The Sally Lockhart Mysteries is a British television series based on the books by Philip Pullman, starring a not entirely unconvincing Billie Piper as the title character, early on in her high demand era following the wild success of the Doctor Who reboot. Remember when they tried to shoehorn Billie Piper into the weirdest historical roles? Remember how it never really completely worked because she’s so very much a modern-type actress? Pepperidge Farm remembers. That said, she’s not bad in this role, but there’s really no spark between her and the character or the material, so I found the show a little disengaged and I admittedly have a hard time being inspired to watch the second series, but we’ll see.
The show follows Sally Lockhart, a smart and resourceful young Victorian woman who becomes entangled in a series of mysterious events following the death of her father. As she uncovers more about her personal history, this leads to several life-endangering situations/opportunities to show off her keen knack for analytical detective work. She’s joined by a supporting cast that includes Hayley Atwell, Matt Smith, and JJ Feild.
Set in the 1870s, the costumes were designed by veteran costumier James Keast and offer a lot of eye candy for anyone who loves the bustle era.
Did you enjoy The Sally Lockhart Mysteries? Should I bother watching the second series? Tell me in the comments!
Find this frock flick at:
I saw the second season a while ago and I didn’t like the conclusion. A plot turn that I disliked very much.
Co-signed! I liked the shows overall, but the not the ending.
I thought most of the casting was spot-on, and this was one of Billie Piper’s more interesting roles of that era, but I’d actually recommend reading the books. They are enjoyable (and appropriately dark) late Victorian pro-feminist mysteries that aren’t afraid to get political.
I loved these books when I was a kid! They are a pastiche of late Victorian penny dreadfuls, but Philip Pullman, who went on to write His Dark Materials. I didn’t realize there was a show!
If only they’d adapted the next book, it would feel well rounded off, instead they just kinda left it… Billie Piper actually fits the character , she’s almost annoyingly modern in the books… But this series is iconic for my childhood!!
Not going to lie, I watched it solely for Matt Smith (and his dreadful Cockney-esque accent) and JJ Feild because any time JJ Feild does a frock flick (or even gets dressed up in historical clothes in a modern film a la Austenland), I need to watch.
I was the target audience for this show back when it first aired – a huge Doctor Who fan who happily watched anything with the main cast I could find. I bought the first book in the series and read it all in one day, in the hours before this aired on PBS. Loved the book series, I enjoyed this adaptation, only wished they did the final book!