{"id":2032380,"date":"2026-07-08T07:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T04:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2032380"},"modified":"2026-07-08T07:00:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T04:00:19","slug":"jackson-connors-tip-toe-breakout-has-been-a-long-time-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2032380","title":{"rendered":"Jackson Connor\u2019s \u2018Tip Toe\u2019 breakout has been a long time coming"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Jackson-Connor-in-Tip-Toe.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2947849\" class=\"post-2947849 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Features<\/span><i class=\"tdb-bread-sep td-icon-right\"><\/i><span>TV Interviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Jackson Connor\u2019s \u2018Tip Toe\u2019 breakout has been a long time coming<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The brutal new drama has captured the hearts of a nation, but one of its stars is still working part-time at a dentist&#8217;s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Nick Levine<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-08T08:00:19+01:00\">8th July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- .\/block --><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure>\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Jackson-Connor-in-Tip-Toe-696x442.jpg\" alt title=\"Jackson Connor in Tip Toe\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Jackson Connor in &#8216;Tip Toe&#8217;. CREDIT: Channel 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap big-read-dropcap\">W<\/strong>hen Jackson Connor read the script for <i>Tip Toe<\/i>, the devastating new state of the nation drama from Russell T Davies (<i>Queer as Folk<\/i>,<i> It\u2019s a Sin<\/i>), it felt like a lifeline. \u201cI was going through quite a difficult time because I\u2019d been trying to break into the industry for a while,\u201d the 23-year-old actor tells N<i>ME<\/i>. \u201cAfter Covid and the writers\u2019 strike, there really wasn\u2019t a lot of work around. I just had this overbearing feeling that I was doing something wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Read more:<\/strong> The best TV shows of 2026\u2026 so far!\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Few actors wouldn\u2019t grab an RTD script with both hands \u2013 <i>Tip Toe<\/i>\u2018s cast is led by Alan Cumming and <i>The Walking Dead<\/i>\u2019s David Morrissey \u2013 but Connor felt the pivotal role of George Goss was meant for him. \u201cI said to my friend, \u2018If I don\u2019t get this [part], there really is something wrong with me, because at one point in my life, I was this guy, \u2018\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span>  <\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-article-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>George Goss, a closeted 16-year-old from Manchester, is the accidental catalyst of Davies\u2019 unflinching thriller.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, I came out when I was 15, so I went through the same kind of things as George,\u201d the actor says. Speaking on Zoom from his family home in a small town near Birmingham, Connor is clearly passionate about the series and pretty relaxed for someone new to interviews. He\u2019s fitting this one around his day job as a dental assistant.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3955539\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3955539\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3955539\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jack-connor-shot-2-10x8-1.jpg\" alt=\"&apos;Tip Toe&apos;s Jack Connor interview\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3955539\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u2018Tip Toe\u2019s Jackson Connor. CREDIT: Kate McDonald<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the opening scene of <i>Tip Toe<\/i>, which is streaming now on Channel 4, we see middle-aged Leo Struthers (Cumming) hanging dead from a lampost outside his house. Looking up at him is Clive Goss (Morrissey), George\u2019s dad, who\u2019s breathing heavily as his wife Marie (Pooky Quesnel) calls him a \u201cmonster\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The story then spools back to 10 days earlier when Leo, who runs a gay bar on Manchester\u2019s famous Canal Street, gets locked out in his boxers following a one-night-stand. Needing to call his friend with the spare key, Leo knocks on the door of his next-door neighbour Clive, an uptight electrician he\u2019s never had much to do with before. The chain of events that follows is frequently chilling, tragically avoidable and, even with the show\u2019s extreme ending, all too believable.<\/p>\n<p>It really escalates when Clive discovers that Leo has texted dating advice to George, who\u2019s being ghosted by his first boyfriend, but isn\u2019t \u201cout\u201d to his parents. \u201cI think Leo sees George as himself when he was younger. And for George, Leo is what he could be if he grew up to be happy and open,\u201d Connor says. \u201cLeo\u2019s doing nothing wrong by messaging him, but there\u2019s always this thing where you\u2019re thinking, \u2018Oh, don\u2019t say <i>that<\/i>, because it looks bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Frustrated with his lot in life and perhaps confused about his own sexuality, Clive reaches for an age-old homophobic trope \u2013 namely, that Leo must be a predator who\u2019s trying to \u201cturn\u201d his son gay. Davies, who created two of the UK\u2019s defining LGBTQ+-themed TV dramas, 1999\u2019s Canal Street fairytale <i>Queer As Folk<\/i> and 2021\u2019s moving eulogy to HIV <i>It\u2019s A Sin<\/i>, has said he wrote Tip Toe because the world is \u201csliding back\u201d on queer rights.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAnything that\u2019s gonna represent people and make them feel seen, especially in times like these, that\u2019s what\u2019s really interesting to me\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI think Russell wanted to start a conversation and face people with an ugly truth,\u201d Connor says. \u201cLike so many of his programmes, <i>Tip Toe<\/i> is holding a mirror up to society.\u201d The series is certainly timely given that Stonewall now describes \u201crising levels of hate crime\u201d as \u201ca serious issue for the LGBTQ+ community\u201d. Between March 2024 and March 2025, there were more than\u202f18,000\u202fhate crimes motivated by sexual orientation and over 3000 trans-related hate crimes in England and Wales. Many more go unreported due to mistrust in the police and fear of being \u201couted\u201d to family members and co-workers.<\/p>\n<p>The anti-LGBTQ+ violence that drives <i>Tip Toe<\/i>\u2018s final episode isn\u2019t limited to the lynching of Leo. In another gasp-inducing scene, conflicted George hurls a cruel transphobic slur at Zee (Iz Hesketh), a young trans woman who welcomed him into her queer chosen family. \u201cIt\u2019s brutal to watch and it was brutal to shoot, especially because I\u2019m such good friends with Iz,\u201d Connor says.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DYU_7p0iKB4\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span>  <\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-article-2\" class=\"lazy-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>George spends the episode code-shifting by trying to trade banter with a gaggle of straight lads watching football at his house. \u201cAt one point in my life, I definitely would have related to that thing of putting on a very different persona to fit in with people you\u2019re not necessarily ever going to be friends with,\u201d Connor says.<\/p>\n<p>He then corrects himself slightly. \u201cI mean, even now [I can do that],\u201d he adds. \u201cFor example, I went to watch the England World Cup match last week at a sports bar in my hometown, which is quite a conservative place, and the bar was full of very rowdy football fans \u2013 just like in the show. I actually had a really great time, but there\u2019s always that element of \u2018I need to tone it down\u2019 or, like, \u2018straight it up\u2019 to fit in here.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThere was this real weight on my shoulders to really do the character and the themes justice\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Connor says the reaction to <i>Tip Toe<\/i> has been \u201cpretty incredible\u201d since the series finale premiered a few weeks\u00a0 ago. \u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of messages on Instagram from people saying how much they related to George\u2019s story, especially the texting scene where he opens up to Leo about everything,\u201d he says. \u201cI think it\u2019s something that every gay kid goes through<b>.<\/b>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The show\u2019s word-of-mouth success is also boosting Connor\u2019s profile. He still has his day job, where he\u2019s \u201creally lucky\u201d to get time off for auditions, but he\u2019s now fielding interest from various agents and managers. And when Connor went to see Harry Styles at Wembley Stadium last week, his mum heard some fans saying: \u201cIs that him from <i>Tip Toe<\/i>?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3950336\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3950336\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3950336\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tip-Toe-main-new.jpg\" alt=\"Alan Cumming and David Morrissey in Tip Toe\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3950336\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alan Cumming and David Morrissey in \u2018Tip Toe\u2019 CREDIT: Channel 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><i>Tip Toe<\/i> is surely a breakout moment for Connor, who cut his teeth in local am-dram productions. When he was eleven, he landed the lead in a school production of <i>A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream: The Musical<\/i> \u2013 \u201cyes, with songs!\u201d \u2013 and became \u201cobsessed\u201d with acting. Though he opted not to go down the drama school route \u201cbecause it didn\u2019t feel like the place for me\u201d, Connor took enough acting classes to land his first agent as a teenager.<\/p>\n<p>But before portraying George Goss, his only significant screen role came in <i>Phoenix Rise<\/i>, a BBC kids\u2019 drama set in a Midlands high school. Connor played Sam, whom he describes as a \u201cgay mean girl\u201d, from 2023-2024. \u201cHe was a lot of fun to play, but there wasn\u2019t a lot of serious substance to the character,\u201d Connor says. \u201cSo when I got George, it felt like there was this real weight on my shoulders to really do the character and the themes justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the future, he\u2019d love to play a cowboy and appear in a period drama \u2013 in fairness, Connor already has the hair for it \u2013 but <i>Tip Toe<\/i> has whet his appetite for sociopolitical storytelling. \u201cAnything with a message, anything that\u2019s gonna represent people and make them feel seen, especially in times like these, that\u2019s what\u2019s really interesting to me,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I\u2019m just so excited for what\u2019s to come. This really does feel like a turning point for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><i>\u2018Tip Toe\u2019 is available to stream on Channel 4 now<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_content td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row tdc-element-style\">\n<div class=\"tdi_88_rand_style td-element-style\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-block td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-custom-spot tdi_92 td_block_template_2\">\n<p><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-story-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_93\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_94  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_96  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_98  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_100  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_102 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_103 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_103\">\n<div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_103\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-image-container\">\n<div class=\"td-module-thumb\"><span class=\"entry-thumb td-thumb-css\" data-type=\"css_image\" 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wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_109 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<div id=\"taboola-below-article\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>                    <span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span>                <\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap big-read-dropcap\">W<\/strong>hen Jackson Connor read the script for <i>Tip Toe<\/i>, the devastating new state of the nation drama from Russell T Davies (<i>Queer as Folk<\/i>,<i> It\u2019s a Sin<\/i>), it felt like a lifeline. \u201cI was going through quite a difficult time because I\u2019d been trying to break into the industry for a while,\u201d the 23-year-old actor tells N<i>ME<\/i>. \u201cAfter Covid and the writers\u2019 strike, there really wasn\u2019t a lot of work around. I just had this overbearing feeling that I was doing something wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Read more:<\/strong> The best TV shows of 2026\u2026 so far!\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Few actors wouldn\u2019t grab an RTD script with both hands \u2013 <i>Tip Toe<\/i>\u2018s cast is led by Alan Cumming and <i>The Walking Dead<\/i>\u2019s David Morrissey \u2013 but Connor felt the pivotal role of George Goss was meant for him. \u201cI said to my friend, \u2018If I don\u2019t get this [part], there really is something wrong with me, because at one point in my life, I was this guy, \u2018\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span>  <\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-article-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>George Goss, a closeted 16-year-old from Manchester, is the accidental catalyst of Davies\u2019 unflinching thriller.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, I came out when I was 15, so I went through the same kind of things as George,\u201d the actor says. Speaking on Zoom from his family home in a small town near Birmingham, Connor is clearly passionate about the series and pretty relaxed for someone new to interviews. He\u2019s fitting this one around his day job as a dental assistant.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3955539\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3955539\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3955539\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jack-connor-shot-2-10x8-1.jpg\" alt=\"&apos;Tip Toe&apos;s Jack Connor interview\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3955539\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u2018Tip Toe\u2019s Jackson Connor. CREDIT: Kate McDonald<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the opening scene of <i>Tip Toe<\/i>, which is streaming now on Channel 4, we see middle-aged Leo Struthers (Cumming) hanging dead from a lampost outside his house. Looking up at him is Clive Goss (Morrissey), George\u2019s dad, who\u2019s breathing heavily as his wife Marie (Pooky Quesnel) calls him a \u201cmonster\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The story then spools back to 10 days earlier when Leo, who runs a gay bar on Manchester\u2019s famous Canal Street, gets locked out in his boxers following a one-night-stand. Needing to call his friend with the spare key, Leo knocks on the door of his next-door neighbour Clive, an uptight electrician he\u2019s never had much to do with before. The chain of events that follows is frequently chilling, tragically avoidable and, even with the show\u2019s extreme ending, all too believable.<\/p>\n<p>It really escalates when Clive discovers that Leo has texted dating advice to George, who\u2019s being ghosted by his first boyfriend, but isn\u2019t \u201cout\u201d to his parents. \u201cI think Leo sees George as himself when he was younger. And for George, Leo is what he could be if he grew up to be happy and open,\u201d Connor says. \u201cLeo\u2019s doing nothing wrong by messaging him, but there\u2019s always this thing where you\u2019re thinking, \u2018Oh, don\u2019t say <i>that<\/i>, because it looks bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Frustrated with his lot in life and perhaps confused about his own sexuality, Clive reaches for an age-old homophobic trope \u2013 namely, that Leo must be a predator who\u2019s trying to \u201cturn\u201d his son gay. Davies, who created two of the UK\u2019s defining LGBTQ+-themed TV dramas, 1999\u2019s Canal Street fairytale <i>Queer As Folk<\/i> and 2021\u2019s moving eulogy to HIV <i>It\u2019s A Sin<\/i>, has said he wrote Tip Toe because the world is \u201csliding back\u201d on queer rights.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAnything that\u2019s gonna represent people and make them feel seen, especially in times like these, that\u2019s what\u2019s really interesting to me\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI think Russell wanted to start a conversation and face people with an ugly truth,\u201d Connor says. \u201cLike so many of his programmes, <i>Tip Toe<\/i> is holding a mirror up to society.\u201d The series is certainly timely given that Stonewall now describes \u201crising levels of hate crime\u201d as \u201ca serious issue for the LGBTQ+ community\u201d. Between March 2024 and March 2025, there were more than\u202f18,000\u202fhate crimes motivated by sexual orientation and over 3000 trans-related hate crimes in England and Wales. Many more go unreported due to mistrust in the police and fear of being \u201couted\u201d to family members and co-workers.<\/p>\n<p>The anti-LGBTQ+ violence that drives <i>Tip Toe<\/i>\u2018s final episode isn\u2019t limited to the lynching of Leo. In another gasp-inducing scene, conflicted George hurls a cruel transphobic slur at Zee (Iz Hesketh), a young trans woman who welcomed him into her queer chosen family. \u201cIt\u2019s brutal to watch and it was brutal to shoot, especially because I\u2019m such good friends with Iz,\u201d Connor says.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DYU_7p0iKB4\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span>  <\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-article-2\" class=\"lazy-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>George spends the episode code-shifting by trying to trade banter with a gaggle of straight lads watching football at his house. \u201cAt one point in my life, I definitely would have related to that thing of putting on a very different persona to fit in with people you\u2019re not necessarily ever going to be friends with,\u201d Connor says.<\/p>\n<p>He then corrects himself slightly. \u201cI mean, even now [I can do that],\u201d he adds. \u201cFor example, I went to watch the England World Cup match last week at a sports bar in my hometown, which is quite a conservative place, and the bar was full of very rowdy football fans \u2013 just like in the show. I actually had a really great time, but there\u2019s always that element of \u2018I need to tone it down\u2019 or, like, \u2018straight it up\u2019 to fit in here.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThere was this real weight on my shoulders to really do the character and the themes justice\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Connor says the reaction to <i>Tip Toe<\/i> has been \u201cpretty incredible\u201d since the series finale premiered a few weeks\u00a0 ago. \u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of messages on Instagram from people saying how much they related to George\u2019s story, especially the texting scene where he opens up to Leo about everything,\u201d he says. \u201cI think it\u2019s something that every gay kid goes through<b>.<\/b>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The show\u2019s word-of-mouth success is also boosting Connor\u2019s profile. He still has his day job, where he\u2019s \u201creally lucky\u201d to get time off for auditions, but he\u2019s now fielding interest from various agents and managers. And when Connor went to see Harry Styles at Wembley Stadium last week, his mum heard some fans saying: \u201cIs that him from <i>Tip Toe<\/i>?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3950336\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3950336\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3950336\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tip-Toe-main-new.jpg\" alt=\"Alan Cumming and David Morrissey in Tip Toe\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3950336\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alan Cumming and David Morrissey in \u2018Tip Toe\u2019 CREDIT: Channel 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><i>Tip Toe<\/i> is surely a breakout moment for Connor, who cut his teeth in local am-dram productions. When he was eleven, he landed the lead in a school production of <i>A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream: The Musical<\/i> \u2013 \u201cyes, with songs!\u201d \u2013 and became \u201cobsessed\u201d with acting. Though he opted not to go down the drama school route \u201cbecause it didn\u2019t feel like the place for me\u201d, Connor took enough acting classes to land his first agent as a teenager.<\/p>\n<p>But before portraying George Goss, his only significant screen role came in <i>Phoenix Rise<\/i>, a BBC kids\u2019 drama set in a Midlands high school. Connor played Sam, whom he describes as a \u201cgay mean girl\u201d, from 2023-2024. \u201cHe was a lot of fun to play, but there wasn\u2019t a lot of serious substance to the character,\u201d Connor says. \u201cSo when I got George, it felt like there was this real weight on my shoulders to really do the character and the themes justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the future, he\u2019d love to play a cowboy and appear in a period drama \u2013 in fairness, Connor already has the hair for it \u2013 but <i>Tip Toe<\/i> has whet his appetite for sociopolitical storytelling. \u201cAnything with a message, anything that\u2019s gonna represent people and make them feel seen, especially in times like these, that\u2019s what\u2019s really interesting to me,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I\u2019m just so excited for what\u2019s to come. This really does feel like a turning point for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><i>\u2018Tip Toe\u2019 is available to stream on Channel 4 now<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/tv-interviews\/jackson-connor-interview-tip-toe-channel-four-3955537&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Jackson-Connor-in-Tip-Toe.jpg&#8221;] FeaturesTV Interviews Jackson Connor\u2019s \u2018Tip Toe\u2019 breakout has been a long time coming The brutal new drama has captured the hearts of a nation, but one of its stars is still working part-time at a dentist&#8217;s By Nick Levine 8th July 2026 Jackson Connor in &#8216;Tip Toe&#8217;. CREDIT: Channel 4 When Jackson [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2032380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2032380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032380\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2032380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2032380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2032380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}