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Where was Tip Toe filmed? The real Canal Street bar doubling for Spit & Polish
Russell T Davies's new drama utilised a mix of real-world locations and studio sets.
Channel 4 / James Stack
- David Craig
Published: Sunday, 7 June 2026 at 10:45 am
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While he may be best known as the showrunner of Doctor Who, Russell T Davies has also been behind some of the most powerful Channel 4 dramas of the past 25 years, including Queer as Folk, Cucumber and It's a Sin.
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Now, his latest series for the channel, Tip Toe, acts as something of a spiritual successor to Queer as Folk, returning to some of its characters' old haunts from a very different perspective.
The series follows Leo (Alan Cumming) and Clive (David Morrissey), two neighbours living in Manchester whose relationship disintegrates rapidly over the course of a week.
The series, which urges greater communication and compassion, has been described as an "emergency" by Davies, as it exposes rising homophobia and transphobia in Britain today.
It is set in one of the UK's most famous gay quarters – but where was it filmed, and what is the real bar that doubles for Leo's fictional Spit & Polish?
Here's everything you need to know about where Tip Toe was filmed.
Where was Tip Toe filmed?
David Morrissey and Alan Cumming star in Tip Toe. Channel 4
Tip Toe was filmed in Manchester, with the city's famous gay quarter Canal Street being a prominent location in the story, where Leo opens his fictional bar Spit & Polish.
Scenes set inside the venue were filmed at a real Canal Street gay bar called The Church (formerly Churchills), with director Peter Hoar telling crowds at a BFI screening that they "could not have been better" hosts.
He added: "The street was oozing out at us all the time. It was a wonderful experience. It was actually quite a lot of fun…. I have to be honest. It was trying, tormenting sometimes, but it was a wonderful crew and cast, so we had a great time."
Tip Toe executive producer Nicola Shindler explained that she and Davies had previously shot on Canal Street back in 1998, for Queer as Folk, but noted a contrast in how they were "welcomed" back almost three decades later.
"It was an interesting difference between Queer as Folk, [when] no one really knew what we were doing, and there was a lot of watching us, and making sure that we weren't doing anything that would upset too many people – which obviously, we did," she recalled.
"But by now, I think they've relaxed and they understood what Russell was trying to do, and they just opened up the whole street."
Leo (Alan Cumming) and Clive (David Morrissey) in Tip Toe. Channel 4 / Ben Blackall
Davies told press how he aimed to make Spit & Polish feel authentic, despite its fictitious nature.
"It's been a long time since I went out on Canal Street, so I went to see it," he revealed. "I know landlords, pub owners, spent many days in one of the pubs, talking to the staff, hanging around during drag brunch, picking up the simple stuff – like how busy they all are. It's constant work!"
Of course, another key location in Tip Toe is the road where Leo and Clive's homes are located, the exteriors of which were filmed on Saxon Street in the Miles Platting area of inner Manchester.
Cinematography World revealed that certain scenes in the hard-hitting series required "road closures" to film.
Interiors set inside the houses were actually filmed at the nearby Space Studios, with manager Dean Sinacola detailing an elaborate set-up used to bring Tip Toe to life.
"We had several overlapping interior house sets built on the stage over 18 weeks at the end of 2025," he said. "The benefit of the studios being so close to the [city] centre meant the production could work on location and on set the same day which is a rare occurrence."
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Tip Toe continues on Channel 4 on Sunday 7 June.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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Authors
David CraigSenior Drama Writer
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
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