MUMBAI: Fremantle International Distribution has sold the star-studded period drama, Fingersmith, to Viacom's new cable channel, Logo. The show is produced by Sally Head Production.

Logo is the US channel targeting gay and lesbian audiences.

FID vice president programme distribution, North America and Canada Lisa Honig brokered the deal. Fingersmith, which was originally produced for BBC1 in the UK, has now been sold to 19 territories including Belgium, France, Australia, Finland, New Zealand and Japan.

FID managing director David Ellender said, "This most recent sale is testimony to the diversity of our catalogue. This diversity, coupled with the creative excellence of our programming allows us to stay ahead of the market. We are delighted to contribute to the programming line-up of MTV's newly launched channel, Logo."

Logo senior vice president and general manager Lisa Sherman said, "Fingersmith has been applauded for its high quality and production values, and we are extremely happy to have it making its US debut on Logo. Fingersmith is a fine example of the premier content available on Logo."

Starring Oscar-nominee Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake, Bright Young Things, David Copperfield), Fingersmith is a Peter Ransley adaptation of the Booker-nominated novel by Sarah Waters, the same author of controversial novel and BBC drama, Tipping the Velvet.

Fingersmith (the Victorian slang term for a pickpocket) tells the story of Sue Trinder, the adopted daughter of Mrs Sucksby and Mr Ibbs, who live in a world of petty thievery and charlatans in their loot-hold in Lant Street. As the one child kept and nurtured by her foster mother, Sue feels safe and loved. But her sheltered life is turned upside down when conman Richard Rivers, nicknamed "Gentleman," comes to Lant Street to recruit Sue's help for an ambitious scam to defraud wealthy young heiress, Maud Lilly. In the dark twisting alleyways of Dickensian London, the lives of the two very different young women are set to collide with terrifying consequences.