Russell T. Davies (Queer as Folk), the writer and showrunner of Doctor Who, did not address the BBC hit show’s future on Monday after the Walt Disney Co. and its streamer Disney+ decided to end a partnership with the British public broadcaster for it.
But he discussed the backlash on queer rights around the world, U.S. President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and ICE, as well as the success of Heated Rivalry, during a Screen Talk session at the London Southbank. The session was part of BFI Flare, the London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival.
Davies was asked about his upcoming Channel 4 show Tip Toe, starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey, which is about a bar owner in Manchester and his long-standing neighbor who become embroiled in a feud. The series is set amid the backlash against queer rights, including in the U.S., with a clip shown on Monday referencing the political climate in the U.S. under President Trump.
“We are absolutely sliding back. Undoubtedly,” Davies said about the state of queer rights. “And that is terrifying.”
He emphasized, though, that the drama is “very specifically talking about the points of law and the statutes and the Britain that we’re building, or the Britain that we’re losing, now.” Discussing how his writing tends not to be full-on politics-centric, Davies offered: “I would love to be Aaron Sorkin. … Maybe I will do that one day, but I don’t think so. It’s just not my natural bent to do that kind of thing. I just believe in starting and ending at a kitchen table. … Tip Toe is the ultimate suburban drama, and you’ll never look at suburbia the same way again once it’s done.”
Asked how the show portrays conservatives through the lens of Morrissey’s character in the show, Davies highlighted that his interest was to zoom in on the “hearts and humanity” of people. Morrissey plays an electrician who runs his own business, he explained, emphasizing: “That’s always going to be a Tory [aka Conservative Party] voter, and with good reasons. Actually, in the past, the Conservative Party used to be a decent party. The Conservative Party of 30 years ago would protect small business owners, and that’s naturally the world he was brought up in. I hope we see their hearts and their humanity and why they think what they think, and the ridiculous pressures they are under.”
Davies was also asked about a more recent queer hit show, sharing: “I love Heated Rivalry, and I think it’s hot. [Writer, director, and producer] Jacob Tierney is a brilliant man. They fought to get that made.”
He added: “Heated Rivalry does prove that the audience is there and the market is there. And actually, it is unique in the way that it’s become an international hit.”
But he also warned about the current and future state of the world when asked if certain doors of liberal and tolerant behavior were opening or closing. “I think we are on the precipice of something, the whole world is on the precipice of something much worse,” Davies said, mentioning that it suddenly seems possible that London could be bombed these days. “That door naturally closes on its own,” Davies said. “Now you see ICE in America, now you see people at Doge, you see Elon Musk, now you literally see [various] people … pushing that door closed. So it’s worse than it’s ever been, and the fight is on.”
Davies discussed the challenges Queer as Folk faced at Channel 4. “Everyone was terrified by this piece of work, and [it has] a complete dog’s dinner of an opening, because everyone was so scared of the actual opening,” he said, sharing feedback said the opening scenes looked like a thriller. “It looks like he’s going to be murdered,” he recalled being told. “They were so scared.”
Davies, on Monday, also made two brief references that people discussed on their way out of the packed auditorium. In discussing the cycles in popularity and opportunity for various TV genres, he said: “I think we saw the sketch show coming to life with Saturday Night Live [U.K. on Sky],” which he called “really funny.”
And after sharing a funeral anecdote, Davies asked the audience and others not to play the Doctor Who theme song when he dies.
