Russell T Davies's new drama Tip Toe opens with a shocking suburban scene: a teenage boy at a window, a mother screaming, and a father standing in the garden, blankly staring. The camera pulls back to reveal something so disturbing it 'hardly computes', before flashing back ten days to explain how they got there.
The father, Clive, is played by David Morrissey, an electrician trapped in an unhappy marriage to Marie (Pooky Quesnel). He has two sons: George (Jackson Connor), a 16-year-old college student, and Saul (Joseph Evans), 25, who helps with the family business. In the opening episode, Clive reluctantly aids his flamboyantly gay neighbour Leo (Alan Cumming), who has been locked out of his house trouserless after a one-night stand.
The first instalment crams in refugees, homophobia, gay rights, transgender issues, and even Donald Trump. The review notes it 'occasionally leans towards agitprop', with characters delivering polemics rather than natural dialogue. However, it applauds the performances, especially Morrissey, and says Davies's storytelling brilliance means the drama 'really builds from here'. By the second episode, the narrative becomes more engaging as Davies shifts from box-ticking to character-driven storytelling.
Despite lacking the discipline of his earlier works like It's a Sin, the series weaves its strands together with mounting momentum. The conclusion is described as extreme, but the performances and Davies's instinctive craft make it a compelling watch.
