Channel 4 releases first-look images of Alan Cumming and David Morrissey in Russell T Davies’ eagerly awaited drama Tip Toe

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As the final week of filming continues on the multi-BAFTA award-winning writer Russell T Davies’ new five-part drama Tip Toe, Channel 4 has released first look images featuring leads Alan Cumming and David Morrissey.

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Emmy and Tony award-winner and Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee Alan Cumming (The Traitors, Glenrothan) is Leo, the owner of a bar called Spit & Polish in Manchester’s Gay Village. BAFTA-nominated and RTS-winner David Morrissey (Sherwood, Daddy Issues) is Clive, Leo’s unsmiling and troubled next-door neighbour. 

Leo and Clive have lived next door to each other in Manchester for almost 15 years. 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 that challenges everything we consider safe. The series, populated with a cast of vibrant characters and underscored by Davies’ trademark wit and deft humour, is an urgent tale that brings a spotlight to bear on the prejudices creeping back into our lives, a story that speaks not just to the queer community but to the world today.

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©️Channel 4

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Russell T Davies said, “We’re in the final days of filming, and I’m so excited for 2026 – this show has some of the finest acting I’ve ever seen, from the most splendid cast, and I can’t wait for it to hit Channel 4.”

Filmed entirely in Manchester the series also stars Pooky Quesnel (The A Word) as Clive’s wife Marie, Jackson Connor (Masters of the Air) as Clive’s youngest son George, Joseph Evans (The Map That Leads To You) as George’s older brother Saul, Elizabeth Berrington (Lost Boys & Fairies) as Leo’s best friend Stephanie, Iz Hesketh (Renegade Nell) as Zee and Shakeel Kimotho (La Cage Aux Folles (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), CATS (International Tour) as Hanna, who both work at Spit & Polish,  Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Wednesday) as the bar’s manager Judy, Paul Rhys (Saltburn) as Melba, a Canal Street fixture, Charlie Condou (Doctor Who) as Leo’s ex-husband Curtis, and Denise Welch (Waterloo Road) as Diane.

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©️Channel 4

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Russell T Davies’ most recent Channel 4 drama was the extraordinary and critically acclaimed It’s A Sin, which powerfully examined the devastating human story behind the 1980s AIDS crisis and became Channel 4’s biggest-ever instant box set on streaming. 

Tip Toe is produced by Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios), with Nicola Shindler (Queer as Folk, It’s A Sin, Fool Me Once), Russell T Davies (It’s a Sin, Queer as Folk, Years and Years), Peter Hoar (Queer as Folk, It’s A Sin, Fool Me Once) and Alan Cumming serving as Executive Producers. The series will be produced by Phil Collinson (It’s A Sin, Gentleman Jack, Doctor Who). The series is directed by Peter Hoar with casting by Andy Pryor (Doctor Who, It’s A Sin, Gentleman Jack). Gemma Boswell is the Commissioning Editor at Channel 4. Tip Toe is produced in association with ITV Studios, which will distribute the show internationally.

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