STARZ has acquired the American and English Canadian rights to Tip Toe. The show was written by It’s a Sin’s Russell T Davies and explores LGBTQ rights in the UK. The show originally aired in June in the UK and started conversations about human rights in the country going backwards.
The five-part series will premiere exclusively on STARZ later this year. It comes after Davies’ run as Doctor Who showrunner comes to an end.
What is Tip Toe About?
Tip Toe stars Alan Cumming as an owner of a gay bar and Sherwood’s David Morrissey as his electrician neighbour in Manchester.
The show follows Cumming’s Leo and Morrissey’s Clive as men who have lived next door to each other for over 15 years. The pair becomes embroiled in a bitter feud after Clive starts to work at Leo’s club and starts to learn about the queer scene in the city.
The miniseries powerfully tackles the bubbling anger and widening divisions in the world, exploring how political rhetoric, misinformation, and secret online lives can fuel prejudice.
As the official synopsis states:
“But just as life should be settling down for both, the world around them is growing more tense. Words become weapons, opinions become radicalized and gradually the two neighbors become deadly enemies in a tense, thrilling drama that spotlights the prejudices that have started to creep back into our lives, in a story that speaks not just to the queer community, but to the world at large.”
Russel T Davies told Huffpost UK that a shift in society had been “rising up and rising up until I had to write it”.
“If this anger, this violence and these lies are getting close to my life – I’m in a very privileged, lucky and well off position, so for those who are not so well off, then this must be really bad. These times must be getting worse and worse and worse,” he added.
The series also stars Moonflower Murder’s Pooky Quesnel as Clive’s wife, Last Night In Soho’s Elizabeth Berrington as Leo’s best friend, Saltburn’s Paul Rhys as bar regular Melba, Doctor Who’s Charlie Condou as Leo’s ex-husband, and Denise Welch as Clive’s friend.
What Have Creatives Said About Tip Toe?
“Russell T Davies has created a gripping and deeply affecting series that speaks directly to the cultural tensions and anxieties shaping modern life,” said Alison Hoffman, President, STARZ Networks. “Anchored by extraordinary performances from Alan Cumming and David Morrissey, Tip Toe examines identity, fear, and polarization in our society in a way that is at once funny, devastating and profoundly human. It’s exactly the type of daring and original storytelling that we’re dedicated and proud to champion at STARZ.”
“It’s my great delight to return to STARZ after many years,” said Russell T Davies, executive producer. “Tip Toe’s launch in the U.K. has shown that audiences are hungry for strong, bold, opinionated material – and that’s a perfect fit for STARZ!”
Tip Toe Earned Rave Reviews
The series was almost universally praised by the critics when it aired in the UK. Many felt it opened up important conversations about prejudice within British communities.
“Tip Toe practically stomps in, boldly calling for history to not repeat itself. Davies has done it again, creating another landmark show that captures the queer zeitgeist,” Empire wrote.
“At times it feels as subtle as a brick in the face. But when Davies steps down from his pulpit and lets his characters breathe, his storytelling is visionary, devastating, passionate and humane. And we should listen,” said The Times.
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