In a quiet scene from Tip Toe, set two years before the tragic events leading to Leo’s death – where he’s found hanging from a lamppost, having lost his sandals – Leo (Alan Cumming) shares a somber conversation with Steph (Elizabeth Berrington) in the basement of a wine bar.
It’s a slow process, built up from small acts – like banning a book, erasing someone’s history, or taking down a symbol. Each instance may seem insignificant, but there’s an underlying aggression to it. As these small things accumulate day after day, it creates a growing tension, and I believe it will eventually lead to a major event.
Leo expresses a feeling many people likely share, both within and outside the LGBTQ+ community: a sense that things were better in the past and are now falling apart. He notes that just fifteen years ago, life felt much more stable.
He’s absolutely correct. These days, it’s easy to notice a sense of impending doom in many news reports and conversations.
You can see it in the harsh opinions of conservative commentators and in the calculated moves of figures like Nigel Farage. It’s also present in the alarmist warnings about climate change from some on the left, who seem determined to spoil any enjoyment, and in the predictable statements made by Keir Starmer, while voters increasingly demand quick and inexpensive solutions to long-standing issues.
We’re constantly bombarded with news – from around-the-clock coverage and social media posts to misleading information and fleeting trends. This creates a feeling of constant anxiety, like a low, unsettling hum. It feels as though we’re stuck in the present moment, but there’s always an underlying sense of urgency, a reminder that time is running out. A persistent pressure, ticking away… Tick-tock.
Was any of it there in 2011? If not, what’s different about now?
The most noticeable change is simply getting older – it has its ups and downs! Turning 40 brought some… interesting birthday cards from my mom, joking about being over the hill. There’s a huge difference between your thirties and fifties; those years really fly by. If you’re younger than 35, you probably haven’t hit that point Brené Brown calls midlife, but trust me, it’s quite an experience.
Brown describes a pivotal moment – a stark wake-up call from the universe itself. She explains it as feeling like a powerful, direct message saying that life is fragile and time is running out. The defenses we’ve built to protect ourselves are actually hindering our growth and there will be consequences for avoiding our true potential.
It’s a surprisingly freeing experience, Tiffany, when you finally stop caring what others think. It might feel difficult at first, even like a burden, but it’s actually incredibly liberating. You realize you don’t have the energy to worry about pleasing everyone or prioritizing their feelings over your own – especially when facing loss. It’s a feeling of acceptance, like things have happened before and will happen again, as JM Barrie and the character Number Six both observed. Embrace this newfound freedom.
Russell T Davies is older than me, and even though he’s known for time travel stories like Doctor Who, he’s still dealing with the normal challenges of getting older. His earlier show, Queer as Folk, felt very young and vibrant, while Cucumber explored midlife frustrations. But his latest work, Tip Toe, captures a feeling of weary resignation – a sense of ‘Here we go again…’.
So there’s that.
Beyond personal experiences and growing up, it’s important to remember the broader context of the time. In 2011, the Equality Act (2010) was beginning to have an impact in the UK. This law protects people from unfair treatment at work and in everyday life by making discrimination illegal based on nine characteristics – including age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, and transitioning gender. The Act was significant both legally and as a statement of principles.
The movement for marriage equality continued to gain momentum and finally succeeded in 2014, a decade after civil partnerships became legal in 2004. Surprisingly, considering the strong opposition from the Conservative party – who previously condemned homosexuality with legislation like Section 28 and demonized gay men during the AIDS crisis – this change happened while the Conservatives were in power. It was a truly unusual and exciting time.
The UK is currently the most accepting it has ever been for LGBTQ+ people. We have greater freedoms, opportunities, and reasons to celebrate than in the past – even though the idea of a ‘Pride Month’ in June actually comes from the US, with many British Pride events taking place later in July and August.
Although things are looking up, statistics show there’s still work to be done. While more LGBTQ+ people are being accepted, less than half (47%) feel comfortable being fully themselves with all of their family. LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face disadvantages in society and when it comes to healthcare, particularly regarding mental health, but it’s encouraging that reported hate crimes have decreased.
Recent Home Office data shows that reports of hate crimes targeting sexual orientation decreased by 2% and those against transgender people fell by 11% in the year ending March 2025. This contrasts with a 6% increase in race hate crimes and a 3% rise in religious hate crimes. One commentator noted this suggests it’s currently easier to be gay and white, implying a disparity in how different groups experience hate crime.
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There’s a tense and easily agitated feeling in the air right now, like something could erupt at any moment. It seems like many people are either looking for conflict or are quick to take offense. Some might point to transgender people – there are approximately 262,000 in the UK, according to the 2021 census – as the cause. It’s worth remembering that in 2016, transgender people in Britain generally had public support, and the country seemed to be becoming more accepting. A survey from that time showed that almost six out of ten people believed transgender individuals should be able to change the gender on their birth certificate, with only one in ten disagreeing.
Support for allowing changes to birth certificates has dropped to 24%, and almost half of people in Britain believe efforts to create equal opportunities for transgender individuals have gone too far. The Supreme Court recently ruled (in April 2025) that while trans people are protected from discrimination, legal definitions still prioritize biological sex over gender identity – meaning transgender women aren’t legally considered women. Over half the population supports this decision. What caused these shifts in public opinion and legal rulings?
The current conflict likely stems from a few sources. One possibility is that pushing for rapid changes in transgender activism – demanding immediate acceptance without allowing discussion – proved counterproductive, as seen with Stonewall’s controversial stance in 2015. Another factor is the strong reaction against this position, particularly from gender-critical feminists and many within the broader LGBTQ+ community. Some of these individuals completely disassociate from transgender identity altogether, while others simply question the ideas put forward by trans activists.
Davies has consistently supported the LGBTQ+ community. In 2021, while accepting an award from Attitude magazine for his drama It’s a Sin, he publicly criticized the LGB Alliance, and deliberately used short, three-letter words during his speech to emphasize his message.
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In Tip Toe, the stories of Leo and Zee (Iz Hesketh) become intertwined, with Leo making a selfless sacrifice to save Zee. This act powerfully symbolizes unity within LGBTQ+ communities, perhaps even more strongly than how it exists in real life. To offer a different perspective, Stephanie serves as the character who questions current understandings of gender – or, as she would put it, focuses on biological sex.
The debate around trans issues isn’t about finding common ground; it’s become a harsh and divisive fight, largely playing out on social media, which saw a huge surge in popularity starting around 2011. I’m avoiding sharing my full opinion on this incredibly sensitive topic, but it’s noticeable that some individuals on all sides seem to thrive on the conflict, gaining attention and even profiting from it.
The so-called “trans debate”—a term that downplays the real lives and feelings of transgender people and their families—is a complex issue deserving thorough discussion. Instead of having that discussion, some suggest simply blaming trans people and women for society’s problems.
I’m joking, but this disagreement highlights a major shift in British culture over the last 15 years – one I think explains the tension and potential trouble that Leo worries about in the film Tip Toe. That shift is the rise of culture wars in the UK.
Researchers at King’s College London, Bobby Duffy and Kirstie Hewlett, have found a significant increase in media attention to “culture wars” between 2015 and 2020. They discovered just 21 articles about “culture wars” in major UK newspapers in 2015, but that number jumped to 534 by 2020, and is now in the thousands.
Duffy and Hewlett explain sociologist James Davidson Hunter’s idea of “culture wars,” a term he introduced in the 1990s. Hunter described these wars as stemming from a deep conflict in the US between traditional and progressive beliefs. He argued that a ‘culture war’ isn’t just about differing opinions; it represents a fundamental clash over what people believe is truly right and wrong in the world – a conflict where the two sides see things in completely opposing ways.
These days in the UK, culture wars seem to be constantly present and affect everything – even popular entertainment like the TV show Strictly Come Dancing and the character Paddington Bear.
Disagreements about things like social class, race, religion, and politics have always existed. However, the current level of extreme polarization – where people see those with different beliefs as enemies – feels different. It’s as if everyone is overreacting these days.
The current situation is particularly concerning because people are living in increasingly separate information bubbles – getting their news from different sources, participating in distinct online groups, and ultimately experiencing very different understandings of what’s happening in the world. Algorithms actually reinforce this division. While the internet and social media once held the promise of bringing people together, they’ve often led to feelings of disconnection and loneliness.
As traditional gathering places like churches, unions, youth groups, and local organizations have faded, along with accessible public spaces such as parks and town centers, and because of significant cuts to local services, opportunities for people to connect and build community have sharply decreased.
I’ve always been struck by what sociologist Robert Putnam called “bowling alone” – the idea that we’re all doing our own thing, staying busy, but losing those connections with each other. And I think that disconnection breeds fear, and honestly, fear is incredibly powerful. It makes people vulnerable – easy to mislead, to anger, to get them acting on their worst impulses. It’s definitely something that can be used as a weapon. But what really hit home with me about Tip Toe is that fear isn’t just a weapon, it’s a way people protect themselves. They hide behind it, and that’s what I connected with so strongly.
You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about how fear gets used. It feels like a smokescreen, honestly, a bit like all this culture war noise. It’s a way to distract us from the fact that the promises made by certain groups for decades about how the free market would benefit everyone are just… not true. It’s a power play, designed to win votes by pretending everyone has a fair shot, while actually rigging the system to keep wealth concentrated at the top. That whole ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ idea? Total myth. Trickle-down economics? Doesn’t work. Look around – the rich are getting richer, and those already struggling are falling even further behind. It’s pretty clear when a system isn’t working for everyone.
The system is either broken, or it’s actually working as intended, and we’ve all been misled. While billionaires often seem like a problem caused by societal issues, we’ve been influenced by media – especially from conservative sources – to see them as harmless or even positive figures. In reality, they represent the very worst forms of unfairness and exploitation.
The show, Tip Toe, focuses heavily on the stress Leo and his rival, Clive, experience running their businesses, and the broader economic anxieties of the time. Clive’s descent into extremism isn’t just about personal issues like shame or prejudice, but also reflects these financial pressures and a crisis in traditional ideas about masculinity. Considering Leo’s journey over fifteen years, the feeling of everything falling apart might actually be a response to the unsustainability of the current economic system – a system that, as philosopher Mark Fisher pointed out, is easier to imagine ending the world than to fundamentally change.
The Equality Act of 2010 certainly faced opposition from conservatives, but it seems they were looking for any excuse to deflect from their long-standing issues. Looking back to 2008 – the year of the financial crisis – is crucial, as its effects have been felt for the past two decades. Any problems or overreach related to the Equality Act have been used as a smokescreen to hide the unfairness of the bank bailouts and the harsh austerity measures that followed, which disproportionately harmed the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
Ultimately, Leo is focusing on the wrong issue when he wonders why people dislike them. He used to think it was simply because they weren’t well-known, but now he’s realizing that might not be the reason – perhaps people genuinely don’t like them even when they are visible.
Ultimately, this isn’t about us. The real question – the one we should always ask when minority groups are under attack or when cultural conflicts erupt – is: who benefits? The answer, as famously shown in an older movie, is simple: follow the money.
Tip Toe is available to watch on Channel 4.
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Authors
For almost three decades, Gareth McLean has been covering television. He’s reviewed countless shows as a critic and interviewed many famous faces – everyone from Liza Minnelli to Jimmy Savile – as a feature writer. He’s also worked as a television writer himself.
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2026-06-12 18:39