Billie Piper to take lead in new thriller

Billie Piper is set to star in the BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke.

Piper will play orphan Sally Lockhart, who investigates her father's mysterious death. Head of BBC drama series Laura Mackie called her "the perfect choice for bringing to life this engaging and fearless heroine," reports BBC News Online.

Filming on the drama will begin in May 2006. It is the first of four Sally Lockhart novels by best-selling author Pullman, and is due to be adapted by Rome writer Adrian Hodges.

Ms Mackie said Pullman was "without question one of Britain's leading novelists. His books are full of absorbing characters and engaging multi-layered plots that appeal to both adults and children alike."

Piper has most recently appeared as Rose Tyler in popular sci-fi series Doctor Who and Hero in a BBC version of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.