The 'Drag Race UK' queens have been revealed

The internet already has LOTS of thoughts.

Drag Race UK

BBC has announced the cast for Drag Race UK. Source: BBC 3

Start your engines!

has officially announced the cast for the first ever season of Drag Race UK, unveiling the 10 queens set to compete for the coveted crown.

And, well, the internet already has thoughts - and not all of them good. Not least because the cast is overwhelmingly white, with only two culturally diverse queens - Sum Ting Wong and Vinegar Strokes.

There was also controversy over 29-year-old Baga Chipz being selected for the show, with some of the queen's old op-eds emerging about why she chooses to vote conservative.
Early drama and distinct lack of diversity aside, the queens sat down with to give viewers an insight into their drag - and explain why they think they've got what it takes to win the show.

Oh, and we also got our first sneak peak into the new Drag Race UK 'Werk' room.
So here they are, the ten UK queens competing for the first Drag Race UK crown:

Baga Chipz, 29, London



"My style is more cabaret, old school, sequin frocks, Shirley Bassey, Danny La Rue, Lily Savage kind of drag."

Blu Hydrangea, 23, Belfast



"It's hard sometimes. You're performing to an empty bar with seven people and it's very quiet.

"But I've built a big social media profile, and I now have a platform that allows me to talk about what it's like to be gay and a queen in Belfast."

Divina De Campo, 35, West Yorkshire



"As a kid I was dressing up in dresses all the time, but the first time I went out, I went out as Christina Aguilera from the Moulin Rouge video."

Crystal, 34, London



"I do aerial circus, I can crack a whip, put cigarettes out on my tongue - it's a freak show."

Sum Ting Wong, 30, Birmingham



"I am a Chinese male who's overweight and losing his hair.

"When I started doing drag five years ago, I wanted a name that was cheeky but also reflected my British Vietnamese heritage."

Cheryl Hole, 25, Essex



"I think my degree in dance will give me an edge because there are several challenges that are thrown at you where you have to use your body."

Gothy Kendoll, 21, Leicester



"I first did drag on New Year's Eve 2016 and it was a mess. I was in a leotard with no wig on but I was living my life, having the best night ever."

Vinegar Strokes, 35, London



"Drag is the new black."

Scaredy Kat, 20, Wiltshire



"I really haven't done it that long. It was probably about a year ago. I was with my girlfriend trying to have a laugh. It was quite embarrassing but it went quite well for a first try."

The Vivienne, 27, Liverpool



"Comedy is definitely my trump card. My favourite trick in drag is my vocal impersonations so I do everyone from Kim Woodburn and Cilla Black to Donald Trump."

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3 min read
Published 22 August 2019 10:09am
By Samuel Leighton-Dore


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