Jackson Connor, who played George Goss in Channel 4's hit thriller Tip Toe, has returned to his day job as a dental assistant despite his starring role in the show. The young actor portrayed George Goss, a closeted 16-year-old from Manchester, in the Russell T Davies-penned drama.
Return to the Day Job
The drama aired to huge acclaim in May and June this year, but Jackson has been keeping it real since it ended by working in his day job. Speaking to BBC Manchester, he confessed: "A couple of people have been sort of looking at me. I had some people just stare, and I'm like thinking, what are they thinking? And some people have said it."
Some people took it one further as he recalled: "I've had one person ask for a picture whilst I was in surgery, which was funny." He told the broadcaster he has an understanding boss, admitting: "I'm forever grateful to my boss at work. She understands that at a moment's notice the next day I might need to be up in London or Manchester, and they're always covering my back."
Fan Reactions and Career Background
While some of the encounters may be questionable, he also shared he enjoys getting feedback from viewers who were moved by the show. "I like it, I think it's great to meet people who love the show and really connected with it, because people really did connect with it."
Tip Toe was Jackson's biggest role to date, following appearances as an unnamed soldier in SAS Rogue Heroes and Sam in the children's series Phoenix Rise.
About the Show
The show followed single gay bar proprietor Leo (played by Alan Cumming) and married father and electrician Clive, who had lived side by side in relative harmony for the past 15 years. However, a rapidly intensifying dispute between the two neighbours unfolded over one fateful week, culminating in a scene that nobody could have anticipated.
The show was shot exclusively in and around Manchester, with an emphasis on the outlying suburban districts of Greater Manchester, particularly the renowned Manchester Gay Village, which serves as the setting for Leo's fictional establishment, Spit and Polish. One of the primary locations was The Church bar in Sackville Street, just off Canal Street, with creator Russell sharing a photograph of himself beside a "toilets" sign, with the caption: "The glamour of filming on location!"
Manchester's Gay Village holds particular significance for him as 27 years ago, he filmed his seminal series Queer as Folk in Canal Street, alongside some of his other programmes like Cucumber, Banana and Tofu. He remarked: "It's my honour to combine my old home, Channel 4, with my second home, Canal Street. This is a show I had to write because the world is getting stranger, tougher and darker, and frankly, the fight is on."
