Fingersmith - Season 1 - Episode 1
Since she was orphaned, Sue Trinder (Sally Hawkins) has been brought up amongst pickpockets and charlatans. She has been protected and cared for by Mrs Sucksby (Imelda Staunton) who believes Sue is too good a girl to get directly involved in such a world. But when Mrs Sucksby's old friend Richard Rivers (Rupert Evans) offers 20-year-old Sue £3,000 to assist him in one of his scams, Mrs Sucksby cannot resist. Passing himself off as a proper gent, Rivers has befriended a young lady, Maud Lilly (Elaine Cassidy), who stands to inherit a fortune when she marries. However, Maud's maid has recently left her service and, without a chaperone, Rivers' access to Maud is limited. He wants Sue to be accepted as the new maid and to help him win Maud over. Once married, Rivers plans to have Maud committed to an asylum and he will then take her fortune for himself. Arriving at Briar, the estate where Maud lives with her wealthy bookish Uncle Lilly (Charles Dance), Sue enters another world.
About Fingersmith

Title: Fingersmith
First Air Date: 2005-03-27
Last Air Date: 2005-04-10
Status: Ended
Rating: 7.3/10 (from 87 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 1
Total Episodes: 3
Network: BBC One
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Crime
Production Companies: Sally Head Productions, BBC
Synopsis
A young woman is hired as a maid to an heiress who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering uncle. But, the maid has a secret: she is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a gentleman to help him seduce the heiress to elope with him, rob her of her fortune, and lock her up in a madhouse. The plan seems to proceed according to plan until the women discover some unexpected emotions.
Cast

Sally Hawkins
Sue Trinder

Elaine Cassidy
Maud Lilly

Rupert Evans
Richard 'Gentleman' Rivers

Charles Dance
Mr. Chistopher Lilly

Imelda Staunton
Mrs. Sucksby

Polly Hemingway
Mrs. Stiles

David Troughton
Mr. Ibbs

Sarah Badel
Mrs. Frobisher

Bronson Webb
John Vroom

Richard Durden
Mr. Hawtrey