Channel 4's highly anticipated new drama Tip Toe premieres tonight, and viewers are already questioning whether the series is rooted in reality.
What Is Tip Toe About?
The five-part suburban thriller follows electrician Clive, played by David Morrissey, and gay bar owner Leo, portrayed by Alan Cumming. After coexisting peacefully for 15 years as neighbours, their relationship turns dangerously adversarial when Clive's hidden prejudices surface.
Speaking ahead of the drama's launch, Alan Cumming described the programme as "overwhelming and brutal" during an appearance on ITV's This Morning. He added: "It's about the way that violence and hatred are sort of normalised so much in our culture nowadays. It's hopefully a wake-up call for everybody."
Is Tip Toe Based on a True Story?
While Tip Toe is not directly based on real events, creator Russell T Davies has revealed that it takes inspiration from his own personal experiences and those of his friends. He told HuffPost UK: "Things happened both at work and at home – in ways that I'm not going to go into because it'll only encourage them to happen again, genuinely – that made me think 'that's enough'."
Davies elaborated: "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."
At the Tip Toe screening, Davies further explained: "I think it's a crisis happening day after day – and it's anyone. Everyone's being weaponised against [each other]. You could make a Jewish version of this drama, you could make a disabled version of this drama, women could make this drama. I see straight white men who could make this drama, feeling marginalised. It's the temperature of the dialogue and the argument and the pitch of it – all driven by our phones – that's alarming me greatly."
Who Stars in Tip Toe?
The ensemble cast includes Alan Cumming (The Traitors), David Morrissey (The Walking Dead), Denise Welch (Waterloo Road, Loose Women), and Charlie Condou (Coronation Street).
Tip Toe airs tonight, Sunday, May 31, at 9pm on Channel 4, with all episodes available to stream on the platform.
