BBC finally confirms when Drag Race UK vs The World will arrive – and it’s soon
RuPaul’s Drag Race.(VH1)
Drag Race UK vs The World will be unleashed during BBC Three’s launch night extravaganza.
RuPaul fans, prepare to have your wigs snatched – the first-ever international all-stars edition has finally gotten an air date.
Drag Race UK vs The World will bring a new level of competition to the already beloved worldwide drag phenomena. In the show, nine returning members of the international Drag Race family will fight it out for global drag dominance and the title of ultimate Drag Race Superstar.
The new series will premiere on 1 February as part of BBC Three’s return to linear TV, meaning fans will be able to tune in, live, at the same time across the country.
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There have been no details yet about which drag icons will be fighting it out. But the BBC Ru-vealed they will be some of the most “renowned queens from different franchises and cultures”.
The long-running franchise has hundreds of talented queens to pick from, including from the US Drag Race, Drag Race UK, Canada’s Drag Race, Drag Race Italia and much more.
So there’s a strong possibility that some of the franchise’s fan-favourite queens could star in the new competition. Just imagine a competition where Bimini Bon Boulash, Gottmik and Priyanka could potentially be in the same werkroom – absolute goals.
Drag Race UK vs The World will see RuPaul welcome back long-time judges Michelle Visage, Graham Norton, Alan Carr.
They will, of course, be joined by a wide range of high-profile judges that will help them name the first-ever global drag superstar.
The new series comes just after the start of season 14 of the original American Drag Race. The new run, which debuted on Friday (7 January), is the first to include a cis, straight male queen, Maddy Morphosis.
News that the Arkansas queen would be competing in the series has sparked heated debate about people from outside the LGBT+ community entering drag spaces.
But the cast of season 14 collectively defended their sister in a recent interview.
Morphosis told Entertainment Weekly that she didn’t really expect the amount of negativity about her casting as she thought it was just going to be a “little blip at the bottom of some news articles”.
Despite the negativity, Morphosis said there has been “so much overwhelming positivity” from fans and her fellow season 14 queens.
Season 14 queen Jasmine Kennedie described Morphosis as “one of the most educated people” that she knows from “a straight perspective” on intricacies of the drag and the LGBT+ communities.
Angeria Paris VanMicheals said she was “so proud” to be on such an “iconic” season with Morphosis because it showed the world that the drag community is “all about inclusion period”.
Drag Race UK vs The World premieres on 1 February on BBC Three, and it will be available on BBC iPlayer. It will also be available internationally on streamer of all things drag, WOW Presents Plus.
