Tip Toe

Tip Toe begins with a woman screaming, “Monster!” in horror, but to label the show itself as horror suggests this to be a work of heightened fiction. In truth, the dread and terror evoked here are all too real. While It's A Sin reflected on gay history (it’s set between 1981 and 1991) and Years And Years took a prescient look at the near-future, this latest rallying cry from Russell T Davies is rooted in the here and now. Specifically, the fear, rage and despair that characterise modern-day life as a queer person in the UK.

Queer joy does pop up occasionally, connecting Leo (Alan Cumming) to his chosen family on Canal Street, for example. But these aren’t the moments that will stick with you. No, it’s Clive (David Morrissey) showing up in Leo’s home unannounced; it’s Leo no longer apologising for simply existing; and most of all, it’s the sight of Leo’s feet dangling from the lamppost he’s been hanged from in the street. That’s not a spoiler, by the way. Tip Toe opens with Stephanie (Elizabeth Berrington) broken at the sight of her friend strung up for all to see, establishing an immediate sense of dread as we jump back ten days to understand how we reached this point.

Knowing Leo’s story ends this way creates a constant unease heightened by each individual conflict. Small at first, the clashes build primarily in taut two-handers, with Cumming and Morrissey both doing career-best work that finds nuance in even the most difficult moments. Director Peter Hoar, who’s previously collaborated with Davies on Nolly, It’s A Sin and Doctor Who, expertly handles the shifting tension as it ebbs and flows, the abrasive drama hurtling towards a crescendo that's almost too hard to watch. Watch we must, though, because Tip Toe wrestles with vital conversations that remain overlooked elsewhere.

As such, it’s easy to forgive the occasional heavy-handed monologue. The most effective one comes early on via Leo’s friend Melba (Paul Rhys): “I used to walk into a room and just go, ‘Ta-da!’ Now I tiptoe, just in case.” We are lucky that Davies refuses to do the same, loudly calling out the real horrors queer people face at a time when everything should be getting better, not worse.