Fingersmith (2005– )

Susan "Sue" Trinder is a fingersmith (British slang for thief) who lives in the slums of London with a baby farmer (person who looks after unwanted babies) Mrs.Sucksby. When a once rich man... See full summary »

Stars:

Elaine Cassidy, Sally Hawkins, Imelda Staunton

3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Elaine Cassidy	...	Maud Lilly (3 episodes, 2005)
Sally Hawkins	...	Sue Trinder (3 episodes, 2005)
Imelda Staunton	...	Mrs. Sucksby (3 episodes, 2005)
Rupert Evans	...	Richard 'Gentleman' Rivers (3 episodes, 2005)
Polly Hemingway	...	Mrs Stiles (3 episodes, 2005)
Sarah Badel	...	Mrs. Frobisher (2 episodes, 2005)

Storyline

Susan "Sue" Trinder is a fingersmith (British slang for thief) who lives in the slums of London with a baby farmer (person who looks after unwanted babies) Mrs.Sucksby. When a once rich man, who gambled all his money away, presents them with a scam that has a payout of 40,000 pounds, Sue signs on to swindle rich Maud Lilly. Maud is an orphan who lives with her uncle, but what exactly is going on in the Lilly house? Sue will pose as Maud's maid so that Mr.Rivers (the gentleman) can get close to and eventually marry her. Their plan is to put Maud in the madhouse and take the money for themselves. All goes astray though when Sue falls in love with Maud. And the question is: Who can you trust?

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Plot Keywords:

thief | asylum | victorian era | lesbian kiss | lesbianism | 

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Taglines:

Two young women... one passion, mutual betrayal... Final retribution...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 2005 (UK)

Also Known As:

A tolvajlány

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sally Head Productions, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

181 min 181 min (3 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sally Hawkins, who plays Sue Trinder, also appeared as a maid in the earlier adaptation of another Sarah Waters' books Tipping the Velvet.

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Quotes

Richard 'Gentleman' Rivers: [to Maud] You think life is hard with money? You should try it without!

User Reviews

Brilliant adaptation

Having read all of Sarah Waters books i was eagerly looking forward to a BBC adaptation of Fingersmith. Especially since Tipping the Velvet had been done so well by old familiar Andrew Davies.

I was not disappointed with the results, in fact i think this might be on a par with TTV; both romantic and entertaining. And not as so many ignorant people would have you believe, a pointless lesbian romp. Having been a fan of Elaine Cassidy's since seeing her guileless turn in Felicia's Journey i thought she embodied both hard deception and a growing fragility as Maud. Her transformation was believable and impressive to watch. I recognised Sally Hawkins as Zena Blake from Tipping the Velvet, a small role primarily so i didn't have as many expectations but she was astounding in the role of Sue Trinder. Her eyes were mesmerising conveying everything from rage to absolute despair. The two of them acting together, combining these talents made this drama unmissable. Of course Imelda Staunton was amazing as usual, she is unmistakably a national treasure and the supporting cast were all of a high standard. Even the direction from the fairly unknown Aisling Walsh used contrasting yet beautiful shades of blue for Briar and brown for London.

However as much praise must be given to Ransley the script writer. To turn a 600 page book where every line is of the highest quality into a three hour extravaganza is a huge feat. He illuminated the main revelations at a steady pace whilst giving us plenty of back-story and character development at the same time. He has my full admiration.

In conclusion, a brilliant adaptation where all involved gave 100% and making this one of the best BBC dramas i've seen.