RuPaul's Drag Race UK
RuPaul's Drag Race UK is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. The show is the fourth installment of the Drag Race franchise, and the second fronted by RuPaul. The show documents RuPaul and a panel of judges' search for "the United Kingdom's next drag superstar", the first series title dubbed "UK's First Drag Superstar". RuPaul plays several roles on the show including host, mentor and head judge for the series, as the contestants are given different challenges to participate in each week. The show also employs a panel of judges: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton.
The show was renewed for a second series in 2019; however, production was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production of the second series resumed later in the year, with filming concluding in late 2020. The cast of 12 new queens was announced on 16 December 2020 and the series premiered on 14 January 2021. The show was renewed for a third, fourth and fifth series. After the first series aired, the show received numerous award nominations from the twenty-fifth National Television Awards including: "The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award" and "Best TV Judge" with both Visage and RuPaul receiving a nomination.
The show was critically acclaimed in the UK, with 15.6 million streams during the first season. The show's success is credited for being the driving force behind the BBC bringing back the defunct television channel BBC Three. Spin-off show RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World relaunched the television channel in February 2022. The return proved successful, with the show securing five times more viewers than any other show broadcasting during the channel's first day. The show is now recognised as one of the BBC's most popular non-scripted shows. The show's success has also paved way for contestants to break into the music industry, as well as creating drag pop groups: Frock Destroyers and United Kingdolls, with both groups charting on the Official UK Charts. Bimini Bon-Boulash, who was a member of the latter group, was the first drag queen from any Drag Race franchise to sign a major mainstream record deal, signing a joint deal with Relentless Records and Sony Music in July 2022. A number of contestants from the show have also signed major modelling contracts. The show also produced spin-off series God Shave the Queens, which follows the Drag Race contestants on tour together after the completion of the show. The show's success also resulted in the BBC purchasing broadcasting rights for both Canada's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.
History
RuPaul's Drag Race originated in the United States and has been adapted in various countries. The show's aim is to find the next "Drag Superstar", with the winner occupying the traits of "charisma", "uniqueness", "nerve" and "talent". RuPaul has stated that the show looks for an entertainer who can stand out from the rest. Whereas Fenton Bailey has stated that: "Everyone can relate to the feeling of being an outsider".In 2014, it was speculated that Jonathan Ross was in talks to host a UK version of Drag Race. Where he had stated that he was working on the version with UK drag queen, Jodie Harsh, along with Katie Price as one of the judges. However, production took a halt in April 2014, due to Ross having to work on family issues. A year later in 2015, Ross and Price assisted RuPaul in a one-off search of the "UK Drag Race Ambassador", which eventual Series 1 winner, The Vivienne won in 2015. The Vivienne won a trip to the set of the American version of the show.
During Michelle Visage's time on Celebrity Big Brother, she said; "I tell you what, I could cast RuPaul's Drag Race the British invasion or the UK version in five minutes because there's so much talent over there. It's so different, the Liverpool queens, to the Blackpool queens, to the Mancunian queens, to the London queens. I'm not going to stop until gets made. Trust me." Channel 5 expressed interest in broadcasting the show in 2018. However, in June 2018, the producers of the American version hinted that a British version of the show was in the works. Fenton Bailey then confirmed that he, Randy Barbato and RuPaul had a meeting with the BBC and that "something is coming, be afraid – be very afraid. Nothing's impossible."
Visage said about her driving force to get a UK version made: "Let me tell you I'm a big driving force behind it happening because I came over here like six or seven years ago and started performing in the gay bars. And I saw the love and the passion for Drag Race and that's the reason I did Celebrity Big Brother five years ago, was to bring attention to it. I knew that the LGBTQIA+ community in the UK needed their own version. These kids craved it, they deserved it. So, I fought really hard for this British version to happen. It took five years, but it ended up where it belonged at the BBC of all places. And it was a huge hit because there's so much heart and so much love in the UK for the art of drag." The show was commissioned by Fiona Campbell, Controller BBC Three and Kate Phillips, Controller, BBC Entertainment. The executive producers are RuPaul Charles, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Sally Miles and Bruce McCoy, and the BBC commissioning editor is Ruby Kuraishe. Bailey credits the show as a turning point, because it helped demonstrate the show's universality.
Format
Like the American version, RuPaul has several roles within the show, acting as host, coach and judge. As the host, RuPaul introduces celebrity guests, announces the challenges the queens will take part in each week, and reveals who will be leaving the competition. For his role as a coach, RuPaul offers guidance to the contestants through each challenge, and as a judge, he critiques the queens on their overall performance of the challenge. The show uses progressive elimination to reduce the number of drag queens in the competition from the initial field of ten contestants, down until the final three, who compete in the final challenge, and the final two lip-syncing for the crown. Each episode follows a format consisting of a mini-challenge, a main challenge, a runway walk, the judging panel, a lip sync battle, and the elimination of a contestant. Most of the lip-syncs on the British version feature songs from UK-based or British recording artists.Spin-off series RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Podcast, presented by Scarlett Moffatt and Baby Lame, airs on BBC Sounds, with interviews with the queens who Sashay Away each week, as well as guests.
Mini challenges
In mini-challenges, each contestant is asked to perform a different task with varying requirements and time limitations. Certain mini-challenges are repeated from series to series, or repeated from the original American season. For instance, the first mini-challenge is a photo shoot with a photographer or RuPaul himself, that includes a special twist : in the UK version, the queens had to do something with their own heads via Green Screen. Another recurring mini-challenge is dedicated to "reading", a drag term for making insulting observations about one's peers for comedic effect, inspired by Paris Is Burning. The winner of a mini-challenge is sometimes rewarded with an advantage in the main challenge. Though most episodes have a mini-challenge, select episodes do not.Maxi challenges and runways
The requirements of the maxi challenge vary across each episode and can be individual or group challenges. The winner of the maxi challenge also receives a special prize for their win, for example, a "RuPeter Badge" a spoof of the CBBC's famous Blue Peter badge, which would be received for doing something well. The final maxi challenge consisted of the queens taking part in an all-singing and all-dancing routine to one of RuPaul's songs.The goal of each maxi challenge involves a new theme and outcome. Contestants are often asked to design and construct a custom outfit, sometimes incorporating unconventional materials. Other challenges focus on the contestants' ability to present themselves on camera, perform with music, or perform humorously. Some challenges became a tradition across series, such as the "Snatch Game", a ball or a makeover, in which the contestants create drag personas for other people. The contestants walk down a runway presenting outfits. If the maxi challenge involves the creation of an outfit, that outfit is presented to the judges on the runway. Otherwise, a theme is assigned and the contestants must put together a look that fits the theme, which is presented to the judges. The runway looks and presentation are judged along with the maxi challenge performance.
Judging panel
A panel of judges cast opinions about the challenge performances and runway looks, first to the contestants onstage, and then again with them offstage.RuPaul, as with the original American version, acts as both the host and main judge, with Michelle Visage supporting him on the panel every episode. Graham Norton and Alan Carr are rotating supporting judges, with one of them usually appearing on the panel each episode, with the fourth slot filled by a new guest judge each episode. For the seventh episode of the fourth series, RuPaul was absent from the panel and Visage acted as stand-in host and main judge. In 2023, Norton, Carr, and Visage all returned to judge the fifth series of the show.
Guest judges in Series 1 included Maisie Williams, Geri Halliwell, Jade Thirlwall, Andrew Garfield, Michaela Coel, Cheryl, and Twiggy. MNEK and AJ & Curtis Pritchard served as guest vocalists and choreographers to the contestants during themed tasks. Dawn French revealed herself to be the first guest judge of the second series. She went on to reveal that the BBC had originally asked French to be a main judge on the first series. French said: "They did originally ask me if I would be a full-time judge, but I couldn't – because I just don't live in London. But I am going to be a guest judge in a couple of weeks." She further revealed that for the second series, due to COVID-19, that each of the judges would sit on their own panel, instead of sitting together on one panel. As well as a "sort of Perspex between each judge".
Series 4 guest judges were revealed on 31 August 2022 to include: Olly Alexander, Boy George, Alison Hammond, Mel B, Dame Joanna Lumley, Lorraine Pascale, Leomie Anderson, FKA Twigs, Hannah Waddingham, and former RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Raven. Carol Vorderman was revealed as the celebrity guest for the fifth series in February 2023. Alexandra Burke was revealed to feature during the Snatch Game episode as a guest judge. Burke said of her experience as a guest judge: "I had the best time ever being a part of the iconic Snatch Game. I'm the biggest fan of RuPaul and the show. I've been desperate to appear on Drag Race, and so to be there was a real honour and I'm dreaming of being able to do it again and again!" Other guest judges were revealed to be Aisling Bea, Cush Jumbo, Yasmin Finney, Joel Dommett and Suranne Jones. Sophie Ellis-Bextor was also revealed to be a guest judge. Series 6 guest judges included: Claire Richards of Steps, Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, Siobhán McSweeney, Beverley Knight, Mabel and AJ Odudu.