On a typical rainy Manchester day, we are led into the kitchen, which at first glance looks like an ordinary terraced house kitchen.
There are dishes in the sinks, food in the refrigerator, but a quick glance at the blue sky and sun outside the window gives a deceptive impression - in fact, it is a television.
The owner of the house? Alan Cumming. And at the kitchen table sits television writing legend Russell T. Davies.
The BBC has been given an exclusive behind-the-scenes invite to meet the cast and crew of Davies' upcoming thriller Tip Toe.
The film tells the story of two neighbors—one gay, one straight—whose long-running feud deepens as one delves deeper into a world of online misinformation, with disastrous consequences for both.
The houses featured in the series were recreated at a Manchester film studio. Alan Cumming gave an interview to the BBC in his character's kitchen [Mandy Ingham / BBC News].
«"I wish television could change the world."»
For Davis, the ability to tackle such serious topics while remaining funny is a familiar theme. However, while "It's a Sin" was set in the 1980s and "Years and Years" was set in a dystopian future, "Tip Toe" is about the present.
«"Frankly, I see the world getting worse and worse these days," Davis says. "I'm very concerned about the future of my nieces and nephews.".
I ask if he hopes the show can have a positive impact on the real world.
For example, the It's A Sin project saw a huge increase in HIV testing, while the Mr Bates vs The Post Office case brought national attention to the Horizon IT scandal. .
Davis shakes his head.
«"I wish television could change the world," he says. "I'd write more and change it faster if I could. Although I feel obligated to comment on what's happening in the world.".
«"This is so urgent and so necessary.".
Alan Cumming plays Leo Struthers, a 59-year-old bar owner in Manchester's gay district. For Davies, casting him in the role is a personal triumph, as he told me he'd been trying to persuade Cumming to star in one of his plays for over 20 years.
The role of Leo was offered to Cumming before the script was written, and the actor was "shocked" by the idea due to the unexpected twist at the beginning of the first episode: his character is dead.
«"As the series progresses, and we start to sympathize with all the characters and care about them, we almost forget [that I'm dead]," Cumming explains. "But we don't know how it happened or when it happened in the story. It's very clever, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.".
«"This is also very relevant and extremely necessary.".
David Morrissey plays Clive Goss, Leo's neighbor.
This is the first joint project between Morrissey and Cumming, despite the fact that they have been friends (and were once neighbors) for over 40 years.
«"We have to do some pretty challenging things, but the great thing about working with an actor who's a friend is that you can really give it your all," Morrissey tells me during a break from filming one of the show's tense, emotional scenes at the Goss family home.
«"We can get into a very tense scene," he says, but adds that as soon as the director yells "cut!", "we hug and make sure everyone's okay.".
«"When your dad is David Morrissey and he tells you off"»
Along with a number of well-known actors, Joseph Evans and Jackson Connor, who play brothers Saul and George Goss, are relatively new to the cast.
During a short break between filming a scene in which they play David Morrissey's father, they sit down to chat in what might be their front garden – if their home weren't a plywood set on a Manchester film studio lot.
You might think they were actually related - they look so much alike and, like real brothers, they joke around with each other and finish each other's sentences.
Jackson Connor said he found it "very exciting" to represent people struggling with their sexuality on screen [Ann Gannon/BBC News].
«"Things are going wrong.".
Davis's breakthrough drama series, Queer as Folk, first aired in 1999 and became something of a cultural revolution in terms of LGBTQ+ representation on screen.
Over the past 26 years, Davis believes the situation has begun to worsen.
«When we were making Queer as Folk, if you had asked me, «What will life be like for gays and queer people in 25 years?» I would have said, „We’ll have equality, everything will be fine, and we’ll all be walking hand in hand, jumping down the street,“„ he says with a wry smile.
«"About 10 years ago, we were close to this, but now, I think, the situation is getting worse. I sense more hostility in the air, more aggression toward us.".
What does the future hold for Davis?
«"Even though the world is constantly changing, there is always something new to write about," he says.
«"That's the plan, I'll just keep going.".
Episodes 1 and 2 of Tip Toe will air on Channel 4 on Sunday, May 31 and Monday, June 1.
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Britain's "White Lotus"? A group trip goes awry in the BBC drama "Two Weeks in August.".