Russell T Davies is getting the ‘It’s A Sin’ and ‘Queer as Folk’ team back together for another powerfully resonant drama for Channel 4 called ‘Tip Toe‘, which will be produced by Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios) and executive produced by Nicola Shindler (Queer as Folk, It’s A Sin, Fool Me Once). The series will be directed by Peter Hoar (It’s A Sin, The Last of Us, Nolly).
In ‘Tip Toe’, Davies will explore the most corrosive forces facing the LGBTQ+ community today, examining the danger as prejudice creeps back into our lives. Problems we thought were long gone are returning, toughened and weaponised until no one knows truth from lies any more.
The five-part series will follow Leo and Clive who live next door to each other in Manchester. Leo runs a bar on Canal Street, and Clive’s an electrician, with two teenage sons. But just as life should be settling down, the world around them is growing more tense. Words become weapons, opinions become radicalised, and gradually, two neighbours become deadly enemies in a tense, suburban thriller which challenges everything we consider to be safe. The series, populated with a cast of vibrant characters and underscored with Davies’ trademark wit and deft humour, is an urgent yet gripping tale that brings a spotlight to bear on the re-emergence of an incipient threat.
Russell T Davies’ most recent Channel 4 drama was, of course, the outstanding, extraordinary and critically acclaimed, ‘It’s A Sin’, which powerfully examined the devastating human story behind the 1980s AIDS crisis and went on to become Channel 4’s biggest ever instant boxset on streaming.
Twenty-five years previously, the team behind ‘Tip Toe’ were behind the ground-breaking ‘Queer as Folk’. Now, they return to Manchester and Canal Street, with this vital story that speaks not just to the queer community but to the world today.
“It’s my honour to combine my old home, Channel 4, with my second home, Canal Street,” said Russell T Davies, Writer and Creator. “This is a show I had to write because the world is getting stranger, tougher and darker, and frankly, the fight is on.”
Nicola Shindler, Executive Producer, adds, “I am so pleased to be back working with Russell at Channel 4, and to be given the chance to tell such an important story. Tip Toe is not just a timely drama, but a captivating story shot through with Russell’s brilliant wit, warmth and devastating poignancy.”
‘Tip Toe’ was commissioned by Ollie Madden, Director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama and Gemma Boswell, Commissioning Editor for Drama at Channel 4. It will be produced by Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios), with Nicola Shindler, Russell T Davies and Peter Hoar serving as Executive Producers.
“It is a huge privilege to back this remarkable new series from Russell, one of the greatest writers of our time, and the man behind some of our most era-defining hits, including Queer as Folk and It’s A Sin,” said Madden. “We couldn’t love Tip Toe more: it is funny, gripping, full of heart, and an urgent call to arms. It perfectly represents what we’re about at Channel 4, and we are beyond thrilled to be working with Nicola, Russell and Peter again on this very special show.”
‘Tip Toe‘ does not have an air date yet, but will premiere on Channel 4 in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
