Ruth Kirby is a 'genius'. Homeschooled from a young age, precocious and witty Ruth already has some A* GCSEs at the age of 13. Her first experience of primary school was so traumatic that her parents pulled her out within days. Since then, her parents have 'hothoused' her with one-to-one tuition and this is how her life has been up until she's enrolled in Waterloo Road. She saw that if she violated the three strike rule she would get expelled, and tried to be as disruptive as possible, yet Karen Fisher caught onto her plan.
Ruth has a nasty streak and enjoys using her intellect to put others down, she sees Waterloo Road as beneath her and isn't afraid to tell anyone. Whilst Ruth has an IQ to envy, she doesn't have social skills, and often disrupts classes because she feels bored. She's a prime target for bullying and taunting and can't seem to gel with anyone - not even the adults who she's used to impressing. When her academic streaming means she's in A-Level classes with Jonah and Jess for some subjects, GCSE classes with Finn, Amy and Sambuca, and with Denzil and Em for sports and food tech, she soon discovers she fits nowhere, yet her and Harry become good friends, and she sticks up for Harry when he is being bullied during his bulimia crisis. Also when Amy and Lauren, who initially do not like Ruth, want to be friends, she declines their offer, saying she'd rather hang out with Harry.
Trivia
- Anna Jobarteh also made a brief appearance in Series 5 Episode 3 when she was in a group of extras in the playground.
Quotes
- "No! I don't want to be here, you can't make me!" (first line)
- Jonah: "You'll be alright. Just don't be too much like...Ruth."
- Ruth: "Gee, thanks."
- "Fine, chemical warfare won't get me expelled from this dump."
- Ruth: "And what about me? Can't have me in your school, after everything I've done. Don't forget about the smoke bomb."
- Karen: "Oh I haven't."
- Ruth: "Expel me."
- "Finally I might get an education."
- "I just wanted to say, I'd like to go back to my normal classes. And I'm sorry about your daughter. The missing one."
- Ruth: "Jonah! Have you seen Dad's in school? Come to rescue us, finally."
- Jonah: "Some of us don't need rescuing, I told you."
- Ruth: "Well, I do. I hate it here, and as soon as he sees that, he's gonna take me out."
- Ruth: "Then fight back."
- Harry: "It's not gonna stop them."
- Ruth: "All bullies are cowards."
- Harry: "Why does everyone think all bullies are cowards? They're not. They're just bullies."
- Ruth: "You're just gonna let them keep having a go at you?"
- Ruth: "You know, I'm beginning to think you guys might fancy him."
- Bully: "You what?"
- Ruth: "You can't keep your hands off him, can you? Chasing him around school every day. Don't you think there's something a bit latent about that?"
- Bully: "Am I supposed to know what 'latent' means?"
- Ruth: "I doubt you'll ever know what 'latent' means."
- "I'd rather be a loser with no mates, than a sad insecure cow who has to put people down she's threatened by."
- Ruth: "D'you wanna know why, Dad? Because of you, that's why! I'm fed up of always being on show, making you look good. Maybe I'm not as clever as you, but I'm my own person, and from now on, that's who I wanna be. Not Marcus Kirby's genius daughter, just me. Plain old Ruth."
- Amy: "Um, Ruth? You can hang out with us if you like."
- Ruth: "I'd rather hang out with Harry Fisher. Laters!"
- Marcus: "That's not a word!"
- Ruth: "It's my word!"
- Ruth: "Your kind of spying is even more devious than the school's."
- Jonah: "I'm making a point."
- Ruth: "There's nothing wrong with the cameras. It's just whether they're used or misused."
- Ruth: "You just don't care, do you? About us, about your job?"
- Marcus: "That's enough."
- Ruth: "Call yourself a teacher? You're nothing. Just a useless, lazy bully."
- Ruth: "Dad...I don't wanna go."
- Marcus: "What?"
- Ruth: "Well, maybe an education's more than just what I can get for myself?"
- Karen: "Absolutely right."
- Ruth: "I feel bad that you're leaving, because I said I wanted to spend more time with you. And, now...would you let me stay?"
- "You know, if everybody knew about Mr Budgen's wife, I'm sure they'd want to help."
- Ruth: "Harry! Just the person I need."
- Harry: "What for?"
- Ruth: "I want you to help me retrieve what Jonah's just been looking at."
- Harry: "I can't do that."
- Ruth: "Yeah you can, you're a whizz at all that stuff!"
- Harry: "It's spying!"
- Ruth: "Look...Jonah's been acting really weird recently. Really distant and offish. He's never at home."
- Harry: "If you're that worried, you should try talking to him."
- Ruth: "I have tried. He just ignores me."
- Chris: "Did he stay at Ronan's last night?"
- Ruth: "Doubt it. Vicki's just spent the whole of Maths blabbering on about being with him."
- Chris: "Jonah could've been there as well?"
- Ruth: "Even I know when three's a crowd."
- Ruth: "Don't see why I have to be punished as well, though. Just cos you won't let him out of your sight any more."
- Marcus: "Ruth, look..."
- Ruth: "I was finally starting to settle in, make some proper friends. Now I'm getting pulled out of school for something he did."
- "You'll be fine. You'll make loads of new mates. It's not like we won't keep in touch." (final line)