Alan Cumming: “Tip Toe shows how normalised violence and hatred have become”

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I was reading this interview with Alan Cumming, and it was a really interesting scene. He was sitting in a fancy London hotel, talking about how you can enjoy life and be passionate about making a difference, when he just stopped talking mid-sentence. He stared at his hand, looked totally puzzled for a second, and then suddenly seemed really relieved. It was a weird, captivating moment – made me wonder what was going through his head!

He noticed his finger looked green and wondered what was happening. Then he remembered he was still wearing green eyeshadow from earlier that day. He also pointed out he still had red marks from a dermatology treatment he’d received in New York. He joked that it was a good thing he wasn’t on a video call.

Alan Cumming often veers off on tangents, and this sudden shift from serious social and political commentary is typical of his style. He’ll move quickly from personal anecdotes – like discussing his enjoyment of hosting The Traitors US or the renovations at his Scottish home – to seemingly unrelated observations, such as the new mayor of New York missing a prominent event despite being honored by Time magazine (alongside Cumming himself). He then might jump to a story about a local building’s transformation. This isn’t because he’s easily distracted; his mind simply races and processes many thoughts simultaneously.

It’s no surprise he’s so successful. Just look at his incredibly diverse career! He started as part of the Scottish cabaret duo Victor and Barry in the 1980s, then went on to play the Emcee in Cabaret both in London’s West End and on Broadway. He spent seven seasons on The Good Wife, performed a one-man version of Macbeth on stage, appeared in films like Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion and an X-Men movie, and he’s won four Emmys for The Traitors US – all while writing seven books and running his own cabaret venue. That’s quite an achievement!

According to acclaimed theatre director John Tiffany, Alan Cumming possesses an unparalleled talent for innovation and constantly reinventing himself. Tiffany has directed Cumming in productions like The Bacchae, which launched the 2007 Edinburgh International Festival, and Macbeth (staged in Glasgow and on Broadway). He describes Cumming as someone whose curiosity, adaptability, skill, and tireless energy combine to make him a true modern Renaissance person.

It’s clear from his current schedule just how incredibly versatile he is. Since arriving in London last night from New York – where he attended the Time 100 gala – he’s been promoting his new drama, Tip Toe, where he stars as the lead. Right after our conversation, he’s heading to another photoshoot, then traveling to Scotland, where he’s been the artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre since January 2025.

His first season began in late May with the popular musical Once, and also features a role as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. He’s also performing in a new play by Martin Sherman, directed by Alan Cumming and starring Simon Russell Beale as Liberace. He recently finished touring Scotland with The High Life: the Musical, which is based on a 1990s BBC sitcom he and Forbes Masson created, set on a rundown airline. The sitcom was known for its cheeky humor – one memorable line was, “How’s your arse for love bites, Miss Spurtle?”

After everything that happened, he could end up anywhere – maybe back in the Scottish Highlands, or perhaps in New York. He was last in Los Angeles on Tuesday, then New York, and yesterday he flew to London to meet with TopMob today.

He mentioned running into Liza Minnelli in Los Angeles on Tuesday, speaking about her as if they were old friends. He then explained the real reason for his trip wasn’t to see her, but to attend some industry events promoting his show, ‘The Traitors.’ He jokingly referred to these events as ‘Emmy whoring’ and expressed his enthusiasm for both the promotion process and the show itself.

He’s a huge fan of The Traitors! He loves how enjoyable it is, the wonderful people involved, and the high-quality production. Plus, it’s been incredibly successful and financially rewarding. He especially appreciates that it was an unexpected role for him – something he’s enjoyed throughout his career. It’s always great when taking a risk pays off, and this show has become a massive cultural phenomenon, which he finds fantastic. He’s relieved it wasn’t another project that nobody watched, as has happened with other things he’s tried.

He believes this moment – appearing on a popular TV show wearing a dress – is a significant contribution to LGBTQ+ culture. He also jokingly says he wants the show to continue indefinitely so he can afford to maintain his dog Lala’s luxurious lifestyle.

Watching the years unfold, it’s become clear to me that the election of Donald Trump wasn’t just a political shift, but a reaction to the Obama presidency. I admired Obama, but looking back, I think he did a disservice by not revealing the intense racism and anger he faced. We all thought things were better than they were, because honestly, America always feels like it’s on the edge of something terrible. The Obama years felt genuinely hopeful, positive, and decent, but that didn’t mean those hateful voices disappeared – they just went underground. And sadly, it feels like Trump’s election gave those people permission to come out into the open.

He strongly criticizes the claim that Trump is improving the country, suggesting it’s a desire to return to a discriminatory past. He describes this as a longing for the 1950s, where racial inequality was rampant and violence was used against those who were disliked. He argues that bigotry and intolerance aren’t new, but have always existed, and what’s different now is how openly people express these views and how comfortable they are with them.

Alan Cumming stars in a new Channel 4 drama called Tip Toe. He plays Leo, a 59-year-old gay man who runs a bar in Manchester’s Canal Street and lives in a comfortable part of town. The story begins with a shocking scene: Leo is found murdered, hanged from a lamppost outside his home by his neighbor, Clive (David Morrissey). From there, the series flashes back ten days to reveal the events leading up to this tragic outcome.

Tip Toe shares the hallmarks of Russell T Davies’ work – sharp writing, memorable characters, and powerful moments (Paul Rhys’s character delivers a particularly striking speech in the first episode). However, it’s not a lighthearted watch. You could see it alongside shows like Queer as Folk and Cucumber as a series looking at gay life in the UK over the past thirty years, but Tip Toe aims for something bigger. It’s a wider look at modern Britain, exploring how financial worries, online extremism, and the targeting of minorities are damaging society. It examines how divided and isolated we’ve become, constantly on our phones and increasingly filled with anger – all viewed through the experiences of gay characters.

He argues that the current climate allows violence and hatred to flourish, pointing to Trump’s threats as an example. He’s critical of the lack of response from world leaders, stating they should have strongly condemned such provocative and bigoted statements. He believes this silence represents a failure of leadership, and that demanding basic decency from leaders is crucial for fostering a more respectful society.

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Cumming chuckles to himself, then says he’s been reflecting on King Charles’s trip to America. He admits, surprisingly, that he feels sorry for the King. He wonders how humiliating it must be to have to put on a happy face and greet the president, just to help Keir Starmer out of a difficult situation.

Look, “Tip Toe” is a really gripping and enjoyable show, but I kept asking myself: will it actually matter? It’s clear Alan Cumming and the creator, Davies, want it to make a difference. Cumming’s done work like “Cabaret” and “Bent” – stories that warn us about the dangers of extremist right-wing ideologies. And yet, here we are, over 80 years after WWII, and the far-right is gaining power in Europe, with Cumming even suggesting America is heading down a fascist path. It’s a powerful show, but it left me wondering if art can truly change things when history seems to repeat itself.

We often wonder why we still perform plays written centuries ago, like Shakespeare or Euripides’ The Bacchae, which is over 2,000 years old. The reason is that these stories offer fundamental truths that remain relevant today – important lessons we need to constantly revisit. While audiences readily connect with shows like Cabaret and understand its message, unfortunately, that doesn’t prevent the issues the play addresses from continuing to happen in the real world.

I believe art can be a powerful catalyst for change. It can make people realize their own involvement in harmful systems and challenge them to take a stand against injustice – that’s what I’m trying to achieve with my work. While art can’t solve all the world’s problems, it can shift perspectives. I wouldn’t create if I didn’t believe in its ability to change hearts and minds, and encourage people to speak up against negativity, like anti-trans rhetoric, instead of staying silent.

Tip Toe begins on Sunday 31 May at 9.00pm on C4

Authors

Gareth McLean

I’ve been following Gareth McLean’s work for ages – the man’s a true TV veteran! For almost three decades, he’s been dissecting shows as a critic, and I mean thousands of them. Beyond the reviews, he’s an incredible interviewer – he’s talked to everyone from legends like Liza Minnelli to… well, let’s just say a very wide range of personalities, including the infamous Jimmy Savile. And it’s not just writing about TV, he’s actually written for it too, which is pretty impressive.

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2026-05-25 19:50