RuPaul’s Drag Race has landed in the UK and is making Drag Race history. The finale was last Thursday, and what a finale it was – whether your fave won or not – it was one for the books.
I didn’t know how much I was craving a UK drag race until the judge lineup was announced. Permanent judges RuPaul and Michelle Visage (of course!) are joined by Alan Carr and Graham Norton. Nothing’s more perfect than those four sharing a panel. The iconic guest judges range from Andrew Garfield to Maisie Williams to Cheryl Cole, much to queen Cheryl Hole’s delight. Their excitement to be involved was wholesome – they were clearly fans of the original show.
It’s not just the guest judges who are massive Ru stans: the contestants are also constantly quoting Ru-isms. As Blu says, many of these queens grew up watching Drag Race.
The season is brilliantly British, and it makes me proud and excited for the future of British drag. Ru remarks in episode one that there’s so much “rich cultural exchange for me here!” Queens like Baga Chips, Sum Ting Wong, and Cheryl Hole come out – excuse the pun – with incredibly authentic British banter. Over the course of the season, they educate Ru on our classiest slang: minge, gobshite, minging.
The show is a celebration of drag, queerness and everything British. Obviously, you should watch it.
