RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 1
The first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on 3 October 2019 on the BBC Three section of BBC iPlayer and WOW Presents Plus's WOW Presents Plus streaming service. It ran for eight episodes.
The winner of first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK was The Vivienne, with Divina de Campo as the runner-up.
The song "Break Up (Bye Bye)", which was featured in the fifth episode, was released as a single and reached number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. It also peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in the US.
The Vivienne died on 3 January 2025 at the age of 32 due to cardiac arrest. They are the first winner in the Drag Race franchise to pass away.
Contestants
Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Outcome |
| The Vivienne | 26 | Liverpool, England | |
| Divina de Campo | 35 | Brighouse, England | |
| Baga Chipz | 29 | East London, England | 3rd place |
| Cheryl Hole | 25 | Chelmsford, England | 4th place |
| Blu Hydrangea | 23 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 5th place |
| Crystal | 34 | East London, England | 6th place |
| Sum Ting Wong | 30 | Birmingham, England | 7th place |
| Vinegar Strokes | 34 | North London, England | 8th place |
| Scaredy Kat | 19 | Cricklade, England | 9th place |
| Gothy Kendoll | 21 | Leicester, England | 10th place |
Lip syncs
Legend:Guest judges
Listed in chronological order:- Andrew Garfield, actor
- Maisie Williams, actress
- Twiggy, model and fashion designer
- Geri Halliwell, singer
- Jade Thirlwall, singer
- Cheryl, singer, television personality and dancer
- Michaela Coel, actress
Special guests
Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.Episode 3
- Raven, runner-up of both RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 and All Stars 1
Episode 5
- MNEK, singer and music producer
- Katya, contestant from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 7, and runner-up of All Stars 2
- AJ Pritchard, professional ballroom dancer
- Curtis Pritchard, professional ballroom dancer
Episodes
Reception
The series received very positive reviews from critics, with The Guardian describing the series as having "saved RuPaul's Drag Race" as the recent seasons have had a less than positive reception. In their review of the series, iNews awarded the series "five stars" and described it as a "roaring success", despite criticising its omission of a stand-up comedy challenge.In a more critical review, Vulture stated in its review of the finale that although the season "may have hit some true highs... it couldn’t save Drag Race from its worst impulses".