David Farnor | On 17, Dec 2020

RuPaul and BBC Three have Ru-vealed the drag queens competing for the coveted title of The UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar in Season 2 of Drag Race UK.

The 12 competing queens are: Tayce, Lawrence Chaney, Cherry Valentine, Tia Kofi, Bimini Bon Boulash, Ginny Lemon, Veronica Green, Sister Sister, Joe Black, Ellie Diamond, Asttina Mandella, and A’Whora.

With Queens representing from the length and breadth of the country, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK showcases the very best of what the UK drag scene has to offer. An intense competition, the queens will slay their way through a weekly series of challenges designed to test their drag expertise. Their make-up skills, fashion sense, sewing abilities, comedy, singing, acting dancing skills, and of course lip sync skills will all be under close scrutiny. In accordance with Drag Race mantra, all of the queens will be assessed on their Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent with the bottom two queens being asked to lip sync for their lives.

Season 1 of Drag Race UK triumphantly slayed for BBC Three, with over 15.8 million requests on iPlayer so far. Season 2 is bigger than the first, with 12 queens battling it out over 10 weeks, with judges RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr returning to our screens, bringing some much overdue joy to the great British public. Each week Alan or Graham will join RuPaul and Michelle on a rotational basis, alongside an extra special celebrity guest judge.

Also on the way is RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: Queens On Lockdown, a special episode uncovering how the Queens of Season 2 spent their time during the break in filming because of the coronavirus pandemic. This one-off will air mid-season.

Season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK will premiere on 14th January at 7pm on BBC iPlayer.

Here’s the line-up of queens:

Lawrence Chaney

23, Glasgow

“I’m from Glasgow and every single stereotype that you are thinking right now about a Scottish person is, is true for me! I love Irn-Bru, and a caramel wafer. I’m almost the Austin Powers “fat bastard” of drag! I think of my Scottishness as an asset. I am definitely very proud to be Scottish and Glaswegian.”

Cherry Valentine

26, Darlington

“I’m originally from the small town of Darlington – it has a massive clock, and I love clocks! But I left Darlington and moved to Manchester and that’s where Cherry Valentine was born!”

Bimini Bon Boulash

26, London (via Norfolk)

“I grew up in Norfolk. If you look at the map it’s like the arsehole that sticks out at the side, so I don’t know what that says about me!”

Ginny Lemon

31, Worcestershire

“I live in Worcester, but as there’s no drag scene there, my main scene is Birmingham. It’s absolutely fabulous and so diverse. It’s the most loving and embracing scene I’ve ever been a part of. I think people need to wake up to how fabulous Birmingham is!”

Joe Black

30, Brighton (via Portsmouth)

“I come from the world of cabaret so it’s all ostrich feathers, glitter and burlesque. What a lovely place to come from. Oh, and I am the first person from Drag Race to hail from Brighton.”

Tia Kofi

30, London (via Essex and Nottingham)

“Originally from Essex, I am now the queen of Clapham. My name, Tia Kofi is a very camp and very British – Tea or Coffee darling? It’s very me, and at the very least, it’s memorable! I’m a mashup of the drag styles. I love comedy, camp, old school, contemporary, and cultural references. As there aren’t a huge number of POC queens on the scene, I’ll often throw in something from my Nigerian heritage too. I’m also a geek. One day I might be a character from Doctor Who, and I love channelling a bit of Star Trek.”

Veronica Green

34, London (via Rochdale)

“I’m originally from Rochdale in Lancashire, the home of Gracie Fields, and Lisa Stansfield. When it came to drag my hometown scene was dead, so I moved to London where I could really bring Veronica Green to life.”

Sister Sister

32, Liverpool

“I’m from Liverpool where the drag scene is incredibly varied. We have the grand high mistress, Lily Savage, who paved the way for drag queens everywhere, God bless her! You have the gorgeous queens of drag town, like angels from a high, then you have the grungy queer scene who like to get down dark and dirty, and throw condiments, and then you have me! I think I fit in to the middle of lots of different worlds. I’ve always had a strong aesthetic and I’ve always had a strong sense of what I think is funny and when you put those things together: it looks, and sounds like me.”

Tayce

26, London (via Newport, Wales)

“I’m from the Welsh lands of Newport. Newport can be a bit grey, dingy and so I just love to bring a bit of colour to the world. Since I was born, I have been prancing around in little skirts and wigs. I’ve always been full of life and energy. I’ve always got a smile on my face and I have been wearing crazy looks from day dot.”

Ellie Diamond

21, Dundee

“I’m from Dundee, Scotland. It’s famous for cake and The Beano and as there isn’t much of a drag scene there, I’m a big queen (literally) in a tiny pond. Scottish queens are different to every other queen in the scene in that we are self-sufficient. We do our own hair and outfits and we do everything ourselves and so we’re very independent with our drag.”

Asttina Mandella

27, London

“I’m from East London where we love to play on being trashy and be a mess. That’s my drag scene. I love to get ugly and be silly. East London allows you to explore and go crazy with no rules.”

A’Whora

23, London (via Nottinghamshire)

“I’m from Nottinghamshire originally. I now live and work in London, but I’m still Northern as Hell. I’m a fashion designer and A’Whora is my muse, best friend and alter ego. She is well known as a fashion queen, but I’m here to prove she’s so much more than that. She is different to anyone you will ever meet. She is striking, she has presence, and you will never see her in a High Street dress. I’m gagging at the thought!”

 

BBC Three confirms Drag Race UK will return for Season 2

17th November 2019

BBC Three and World of Wonder have confirmed that a second-season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is officially on the way.

A global phenomenon, the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise is available in 193 countries and has been nominated in the US for a record-breaking 29 Emmys with 13 wins. In 2018, Drag Race became the first series to win Best Reality-Competition Program and Host in the same year, and the show had a repeat victory at this years’ ceremony.

The hotly anticipated British version of the hit reality contest has seen 10 UK queens compete to be crowned the UK’s first Drag Race Superstar in Season 1, with episodes arriving at 8pm on Thursdays and the final set for 21st November. The queens are Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea, Crystal, Cheryl Hole, Divina De Campo, Gothy Kendoll, Sum Ting Wong, Scaredy Kat, The Vivienne and Vinegar Strokes.

Maisie Williams, Geri Horner, Jade Thirlwall, Michaela Coel, Andrew Garfield, Cheryl and Twiggy are the extra special celebrity guest judges joining RuPaul and Michelle Visage for one episode each, alongside Graham Norton and Alan Carr who are on rotating judging duties.

“It’s heartening to see that it has, in fact, embraced the many specificities of the UK, while simultaneously being rather confused by them, and an extra layer of entertainment is added by that cultural exchange,” we wrote in our review. “The results are witty, fabulous, and very, very British.“

It has been a runway success for BBC Three with 6.5 million total requests on iPlayer just over half way through the first season, as the queens face a myriad of challenges designed to test their drag ability to the max, and they’ve served regal realness, formed two fierce girl bands, performed Downton Draggy and so much more.

RuPaul says: “I want to thank the BBC and all our fans for their overwhelming support of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. This season’s queens proved that Britain’s Got Charisma Uniqueness Nerve and Talent and I want to see more! Here’s to another season of love, laughter and light!”

Kate Phillips, Controller, Entertainment Commissioning, says: “The response to the current UK series has been nothing short of dragulous; our viewers have really taken the show and the amazing queens to their hearts. So I’m delighted that Ru and the gang are going to shantay stay. Let the search for the next group of queens begin!”

Fiona Campbell, Controller BBC Three, says: “I’m delighted that BBC Three will be the home for Season 2 of Drag Race UK. Every single queen for Season 1 brought something different to the table and I’ve loved watching and getting to know them. The show is a huge hit for us and we’re very much looking forward to unleashing another series for our audience to tuck into!”

BBC Three has now opened applications to find another set of sickening queens to compete in the Olympics of drag. To apply for the next series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK sashay to https://get.rupaulsdragraceuk.com/casting – applications need to be in by Friday 15th November 2019.

Drag Race UK Season 2 will air in 2020.

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