Screenwriter Russell T. Davies, 63, has lost count of the number of times a member of the LGBTQ+ community has approached him over the past 25 years to tell him that one of his series changed their life. “I never get tired of it happening. I appreciate it every time someone says that,” the British writer tells EL PAÍS in a video interview.

Several generations of viewers have now thanked him. The first barely knew how to use the internet when they were pirating Queer as Folk (1999), before streaming platforms existed. The series occupied a groundbreaking space on television, portraying a gay community that was imperfect, vibrant, and unapologetic about its existence. Later, the dual narrative of his companion series Banana and Cucumber (2015) added new layers, including the challenges of middle age, to characters who were far from likable or angelic. Meanwhile, It’s a Sin (2021) chronicled the AIDS crisis through a group of young people in 1980s London. Other works with broader themes, such as the new Doctor Who and Years & Years, have also explored diversity.

“I don’t spend much time on social media because I’ve received death threats since I began including trans characters in my scripts. But I also get complaints from the trans community, which believes a gay man should not be the one telling their story. That’s when you think, God, everyone’s angry,” says Davies, just days after HBO Max’s international release of his latest work, Tip Toe, which is precisely about that widespread sense of hostility.

The story begins with Leo (played by Alan Cumming), a gay man who is open about his sexuality and owns the Spit & Polish bar on Canal Street, the heart of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ district. It is a safe haven for many of the city’s young people and a familiar setting in Davies’s television work.

In the opening minutes of the series, Leo finds himself in a situation straight out of a classic comedy. After a one-night stand, he ends up stranded in the street wearing only his underwear and is forced to ask his next-door neighbor for help. Clive (David Morrissey), the man who has shared a wall with him for 14 years, could not be more different: an electrician struggling financially, with two young children and trapped in an unhappy marriage. Before the first of the series’ five episodes is over, however, Davies makes it clear to viewers what lies ahead. This is not a comedy, but a tragedy.

Tip Toe originated in Davies’s mind from a similar situation, though one completely opposite to the one depicted in the show. “My neighbor Mike was a wonderful man who sadly passed away last year. He had a key to my house. He was a lovely neighbor, a big, tough man. But giving your front door key to someone suddenly makes your house a bit porous and open. And he would sometimes walk in without saying,” the screenwriter recalls.

That anecdote sparked his storyteller’s imagination, leading him to explore possibilities far removed from reality. “What if something went wrong between us? What if we fell out? What if my neighbor or his family were homophobic?” Davies found himself wondering.

At the same time, the British writer was increasingly concerned by the growing wave of anger and violence in society. “These elements have always existed in some shape or form, but now they are being driven by the digital environment, by our phones and by algorithms. As a gay man, I was getting more and more alarmed by this,” he admits.

It is a theme he had already explored in the dystopian Years & Years. The series enjoyed major success around the world, though less so in the United Kingdom. “I was wondering how to tell a story about where we’re heading, but make it more popular, more watchable,” he says.

That is how Tip Toe was born. Ultimately, the series examines how toxic masculinity permeates society regardless of gender or sexual orientation, much as it does in another of HBO Max’s major releases of the year, Richard Gadd’s Half Man. “Toxic masculinity is also awful for straight men,” Davies argues.

David Morrissey and Alan Cumming, the lead actors in Tip Toe, have been friends for more than 40 years. Paradoxically, that on-screen chemistry helped build the gradual rift between the series’ two protagonists.

“It was a huge advantage that we didn’t have to wait for them to build trust. They know each other so well that they could try things other actors would never dare,” the showrunner says enthusiastically. “I’m glad that LGBTQ+ stories like Heated Rivalry and Heartstopper have happy endings. But I can’t seem to write them… Thanks to those shows, I don’t necessarily need to.”

In many of Davies’s series, the enemies confronting his characters are invisible monsters that no one quite knows how to defeat. In Tip Toe, those forces are the algorithm and vulture funds.

“The economy feels like a ghost. TV shows don’t usually explain how their characters manage to pay for their homes. In this series, I wanted all of that to be part of the story. Prices keep going up because of a ridiculous war like the one in Iran, sparked by his tantrums and outbursts of the U.S. president. And that really drives people to despair and makes them feel trapped,” he concludes.

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Spain will experience a unique astronomical event this summer: a total solar eclipse. No total eclipse has been visible from the Iberian Peninsula since 1905, although one did pass over the Canary Islands in 1959. It will therefore be an extraordinary occasion for millions of Spaniards, many of whom will be enjoying this unparalleled sensory experience for the first time. Here are the key things you need to know to make sure you don’t miss this phenomenon.

When is the solar eclipse?

The eclipse will take place on Wednesday, August 12, shortly before sunset. The peak of the event will occur at around 8:30 p.m., although the exact timing will vary depending on the location within Spain. The eclipse will first make landfall along the coasts of Galicia and Asturias at around 7:30 p.m., and it will become total nearly an hour later.

Where will this astronomical phenomenon be visible in Spain?

The upcoming solar eclipse will be total across almost 40% of Spain, along a band that crosses the northern part of the country, entering via Galicia and Asturias and exiting over the Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands.

The path of totality will pass through 13 of Spain’s 17 regions, covering at least part of 31 of the country’s 50 provinces. In the rest of Spain, the eclipse will still be visible as a deep partial eclipse.

Is the eclipse visible only from Spain?

Spain will be the only country from which the eclipse can be observed under truly favorable conditions, although the path of totality will also cross uninhabited areas of Greenland, the western tip of Iceland and a small corner of Portugal.

How long will it last?

In areas within the path of totality, night will seem to fall twice that day. During the first of those moments, at around 8:30 p.m., weather permitting, observers will see a black sun encircled by a white halo, with totality lasting for up to 1 minute and 50 seconds.

Is it a one-off event?

Spain will experience three top-tier solar eclipses in three consecutive years: on August 12, 2026, August 2, 2027, and January 26, 2028. The first two will be total solar eclipses, while the third will be an annular eclipse.

Which locations should be avoided?

The main drawback is that the eclipse will reach Spain as the sun is setting. As a result, obstacles near the horizon, such as buildings, trees and mountains, may block the view. For example, the eclipse will not be visible from places such as San Lorenzo de El Escorial, near Madrid, which sits on a mountainside that obscures the sunset.

The other factor that could ruin the spectacle is cloud cover, which will depend entirely on local weather conditions on the day.

How can you find the perfect viewing spot?

The standard advice, to find a location with an unobstructed view of the horizon between west and northwest, may leave many people wondering where exactly to go. Three free apps and a website can help eclipse chasers identify the best viewing locations, without necessarily having to use one of the official viewing areas designated by public authorities.

How can you watch it safely?

The only safe way to look directly at the sun during any phase of the eclipse is to use certified eclipse glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 standard and are properly marked with both that certification and the European Union’s CE mark.

The glasses must also display the manufacturer’s address, instructions in the language of the country where they are sold, and an expiration date.

“It terrifies me that anyone would even suggest using X-rays or photographic negatives,” warned Juan Cruz Cigudosa, Spain’s secretary of state for science.

Is a 99% eclipse very different from a total eclipse?

Yes. A 99.9% eclipse and a total eclipse are far from the same experience. Only during totality does the solar corona become visible and the sky take on a nighttime appearance.

For example, in central Madrid the sun will be obscured by 99.96%, but experts stress that even such an extreme partial eclipse bears little resemblance to the sensations experienced during totality. Those in some of the city’s northernmost neighborhoods may be able to glimpse totality for a few seconds at around 8:32 p.m., but only from certain streets.

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Over 100 people were reported dead after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale shook central and western Colombia on Monday morning. The tremors began at 7.34 am local time and lasted four minutes, according to the Colombian Geological Service, which said the epicenter was located in the western municipality of San José del Palmar, located in a rural, mountainous area in the Chocó department.

The strongest quake recorded in the country in the last decade was felt as far as Panama and Ecuador, and comes less than two months after neighboring Venezuela experienced two back-to-back earthquakes that have killed over 6,000 people.

Many of the victims died in the metropolitan area of the city of Pereira, said the mayor, Mauricio Salazar. There was also a lot of damage in Cali, the capital of the Valley of Cauca, where Mayor Alejandro Eder said around 30 structures have collapsed with “people trapped inside.”

Authorities in Manizales, Armenia and Buenaventura have also reported fatalities and structural damage. Cali, Pereira, Armenia and Manizales are together home to over 3.5 million people, making it likely that the casualty count will keep rising.

The newly inaugurated president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, had not yet made any official statements after arriving in Bogotá a few hours after the quake; instead he posted a message on social media: “I’m on top of the situation. I am deeply saddened by what affected families and regions are going through.”

The president also wrote earlier that a Unified Command Center has been set up to coordinate rescue action. Through this center, the government has declared a national disaster, which will allow resources to be mobilized faster; however, authorities have stopped short of declaring a state of economic and social emergency, which would allow the president to issue decrees. 

In Cali, where dozens of structures have sustained damage, Mayor Alejandro Eder asked citizens to “remain calm and walk out of buildings” if they see any large cracks.

Colombia is a country at high risk for quakes as it sits on three tectonic plates. There is an average of 50,000 tremors a month, but most of them are too weak to be felt by human beings. In 1999, a magnitude 6.2 quake shook the city of Armenia, killing nearly 1,000 people. Earlier, in 1983, a quake in Popayán resulted in 287 fatalities.

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