Filming has begun on ‘Tip Toe’, a brand new five-part drama from multi-BAFTA winner Russell T Davies (It’s a Sin, Queer as Folk, Years and Years) for Channel 4, and it has already secured two huge names for its leads. Alan Cumming (The Traitors, Glenrothan) and David Morrissey (Sherwood, Daddy Issues) are set to star in what is being described as an urgent, captivating and exciting suburban thriller.
Cumming takes on the role of Leo, the vivid and witty owner of Spit & Polish, a bar in Manchester’s Gay Village. Morrissey will play his troubled next-door neighbour Clive, a man whose unsmiling exterior hides deeper turmoil.
Speaking about the project, Cumming commented:
“The best things in life are worth waiting for, and the best people. Russell T Davies and I have been trying to work together for over 20 years. Now, not only are we working together but doing so with one of my dearest, oldest friends, Dave Morrissey, and in a piece of work I think is so brilliant and prescient and necessary. I don’t say this lightly, but this is truly an honour.”
Morrissey added:
“I’m delighted to be working with Russell again, and also to be working with Alan who has been a great friend of mine for over 40 years but we’ve never had the chance to work together. It’s a privilege to be with them both on this astonishing piece of work.”
A Suburban Battle Turns Deadly
Set in Manchester, the story follows Leo and Clive, neighbours for nearly 15 years whose lives take a dark turn as tensions in the world seep into their own back gardens. Words become weapons, opinions grow radicalised, and what begins as a neighbourly clash escalates into a deadly enmity. Blending Davies’ trademark humour with biting social commentary, ‘Tip Toe’ shines a light on prejudices that are once again creeping into everyday life.
The Wider Cast
The series has also lined up an impressive supporting cast. Pooky Quesnel (The A Word, Moonflower Murders) plays Clive’s wife Marie, with Jackson Connor (Phoenix Rise, Masters of the Air) as their youngest son George and Joseph Evans (The Map That Leads To You, CC Emily) as George’s older brother Saul. On Leo’s side of the fence, Elizabeth Berrington (Lost Boys & Fairies, Last Night in Soho) appears as best friend Stephanie, while Iz Hesketh (Renegade Nell, Hollyoaks) and Shakeel Kimotho (La Cage Aux Folles, CATS) star as Zee and Hanna, both working at Spit & Polish.
The bar’s manager Judy will be played by Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Wednesday, Devs), with Paul Rhys (Saltburn, Napoleon) as Canal Street fixture Melba. Charlie Condou (Doctor Who, Unforgotten) joins as Leo’s ex-husband Curtis, and Denise Welch (Waterloo Road, Coronation Street) rounds out the line-up as Diane.
Behind The Camera
‘Tip Toe’ reunites Davies with some of his frequent collaborators. Produced by Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios), the executive producer line-up includes Nicola Shindler, Russell T Davies, Peter Hoar, and Alan Cumming himself. Phil Collinson serves as producer, with Peter Hoar also directing, and casting by Andy Pryor. The series will be distributed internationally by ITV Studios, with Gemma Boswell acting as Commissioning Editor for Channel 4.
Davies’ last project for Channel 4 was the acclaimed ‘It’s a Sin’, a drama that explored the human story of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. That series became Channel 4’s biggest ever instant boxset on streaming, so expectations are already high for ‘Tip Toe’.
‘Tip Toe’ does not yet have a premiere date, but will air on Channel 4 in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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