Alan Cumming's new thriller asks what happens when hate moves next door

The series premieres on Channel 4 in the U.K. and stars Alan Cumming as bar owner Leo and David Morrissey as Clive, an electrician living next door in Manchester. The story centers on two neighbors whose relationship deteriorates as tensions rise in their community. The series frames its themes around a perceived sliding back of LGBTQ+ rights and the mainstreaming of online-fueled extremism. It also addresses how language and opinions can become weapons, turning everyday interactions into radicalized hostility. The narrative is described as having a queer lens while aiming to resonate with marginalized communities, including disabled people who face real-world denial and accusations.

"Russell T. Davies says the series explores what he sees as a growing backlash against LGBTQ+ rights and the normalization of online-fueled extremism. Speaking to the BBC, Davies said Tip Toe pulls back the curtain on a "sliding back of gay rights" and highlights how the terrors of the online world have become mainstream. And while it's clearly shot through what Davies called "a queer lens," he believes its themes will resonate with many marginalized communities."

""A Jew could have written this," Davies said. "If this was a Jewish version of the story you wouldn't be calling it timely, you'd be calling it too late." His comments followed last month's stabbing attacks on Jewish men in North London that police categorized as terror attacks, as well as the firebombings of synagogues."

"Davies believes the disabled community will also see itself represented in Tip Toe. "I have had a friend in a wheelchair have someone knock on her door and tell her she's lying, that she's a benefit fraud, and that she can actually walk. That actually is physically happening in the world," said Davies."

""Just as life should be settling down, the world around them is growing more tense," reads the official synopsis. "Words become weapons, opinions become radicalised, and gradually, two neighbors become deadly enemies in a tense, suburban thriller which challenges everything we consider to be safe.""

Read at Advocate.com