Channel 4's hit series Tip Toe will be available to stream in America for the first time this autumn after smashing ratings in the UK. The critically acclaimed five-part series will premiere on STARZ on October 2.
Plot and Reception
The series followed Leo and Clive, who 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 which challenges everything we consider to be safe.
Viewers were left in tears in early June as the thought-provoking series came to a harrowing conclusion. After Clive saw images of his eldest son's sex work and youngest son George enjoying a night out in the gay village, tensions rose. The group of football fans at the party mocked Clive and suggested he was having an affair with the drag queen, acting as a catalyst for what comes next.
In an extreme and malignant attempt to reassert his masculinity, Clive and his group of rowdy football-loving guests attack Leo, before fatally hanging him from a lamppost outside his home. While the rest of the group runs off, Clive stands there in shock at what they had just done.
US Release and Audience Excitement
It was a huge success among viewers, launching with an initial overnight audience of about 1.1 million for its premiere. Its total 7-day consolidated audience more than doubled that figure, reaching an average of 2.4 million viewers across its broadcast and streaming rollout.
Audiences in the US can't wait either, as in the comments of the Instagram announcement one gushed: "FINALLY!!!" as another viewer added: "Very excited to see this. I just finished Torchwood and man I needed emotional support. I am sure will need it after this as well. Going to start stocking up on tissues."
Writer's Comments
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News at the premiere, writer Russell T Davies shared: "Tip Toe is very important to me. I wrote it in my heart. It's a tough little story that I hope people engage with."
On the evolution of how things have changed since the world of Queer as Folk, he added: "It changes and it doesn't change at the same time. Some of the same people, some of the same problems that you still have."
"We're seeing that everyone's out and happy and proud. We have many more rights than we did in the past, but equally that's part of the problem. Some people are taking our visibility and considering us to be too, and we have to go against that."
"We've got lovely big names today, especially Denise. But what's great about standing here tonight is there's a lot of young talent. We've got a lot of lads who have worked in Manchester Theatre. Local talent like Gabriel Clark. So it's not just the old ones, it's some really great young talent that we're happy to showcase."
