Fingersmith was a period drama set in Victorian times. A crook called Mr Rivers hatches a plan with a young petty criminal (aka a fingersmith) called Sue Trinder. Sue will become the maid of Maud Lilly a woman who lives a sheltered life with her uncle cataloguing old manuscripts and unbeknown to her is heir to a fortune.
Sue’s task is to help Mr Rivers marry Maud then have her committed to an institution. But as the story progresses it emerges that it is actually Maud and Rivers who are working in partnership to double-cross Sue and in the end it seems everyone has some sort of secret scheme as the layers of the story unfold.
On 28 March 2004 BBC-4 had broadcast a documentary about Sarah Waters (narrated by Dilly Barlow) called Sarah Waters: Sex and the Victorian City.
production details
UK / BBC-1 / 3×60 minute episodes / Broadcast 27 March – 10 April 2005
Writer: Peter Ransley / Book: Sarah Waters / Script Editor: Catherine Oldfield / Music: Richard Blackford / Producer: Georgina Lowe / Director: Aisling Walsh
cast
Elaine Cassidy as Maud
Imelda Staunton as Mrs Sucksby
Sally Hawkins as Sue
David Troughton as Mr Ibbs
Richard Durden as Mr Hawtrey
Bronson Webb as John Vroom
Stephen Wight as Charles
Demelza Randall as Dainty
Rupert Evans as Rivers
Sam Graham as Doctor Christie
Sophie Stanton as Nurse Bacon
Tina Malone as Nurse Spiller
Charles Dance
Polly Hemingway
Wendy Morgan
Nick Lucas
Sarah Badel
Eileen Page
Michelle Dockery
Tim Preece
William Oliver
Laura Dos Santos
