Tip Toe – Series Review | Channel 4

TIP TOE on Channel 4 is a thriller series by Russell T. Davies. With just 5 episodes, this series packs a fierce punch. Not unlike another show by the same creator: Years and Years. Not for the faint of heart, but so important that you cannot (and should not) look away. Read our Tip Toe series review here!

TIP TOE is a Channel 4 thriller series with five episodes. At its heart, it’s the story of two very different neighbors and a fatal outcome. This is not a spoiler. It’s the opening scene. Very appropriately, this UK series opens with a lot of warnings. There are many disturbing moments from the very beginning.

The series stars Alan Cumming and David Morrissey. From the beginning of this series, the latter comes across as an even darker and scarier person than he did in The Walking Dead. That’s saying a lot. In fact, overall, this plot hits so much closer to home than any post-apocalyptic show. This is the apocalypse!

Tip Toe is absolutely terrifying in its brutal realism, but it’s also so important and a must-watch. Especially for anyone who is queer or has LGBTQ+ loved ones. If you don’t recognize what is happening now, then you cannot help turn the tide. And we must come together to turn things around, so everyone can be safe.

Continue reading our Tip Toe series review below. You can find the first two episodes streaming on Channel 4 now.

Danger living just next door

Tip Toe follows Leo (Alan Cumming) and Clive (David Morrissey), who have been neighbors for 15 years. Now, just because they’ve lived next door to each other for nearly 15 years, you shouldn’t expect them to be friends.

The parts of their local neighborhoods in Manchester couldn’t be more different. Despite both of them getting closer to retirement, the world seems to be speeding up rather than settling down. Especially the world around them is more tense now than it has been for decades.

And yes, Tip Toe does play out in the present time.

And no, creator Russell T. Davies does not shy away from mentioning politicians, prime ministers, or presidents by name!

In this age, where words have become weaponized, and everyone is picking a side of increasingly radicalised opinions, danger can be living right next door. And you may not even see it coming.

Clive wants the world to remain very black and white (or, you know, white and white), while Leo is curious about all the colors of the rainbow. Sure, he also has his issues as an elder queer who needs to stay on top of pronouns.

However, unlike Clive, Leo wants to see the good in everyone. In this case, he would do well to also be aware of the potential danger.

From “Ta-daa!” to tiptoeing around

There is a line said during the first two episodes of Tip Toe, which references the title. It’s spoken by a friend of Leo, who owns the LGBTQ+ bar “Spit & Polish” in Manchester’s Gay Village, and it speaks volumes: “I used to walk into rooms and go, ta-daa! Now I walk on tip toe. In case I get seen.”

Suddenly, the freedom everyone fought for – and was promised even – is taking a backseat to those who feel they’re not “on top” anymore.

One of those people is Clive, the very troubled next-door neighbor of Leo. He’s a real man’s man, an electrician, and tries not to smile. At all.

Meanwhile, Leo is funny and entertaining (even by fibbing to add a little color to his stories), and always wants to spread joy.

Before long, Leo and Clive become deadly enemies as Clive is worried that Leo might be influencing his children. His children are 25 and 16 years of age, but Clive worries a lot.

Not about his 25-year-old still living at home, it seems, but there you have it.

As already mentioned, there is a fatal outcome to this story (again, this is the opening scene, not a spoiler), and then we go back to see what brought on this deadly result. Hatred, fear, and prejudices are definitely playing a big role.

And with how it’s playing an ever-greater role in our lives, it is terrifying and extremely realistic to watch this unfold.

Watch Tip Toe on Channel 4 in the UK

Tip Toe comes from the amazing mind of the creator, Russell T. Davies. With the creation of the Years and Years limited series (which we gave a top rating), Russell T. Davies deserves a place right next to Charlie Brooker (Black Mirror) in my book.

Both deliver intelligent sci-fi horror stories about the terrifying technical and political path our world seems hellbent on following. This new Channel 4 series has just five episodes, and they are directed by Peter Hoar, who previously directed The Last of Us, The Umbrella Academy, Altered Carbon, and It’s a Sin.

That last show was the previous creation from Russell T. Davies, which focused on the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. For the record, he has also written a vast number of Doctor Who episodes and created the Queer as Folk series, which also played out in Manchester.

Russell T. Davies is very much a genre and queer writer who focuses on both the hope of humanity and the horror of humans. With Tip Toe (as was the case with Years and Years), he is trying to highlight the dangers of the dark path we are on.

Will we learn from these stories? And will they even reach those who need to watch this? I don’t know, but I think Channel 4 is a good place for its release in the UK, while ITV (producer of the show via Quay Street Productions) handles international distribution.

We’ll update with information when we know who will release this series in North America, Europe, and other global markets. Unless they hurry, it won’t be during Pride month, which would otherwise be a very relevant timing for its release internationally.

Tip Toe premiered in the UK on Channel 4 on May 31, 2026.

Details

Creator: Russell T Davies
Director: Peter Hoar
Cast: Alan Cumming, David Morrissey, Pooky Quesnel, Jackson Connor, Joseph Evans, Elizabeth Berrington, Iz Hesketh, Shakeel Kimotho, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Paul Rhys, Charlie Condou, Denise Welch