Tag: Drag Race UK

All the latest breaking news on Drag Race UK. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Drag Race UK.

  • Drag Race UK filming postponed due to Covid-19 outbreak

    Drag Race UK filming postponed due to Covid-19 outbreak

    The show was “well underway” according to a source but has been postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

    Drag Race UK has apparently been placed “permanently on hold” according to The Sun – after a show source admitted that they’ve had to “pull the plug”.

    The source said,

    “At the moment the plug has been pulled completely on the show and as it stands, the second series of Drag Race is permanently on hold.

    “It’s awful for everyone involved, people aren’t working and the studios are empty. But obviously the health of everyone on the show comes first.”

    Fans of the first series had rejoiced when the BBC announced, along with the Drag Race production company, World of Wonder, that there was to be a second series of the hit BBC 3 show.

    Drag Race UK isn’t the only show to be halted. A number of shows have been suspended or delayed since the outbreak of Covid-19.

    Today the BBC announced a raft of postponements. In a statement the corporation said,

    “In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on all BBC Studios continuing dramas will be postponed until further notice. The decision was made after the latest government update.

    “We will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the World Health Organisation and public health organisations.”

    THEGAYUK.com has reached out to World of Wonder for comment.

  • LGBT RESEARCH | Should the next Drag Race UK be open to females, non-binary and trans queens/kings

    LGBT RESEARCH | Should the next Drag Race UK be open to females, non-binary and trans queens/kings

    When will Drag Race UK season 2 start?

    THEGAYUK.com conducted a flash poll to find out whether viewers of this year’s Drag Race UK thought it would be a good idea to expand the casting pool to include “Bio Queens” those drag queens who are biological females, non-binary and transgender drag queens and kings.

    The debut season of the show saw the majority of queens, who were cast, identifying as part of the gay and bisexual male community. There were no out/open trans queens or bio queens.

    Over 420 people took part in the poll, in which they were given a binary choice, “yes open it” and “no keep as is”

    46 per cent of those who answered the survey said that the casting pool should be opened up. The majority of people, (54%) said that the casting should stay as is.

  • Drag Race the most successful show for BBC Three since going online

    Drag Race the most successful show for BBC Three since going online

    When will Drag Race UK season 2 start?

    It’s official The Gays (TM) are good for business.

    BBC Three has announced that Drag Race UK is officially the most popular show for the channel since it controversially went online back in 2016.

    Last night the UK tuned in to watch the crowning of the first season’s queen.

    10 Million Requests

    A comment by the BBC press centre revealed, “The first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has been a huge success for BBC Three with nearly 10 million requests on iPlayer and two-thirds of the audience 16-34.

    “It is the most popular BBC Three entertainment programme since the channel moved online in 2016, has won critical acclaim, generated massive conversation online, become event television on BBC iPlayer and delivered a top ten single for The Frock Destroyers.

    Green Lit for a second season

    (C) BBC / World of Wonder – Photographer: Guy Levy

    Earlier this month the BBC Three and World of Wonder confirmed that a second series of the UK version of the award-winning global hit RuPaul’s Drag Race will air in 2020.

    Having brought RuPaul’s Drag Race UK to British screens for the first time to critical acclaim, BBC Three has opened applications to find another set of sickening queens to compete in the Olympics of drag.

  • History made as Drag Race UK crowns its first Queen

    History made as Drag Race UK crowns its first Queen

    So who was crowned the UK’s Drag Race superstar?

    (C) BBC – Photographer: Leigh Keily

    Silence! RuPaul has made her decision, The Vivienne, 29, from Liverpool, has taken the title of the UK’s first RuPaul’s Drag Race Superstar.

    Having been crowned she said: “I’m made up, I’ve just won the first-ever season of Drag Race UK this is nuts. That crown is going to look gorgeous, I can see me there washing the dishes in it.”

    (C) BBC – Photographer: Leigh Keily

    All three of the final queens (Divina De Campo, Baga Chipz and The Vivienne) went into the final with three RuPeter badges each, so it was a level playing field.

    At the beginning of the episode, The Vivienne said: “If you think I’ve gone through all these challenges to go home without a crown you can piss right off.”

    (C) BBC / World of Wonder – Photographer: Guy Levy

    The first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has been a huge success for BBC Three with nearly 10 million requests on iPlayer and two-thirds of the audience 16-34. It is the most popular BBC Three entertainment programme since the channel moved online in 2016, has won critical acclaim, generated massive conversation online, become event television on BBC iPlayer and delivered a top ten single for The Frock Destroyers.

  • The Vivienne shares heartbreaking struggle with party drugs that almost claimed her life

    The Vivienne shares heartbreaking struggle with party drugs that almost claimed her life

    (C) BBC / Guy Lecy – Photographer: Guy Levy

    Last night’s episode of Drag Race UK was a tear jerker as The Vivienne shared her struggle with drugs, admitting that she was a “drug addict” for four years of her life.

    Heartbreakingly the Liverpudlian drag queen revealed that she took party drugs for four years of her life – nearly dying in the process, saying that it was the loneliest part of her life and that she was “killing herself”.

    In a workroom chat with her fellow Drag Race stars the fan favourite revealed,

    “It was constant for me, A lot of my drug use was from boredom, I worked 7 nights a week and in the day I didn’t do anything and it was a habit that caught on a bit too quick and a bit too hard”.

    “When people say you’ve got to hit rock bottom, it sounds so stupid but it’s the truth.

    “I had to get kicked out of the house and told that I was going to be dead by the time I was 30 to actually sort this out”.

    https://twitter.com/WorldOfWonder/status/1192550345731452930

    The revelation will come as a shock for The Vivienne’s family as she revealed that her family didn’t even know about her drug problems.

    revealed that her family didn’t even know about her drug problems.

    Overcoming the drugs

    The Vivienne revealed that she managed to overcome her addiction by moving to Spain to sort her act out. It’s also where she met her partner David.

    Two years free of drugs

    She is now two years free of drugs. Speaking about her recovery, she said,

    “I feel amazing for it. I just want to have that platform to help other people”.

    Drag Race UK continues on BBC Three on Thursdays at 8PM

    Discuss The Vivienne and Drag Race in our forum

  • Drag Race’s The Vivienne hits out at drag queens not impressed enough to audition for season 2

    Drag Race’s The Vivienne hits out at drag queens not impressed enough to audition for season 2

    “We get more than a badge”

    Ⓒ BBC

    It seems as though some drag queens in the UK just aren’t impressed with the prizes of the UK version of Drag Race after it was announced that new season of Drag Race UK had been greenlit for 2020.

    The UK version differs from the US version in that there is no cash prize or sponsored mini prizes, for the mini-challenges set by RuPaul each week, instead, the queens win a “RuPeter badge”.

    The Vivienne – (C) BBC / World of Wonder – Photographer: Guy Levy

    However fan favourite The Vivienne has hit out at drag queens who say they aren’t impressed with winning just a badge – reminding them that there is more than just a badge at stake for anyone who takes part in the show.

    In a tweet she explained that the girls are winning a lot more than a badge, that they are, in fact, winning their “dream careers”.

    She wrote, “‘Im not applying for drag race s2! I want more than a badge’ We get more than a badge, a LOT more than a badge. #dreamcareer

    So true, so true! Dream big gals!

  • Drag Race UK has been renewed for a second series

    Drag Race UK has been renewed for a second series

    Ru herself announced the new series

    Get ready Hunties. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has been greenlit for a second series for 2020. The new series will again be available on BBC 3 – via the BBC iPlayer.

    Taking to Twitter Ru said,

    “YES! #DragRaceUK Sashays Back To @BBCThree For A 2nd Season”

    When will Drag Race UK season 2 start?

    When will Drag Race UK season 2 start?

    Although the brand new series has only just been announced its likely that it will broadcast/stream at around the same time of year that series 1 commenced. Meaning that Season 2 of Drag Race UK should start in late September. This hasn’t been confirmed by the BBC.

    We will update this page when this information becomes available.

    When will the new queens for Season 2 of Drag Race UK be announced?

    We expect that the new crop of queens for Season 2 of Drag Race UK will be announced in late August next year, this will correspond with the cast announcement for series 1.

    We will update this page when this information becomes available.

  • Is Drag Race UK Baga Chipz a Conservative?

    Is Drag Race UK Baga Chipz a Conservative?

    People are wondering if one of Drag Race UK‘s stars is a Conservative!

    We’re three weeks and we’re starting to see in our analytics, here at TGUK central what people are wondering about the Drag Queens of Drag Race UK and one of the most highly asked questions is whether Baga Chipz – one of the competition’s favourites to win, is a Conservative. If you’re in the US, the Conservatives are like a Republican Lite. Think a centre-right party without the guns.

    Recently Baga Chipz, was forced to defend a pro-Conservative op-ed she wrote for a magazine back in 2017, during the General Election.

    In the piece, she wrote, that former Prime Minister Theresa May had “proved to be a capable politician, always on the ball and never at risk of having a ‘Diane Abbott’ moment”.

    The piece was unearthed by fans of the show, some of whom were quick to condemn Chipz as a “Tory Queen”.

    However, Baga Chipz was quick to confirm that she was actually a “life-long labour supporter” but wrote the piece because she wasn’t a fan of Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

    She pointed out his “record on antisemitism, his support for the IRA and homophobic terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, his support for brutal dictatorships in Venezuela and Cuba”.

    In the piece, titled “Why Vote Conservative” for scene magazine Boyz, she wrote,

    “As a member of the LGBTQI community, I often get asked about Theresa May’s voting record on gay rights, and I understand the concerns,

    “But just as Hillary Clinton changed her stance, so has Mrs May. Not only has she voted for every LGBT reform in parliament in the last decade but she was instrumental in pushing marriage equality.”

    “I am not a Tory”

    Defending her 2017 stance, Chipz took to Twitter to write,  “I am not a Tory. I’m actually a lifelong labour supporter. I supported Theresa May in the last election as I’m not a fan of Jeremy Corbyn.. was 4 years ago hun.. one is allowed to change ones views.

    — Baga Chipz MBE (@ChipShopBird) August 21, 2019

    How does Theresa May’s Voting Record on LGBT+ issues stand?

    Although more recently Theresa May’s voting record has leaned to pro-LGBT+ rights here past actions saw her vote in favour of Section 28,  in a GAYUK analysis May only achieved a 29.6% LGBT+ friendly rating. We noted, “Ms May is what we’d call an evolved Minister on LGBT+ and gay rights. Prior to 2004 she systematically voted against the rights of gay people in the UK. Then we see a 180-degree change in her voting pattern, although she did have a blip in 2007 when she failed to vote on the Discrimination on the grounds of sexuality law. Since the beginning of this decade, she has voted positively for the LGBT+ community.”

    Embed from Getty Images

    Chipz has now said that she’d vote Liberal Democrat.

    So no, she isn’t a Conservative, but a Lib Demmer – a party that is pro-EU and has a great track record when it comes to LGBT+ rights.

  • Here’s where you can watch Drag Race UK, if you live outside the UK

    Here’s where you can watch Drag Race UK, if you live outside the UK

    Where can I watch RuPaul's Drag Race UK?
    (C) BBC – Photographer: Leigh Keily

    The new series is upon us and here’s where you can watch Drag Race UK, if you live outside the UK or don’t have access to BBC’s iPlayer.

    In the UK, viewers are pretty much limited to watching the first-ever UK version of RuPaul’s Drag Race, on BBC 3, meaning that you must have a TV license to view the series, however, if you live outside the UK, there are a few options so you can keep up-to-date with the latest happenings.

    If you live in the US, the only place you can watch Drag Race UK is on WOW Presents Plus – the WOW Network’s very own streaming platform. Once a member you’ll be able to watch all of their programming on your iPhone, Apple TV, Android, Fire and Roku devices.

    It costs just $3.99 a month, after a 30 day free trial.

    In Canada, you can catch up with the British queens on Crave and OUTtv. Crave costs $9.99 a month, while a subscription to OUTtv costs just $3.99 a month.

    In Australia, WOW’s programming is available on Stan and again via WOW Presents Plus. Stan offers a 30 day free trial and then costs $10 (AUS) a month.

    For the rest of the world the brand new series is available to stream on the WOW Presents Plus.

  • TFL would have allowed Vinegar Strokes’ iconic Victoria Line costume

    TFL would have allowed Vinegar Strokes’ iconic Victoria Line costume

    In a twist worthy of Drag Race UK, Transport For London has confirmed to THEGAYUK that it was never approached about Vinegar Strokes’ costume.

    Yesterday we revealed that Drag Race UK‘s Vinegar Strokes said that she wasn’t permitted to use her planned costume – an EPIC dress which featured the entire Victoria Line, for the runway section, due to licensing, but TFL has confirmed to THEGAYUK that they were never approached for licensing and would have been ” more than happy to help make it happen”.

    In an Instagram post, the North London drag Queen uploaded a picture of the look she actually had wanted to wear saying, “THIS WAS WHAT I WAS PLANNING ON WEARING FOR MY HOMETOWN QUEEN RUNWAY!!!!! What’s more London then our glorious TFL Underground line. But due to licensing I wasn’t allowed to wear it”

    Unfortunately, due to whatever the reasons between Ms Strokes being unable to wear her planned costume, her last-minute compromise her runway look failed to excite the judges, leaving Michelle Visage, in particular, disappointed.

    She was placed in the bottom two and was forced to lip sync – in which she was victorious.

  • Drag Race UK’s Vinegar Strokes reveals why her real catwalk look for episode 1 was banned

    Drag Race UK’s Vinegar Strokes reveals why her real catwalk look for episode 1 was banned

    Drag Race UK‘s Vinegar Strokes, who has become one of the competition’s “one to watch” has revealed that her Thames-inspired catwalk costume in the first episode wasn’t what she actually wanted to to wear.

    During the first-ever catwalk for this year’s queens, Vinegar Stroke’s runway look failed to excite the judges, leaving Michelle Visage, in particular, disappointed, but apparently, according to Ms Stokes, it wasn’t what she was actually planning to wear.

    In fact, Vinegar Strokes had been planning to wear a stunning, outsized costume which featured an entire map of London underground’s Victoria line.

    The North-London drag queen said that due to licensing, she was unable to wear the dress that she had actually planned to wear, and what she walked down the catwalk in was a quick, last-minute compromise.

    She wrote, “Funny story! THIS WAS WHAT I WAS PLANNING ON WEARING FOR MY HOMETOWN QUEEN RUNWAY!!!!! What’s more London then our glorious TFL Underground line. But due to licensing I wasn’t allowed to wear it, hence the creation of THAMES, THAMES CROSS THE BOARD!! The Victoria line is my line! I jump on at Seven Sisters and I get off for work at Oxford Circus. But when I really wanna GET OFF I’ll pop down to Brixton for some Chicken Wings, Jamaican Patties and some real BBC

    View this post on Instagram

    Funny story! THIS WAS WHAT I WAS PLANNING ON WEARING FOR MY HOMETOWN QUEEN RUNWAY!!!!! What’s more London then our glorious TFL Underground line. But due to licensing I wasn’t allowed to wear it, hence the creation of THAMES, THAMES CROSS THE BOARD!! The Victoria line is my line! I jump on at Seven Sisters and I get off for work at Oxford Circus. But when I really wanna GET OFF I’ll pop down to Brixton for some Chicken Wings, Jamaican Patties and some real BBC ? • • • • • #couldntwearit #camp #TFL #victorialine #londonqueen #london #londoner #instaqueen? #dragraceuk #rupaulsdragraceuk #rpdr #tubes #swag #comedyqueen #lookqueen #mua #hairqueen #lgbt Outfit by @kraken.countercouture Hair by @the_wig_room_training_academy Pic by @elliot_moody

    A post shared by VINEGAR STROKES (@theonlyvinegarstrokes) on

    Can we just say that look is EPIC! and should have won! However it did give us an opportunity to see Ms Strokes lip sync for her life – which she did.