7. The Ruby In The Smoke & The Shadow In The North
From one period drama to another! Billie served as the centrepiece of our yuletide festivities not once but twice when she took on the titular role in the BBC's adaptations of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart Quartet. Well, two of them. The first installment aired back in 2006 when Billie swapped the TARDIS for a corset for her portrayal of the headstrong heroine who embarks on a dangerous mission in the aftermath of her father's apparently accidental death. It isn't long before she's unravelling a web of dark secrets and she manages to befriend avid theatregoer Jim Taylor along the way, as played by future Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith who was making his TV debut as the loveable Cockney ragamuffin. Billie and Matt together on screen - what's not to love!? Brave, determined and ever handy with a pistol, Billie's portrayal of the Victorian orphan in The Ruby and the Smoke and its 2007 sequel, The Ruby in the Smoke, was lauded by critics. They're definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of slow burning mysteries.
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
