It's been over five years since It's a Sin burst onto our screens – a vibrant drama that perfectly balanced queer joy, resilience and vital historical storytelling. Now, Russell T Davies is back with another LGBTQ+ drama, Channel 4's Tip Toe.
The comparisons were always going to be inevitable, such was the cultural impact of It's a Sin, and sure, there are some clear through-lines. But Tip Toe stands alone, a defiant, urgent, and absolutely necessary piece of television that has managed to encapsulate this very specific moment in time. That it's airing now, at the start of Pride month, only adds to its cultural significance.
Through its protagonists – Leo Struthers (Alan Cumming), a gay elder who owns his own bar in Manchester's historic Canal Street, and Clive Goss (David Morrissey), a tradesperson, husband and father to two sons – we see two vastly different ways of moving through life in 2026. These two men also happen to be neighbours.
Cumming and Morrissey embody the demands of their respective roles masterfully, but it is Cumming who gives an exceptional, career-defining performance here, bringing all of the different shades of Leo to life.
Both Clive and Leo are struggling, in their own unique ways, with the fast-changing world they find themselves in. Leo is feeling the swing back to intolerance, reminiscent of the kinds of homophobic narratives he was fighting against in the '80s and early '90s, and he is tired. He is also having to start over in other ways, as a single man coming into his 60s, after the breakdown of his longterm relationship.
Meanwhile, Clive has been hit by an economic shift, struggling to find work and to provide for his family, emotionally withdrawn from his wife, and unable to articulate his internalised feelings of failure.
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Both part of an older generation, they are also each navigating a disconnect from the younger people in their lives – but while one (Leo) tries to approach this with empathy and kindness first, even if he doesn't always get it right, the other (Clive) is allowing his ideas and opinions to be warped and manipulated by the online sphere and toxic algorithms.
Tip Toe has entered the world at a pivotal time, and joins a number of other landmark TV shows – including Adolescence and more recently Half Man – that are trying to make sense of what we're facing today, pulling in themes of toxic masculinity, the dangers of social media and misinformed rhetoric, and outbursts of extreme violence.
Of course, Tip Toe has a very unique and distinctive queer dimension to bring to the table.
The shocking opening to episode one shows the camera panning Calico Road, where Leo and Clive reside, sweeping past the devastated faces of a number of Tip Toe's characters (the ensemble cast, mostly made of new faces, it has to be noted, is stellar).
The aerial shot then reveals some feet dangling from a lamp post. Some might argue that the scene is too graphic, traumatic even, but wherever you land on that, its realistic effect is grounding and leaves you on edge for the entirety of the drama's five episodes.
Tip Toe is loud and disruptive in its tone, and it has every right to be. But for all of its bold and much-needed dialogue, there is also a quiet authenticity woven throughout every layer of its storytelling; in a singular glance, or a subtle shift in mood, everything can change.
Whether you think we are currently standing on a precipice, or you'd argue that we have already fallen off the edge, there's no denying that life has become more difficult for LGBTQ+ people – particularly for trans and non-binary folk, who historically have always been on the front line.
When it comes to the UK specifically, which of course is the setting for this drama, we know that hostility is growing. ILGA-Europe's annual Rainbow Map, which ranks European countries based on the legal standing and policy for LGBTQ+ people, has seen the UK drop significantly, now sitting in 22nd place after years and years of decline (for context, we used to be a leading nation).
Tip Toe creator Russell T Davies – who let's not forget, also brought us the groundbreaking Queer as Folk in the late '90s plus the eerily relevant Years and Years – is now putting that conversation firmly on our screens, beaming into homes across the UK at a primetime 9pm slot.
In Tip Toe, the character of Melba (played by Paul Rhys) acts as something of a direct line between the audience and the drama itself, providing some of the most insightful and important dialogue that narrates the core message that Tip Toe is here to impart.
In the first episode, Leo and Melba are sitting on "home turf", in the safe space of Canal Street, reflecting on the state of things in 2026.
"Do you ever think it's coming back," Leo asks, referencing "all that shit from the '90s" when "we were despised".
"It's back," Melba replies bluntly. "It's here... It's a great big tsunami, and we're in the middle of it right now."
"Look at me, I'm as out and as proud as anything... but the past couple of years, I'm a lot more careful," Melba adds.
"I used to walk into a room and just go, 'Ta-da!' Now I tip toe, just in case."
In contrast, Tip Toe does not tip toe. Its message is loud, and everyone needs to be paying attention.
Tip Toe episodes 1 and 2 are now on Channel 4. The series will continue with episode 3 on 9pm on Sunday 7 June.
TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
