Russell T Davies working on tense new gay drama

Russell T Davies is back to what he does best: telling apologetically queer stories on the small screen. He already brought us Queer as Folk and It's A Sin, and is now creating Tip Toe.

In the five-part Channel 4 series, 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 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 radicalized, and gradually, two neighbors become deadly enemies in a tense, suburban thriller which challenges everything we consider to be safe. 

"This is a show I had to write because the world is getting stranger, tougher and darker, and frankly, the fight is on," explained Davies.

Davies revealed his script was turned down by ITV, the BBC and even Channel 4 the first time around. Luckily, Channel 4 reconsidered.

Nicola Shindler, executive producing the series, said: "I am so pleased to be back working with Russell... and to be given the chance to tell such an important story."