Starz acquires UK drama Tip Toe for US and Canada

The acclaimed British drama series "Tip Toe" will premiere in North America on Starz later this year, the network announced this week. The five-part series, created by Russell T Davies and starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey, concluded its successful run on the UK's Channel 4 earlier this month.

The show follows two Manchester neighbors whose long-standing relationship fractures over the course of the series. Cumming plays Leo, the gay owner of the Canal Street bar Spit Polish, while Morrissey plays Clive, a straight electrician and father of two teenage sons. Having lived next door to each other for nearly 15 years, the pair become bitter enemies as societal tensions and polarized views, fueled by online rhetoric, spill into their personal lives. The drama examines how words become weapons and prejudices resurface, turning a neighborly relationship deadly.

Starz Networks president Alison Hoffman said Davies has created a gripping and deeply affecting series that speaks directly to the cultural tensions and anxieties shaping modern life. She praised the extraordinary performances of the lead actors, noting the series examines identity, fear, and polarization in society in...