Just one Drag Race is no longer enough for the overflowing global pool of drag talent. Confirming long-standing rumors, BBC 3 has announced that a British edition of the culture and language-defining TV empire that is RuPaul's Drag Race, will be launching on its channel in 2019.
British humor and royalty jokes will surely abound, as a roster of UK queens face off in hopes of impressing Mother Ru, who is confirmed to host, as well as returning US co-host Michelle Visage.
"It is a dream come true to extend our royal family to the United Kingdom with our partners at BBC Three. I am beyond excited to celebrate the massive charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent of the Queen's queens." RuPaul said in a press release. "And before anyone asks, yes, we would be thrilled to have Meghan Markle join us, as we are already preparing a 'Royal-Mother-To-Be' runway challenge."
The format will be roughly the same as the original, with queens competing in individual and team challenges to test their skills, and each week, the weakest link being asked to sashay away.
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Fans and the drag community are hungrily speculating if Drag Race alums like Carson Kressley and Ross Matthews will join the new edition along with Ru and Visage, as well as slotting their dream UK guest-judges (Spice Girls? Boy George? Catherine Zeta-Jones?). The recent explosion of the American drag scene has launched newfound excitement about the historic drag legacy of UK, which is concentrated in areas like London and Manchester, and home to Britain's current vibrant drag scene, which include queens like Cheddar Gorgeous to Liquorice Black to FKA, who many are hoping to see compete.
Drag Race UK is the latest frontier of RuPaul's empire, which, on top of the original title, has spawned RuPauls's Drag U, RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, The RuPaul Show, Drag Race Thailand, Netflix series AJ and The Queen; book, beauty and fashion deals; not to mention the squad of queens from Sasha Velour to Trixie Mattel to Blair St. Clair, whose careers he's help launch in the fashion, music and entertainment worlds.
No air date for RuPaul's Drag Race UK has been announced yet but channel has posted a casting call that closes on January 14, and confirmed that filming will begin in March. We have to say it... Start your engines.
Photo via Getty
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