Tip Toe lands on Starz after Channel 4 run

Russell T Davies's five-part thriller Tip Toe reaches the United States at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 on Starz.

It is a miniseries, meaning a single closed story told across five episodes. The run totals five hours, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Alan Cumming and David Morrissey lead the cast. Cumming plays Leo Struthers, a gay bar owner in Manchester. Morrissey plays Clive Goss, his feuding neighbour.

The opening is stark. Leo is found hanging by his neck from a streetlight outside his Manchester home. The first episode then jumps back 10 days to trace how he got there.

Around Leo sits a tight circle. He runs a bar called Spit & Polish, where Zee, played by Iz Hesketh, works behind the bar. Jackson Connor plays George, the 16-year-old son of Clive. Paul Rhys plays Melba, described as an out and proud 60something.

The wider ensemble includes Joseph Evans, Elizabeth Berrington, Pooky Quesnel and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo. All five episodes were directed by Peter Hoar.

Channel 4 synopsises the drama as an ordinary Manchester suburb turning into a minefield of lies and violence. Trade press has described it as a darkly witty yet harrowing and explosive thriller about surging homophobia, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

Tip Toe is a Channel 4 drama that premiered in Britain over the summer before the Starz launch. Starz acquired the series for the US, where the full run is also streaming on the Starz site. In Britain it is available to stream free on Channel 4.

It was produced by Quay Street Productions. Nicola Shindler, Davies, Hoar and Cumming serve in executive roles, according to Channel 4.

What makes this stand out for viewers is the scheduling. British audiences have already seen the whole story. American audiences get it as a weekly 9 p.m. Friday slot, with the Starz page presenting it as Season 1.

The Hollywood Reporter gave its verdict as “Breathlessly and tragically of the moment.”