Russell T. Davies Praises Starz For Picking Up ‘Tip Toe’ LGBTQ Series In U.S. Despite Trump’s “Hatred, Bile & Anger”
Deadline
•Sat, 04 Jul 2026 22:02:20 +0000
📰 What Happened
Renowned TV writer Russell T. Davies ('Doctor Who', 'Queer as Folk', 'Years and Years') has praised Starz for picking up his LGBTQ thriller limited series 'Tip Toe' for US and Canadian distribution, despite the Trump administration's hostile stance toward minority communities. Davies told Attitude magazine that the series addresses exactly the problems that arise when 'the President of the free world talks with hatred, bile and anger about minorities.' The series was produced by Channel 4 in the UK without American funding, and Davies initially assumed it would never find a US broadcaster under the current political climate. He commended Starz for having 'nerve' in picking it up.
🔍 The Backstory
Russell T. Davies is one of British television's most celebrated writers, known for reviving 'Doctor Who' in 2005 and creating landmark LGBTQ series like 'Queer as Folk' (1999) and 'It's a Sin' (2021). 'Tip Toe' is described as his 'angriest, darkest series yet' — a thriller starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey that explicitly tackles anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and its real-world consequences. Davies has previously said the show would be called 'woke on a colossal scale.' The series was developed and produced by Channel 4 in the UK before being acquired by Starz for North American distribution — significant because the Trump administration has rolled back LGBTQ protections and amplified anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
🎯 Why It Matters
Davies' pointed praise of Starz for having 'nerve' to air an explicitly LGBTQ series during the Trump administration highlights the growing cultural divide between media companies willing to take political stands and the political pressures they face, while also underscoring the global significance of US distribution for politically charged content.
Renowned TV writer Russell T. Davies ('Doctor Who', 'Queer as Folk', 'Years and Years') has praised Starz for picking up his LGBTQ thriller limited series 'Tip Toe' for US and Canadian distribution, despite the Trump administration's hostile stance toward minority communities. Davies told Attitude magazine that the series addresses exactly the problems that arise when 'the President of the free world talks with hatred, bile and anger about minorities.' The series was produced by Channel 4 in the UK without American funding, and Davies initially assumed it would never find a US broadcaster under the current political climate. He commended Starz for having 'nerve' in picking it up.
Russell T. Davies is one of British television's most celebrated writers, known for reviving 'Doctor Who' in 2005 and creating landmark LGBTQ series like 'Queer as Folk' (1999) and 'It's a Sin' (2021). 'Tip Toe' is described as his 'angriest, darkest series yet' — a thriller starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey that explicitly tackles anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and its real-world consequences. Davies has previously said the show would be called 'woke on a colossal scale.' The series was developed and produced by Channel 4 in the UK before being acquired by Starz for North American distribution — significant because the Trump administration has rolled back LGBTQ protections and amplified anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
Davies' pointed praise of Starz for having 'nerve' to air an explicitly LGBTQ series during the Trump administration highlights the growing cultural divide between media companies willing to take political stands and the political pressures they face, while also underscoring the global significance of US distribution for politically charged content.