ruby In The Smoke also features Hayley Atwell who was a guest star in the Paul McGann BBC7 radio adventure Blood of the Daleks.

Sulp Niar · Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 2:37 pm Post subject:

Ya, I knew that. She's a strange looking girl, actually... not unattractive or anything, just strange. The pictures of her in that DWM and on the Big Finish covers prove that (er, assuming I've put the right pic to the right girl. Perhaps not).

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3916

The Ruby In The Smoke will finally be shown on ABC1 this Sunday May 18 8:30pm.

It also features Trevor Cooper, Don Gilet, Hayley Atwell (as already mentioned), Julia Joyce and Martin Jarvis.

Julia Joyce plays young Sally. She again plays a younger version of a character played by Billie Piper as Julia was also in Doctor Who as young Rose in Father's Day.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3916

The SMH guide has an article and a review of Ruby In The Smoke both by Michael Idato. In the article writer Adrian Hodges, who adapted the novel by Philip Pullman, commented about Billie Piper's casting as Sally Lockhart by first mentioning Rose. He said that that she was the heart and soul of Doctor Who in its first season (of the current TV series) but what we didn't know was what other discipline she would bring to Sally Lockhart.

He also said:
"What Billie really got in Sally is she is the kind of girl who would never show fear, but it doesn't mean she doesn't feel it."

At the beginning of the article Michael Idato mentioned Hodges adapting works written by dead writers in which Hodges says that he finds working with dead novelists sometimes easier. (An indication perhaps of how he would go with his remake of Survivors which is based on Terry Nation's novelisation of the series rather than the original TV series itself.)

For the review of Ruby In The Smoke, Michael Idato gave it a thumbs up. Idato praises Billie's performance saying that she's proving herself an actress of useful range and that Hodges' writing is a triumph.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3916

The Ruby In The Smoke:
A very lovely performance from Billie as Sally Lockhart.
Julie Walters was very good as the disturbed Mrs Holland.
Surprised about the revelation of Sally's father.
Like the music.
Quite enjoyable.

Next week's Sally Lockhart tale The Shadow In The North which includes in the cast Adjoa Andoh.

g,uest · Joined: 17 Feb 2006 Posts: 337

the spelling is Sali Wink

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3916

The Shadow In The North:
Billie as Sal talks to a character called Mr Harkness and of course Rose knew another Harkness in Captain Jack in Doctor Who.
Billie looked really handsome in the black attire plus the ties that she wore.
Felt underwhelmed with most of this film. It only became interesting from the fire onwards.

Read from DWM that the third Lockhart tale The Tiger in the Well will be released sometime this year.

montypython · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 3:29 pm Post subject:

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3916

Greg · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 7:07 pm Post subject:

These two stories are due for local DVD release on my birthday!

(What, you expect me to tell you when that is?)

montypython · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 9:12 pm Post subject:

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 3916

Come to think of it you maybe right.