Tip Toe Features A Subtle Nod To Another Russell T Davies Show You Might Have Missed

Over the years, Russell T Davies has received widespread praise for his work as the screenwriter of hit shows like Queer As Folk, Years And Years and It’s A Sin.

His latest TV offering, Tip Toe, has been similarly lauded – but what you might not have realised is that the hard-hitting drama features a callback to another of Russell shows.

Comparing some of his past works during an interview with Pop Drop, the Bafta winner reiterated his belief that Tip Toe is “a picture of where we are right now”, compared to Queer As Folk, which is “full of hope”.

“There’s actually a character from Queer As Folk who appears in Cucumber,” he said, referring to another of his projects, which aired on Channel 4 in the mid-2010s. “And a character from Cucumber now appears in Tip Toe.”

He then joked that this represents a cross-over in “the RTD universe, if anyone cares about that”.

“Only me, I care about that,” he quipped.

Back in November, Russell posted a picture of actor Peter Caulfield behind the scenes of Tip Toe on Instagram.

Peter previously played a character named David, who refers to himself as “Francesco” on hook-up apps, in Cucumber, before reprising the role in Russell’s most recent work.

“He starred in Cucumber as Francesco, real name Dave (he was part of that [episode one] threesome that ended with the police) and then I kept writing him back in because I love him,” Russell told his followers. “He [also] appeared in [Cucumber spin-off] Banana, lost at a party.

“Now the same character is back in Tip Toe, still getting up to strange adventures at night and connecting universes like he’s the MCU. The RTDU!”

For Tip Toe fans who missed Peter’s brief appearance, Dave and Alan Cumming’s Leo almost hook-up early on in the series, but he changes his mind when he becomes distracted by what’s going on next door.

Peter shared his experiences of working with Russell in his own Instagram post last week, recalling: “I remember when I auditioned for the role back in 2015, I took my rainbow [Doc Martin boots] off and plonked them on the table one foot away from Russell and [casting director Andy Pryor] (back in the day when you could actually make a real impact in a room, up close and personal)!

“I’m sure it’s what got me the job (that or my dog impression…). Either way who’d have thought 10 years later he’d be back, still stomping the streets of Manchester turning up at Leo’s door in Tip Toe.

“And it was just as fun to play. So much razor sharp wit and commentary in Russell’s writing, but always with a depth and sadness underneath. He’s still searching for connection, like so many queer people on the scene.”

All five episodes of Tip Toe are now streaming on Channel 4.