Billie Piper and Julie Walters head
all-star cast in
Philip Pullman's The
Ruby In The Smoke
Synopsis, cast list and crew credits
Synopsis
Sally Lockhart has just struck a man dead. Not with a weapon, though she has a pistol and probably the heart to use it. Sally killed Mr Higgs with just three words – "The Seven Blessings". Unfortunately, she has no idea what they mean. They were sent to her by her father, just before he drowned in the South China Seas, in a letter warning Sally of danger to come.
She had hoped that her father's colleague, Mr Higgs, might have explained the mystery. Instead he died of fear. The only other person to witness this strange turn of events is Jim Taylor, the young company dogsbody at the Lockhart and Selby shipping firm.
With his passion for solving mysteries, Jim helps Sally answer the questions surrounding her father's death. Together, they are quickly drawn into a mystery filled with opium, Chinese Triad gangs, secrets from Sally's own past – and, at the heart of it all, the Ruby of Agrapur…
Sally's father came into possession of the Ruby many years earlier, during his time in India, and had since hidden the gem, leaving Sally a series of clues to follow.
However, Sally is not the only person trying to locate the priceless stone. Her nemesis, a sinister old hag called Mrs Holland, is desperate to get her hands on it – and will stop at nothing, including murder.
Whilst trying to escape Mrs Holland, Sally crosses paths with a young photographer called Frederick Garland who takes her under his wing. Soon, he and Sally are firm friends – though a growing attraction between them may one day develop into something altogether more romantic.
Together, Sally, Fred and Jim pit their wits against the deadly plans of Mrs Holland and her cronies. But as they are drawn deeper into the mystery, they realise that "Lockhart and Selby" was involved in dark and treacherous dealings in the Far East. In so doing they invoke a villain altogether more terrifying than Mrs Holland, whom Sally will have to overcome if she is to learn the truth about her father's murder, and solve the riddle of her own identity…
The Ruby In The Smoke cast
Sally Lockhart - Billie Piper
Mrs Holland - Julie Walters
Frederick Garland - JJ Feild
Matthew Bedwell/Rev Nicholas Bedwell - David Harewood
Jim Taylor - Matt Smith
Rosa Garland - Hayley Atwell
Mr Berry - Tony Maudsley
Samuel Selby - Robert Glenister
Mr Hopkins - Don Gilet
Major Marchbanks - Miles Anderson
Adelaide – Chloe Walker
Mrs Rees - Sian Thomas
Maharajah - Ramon Tikaram
Crew credits
Screenplay by Adrian Hodges adapted from Philip Pullman's novel
Director - Brian Percival
Producer - Kate Bartlett
Director of Photography - Peter Greenhalgh
Composer - Martin Phipps
Editor - Kristina Hetherington
Production Designer - Donal Woods
Costume Designer - James Keast
Make-Up Designer - Chrissie Baker
Executive Producer - Sally Woodward Gentle
Executive Producer WGBH - Rebecca Eaton.
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