Drag Race UK just crowned a winner, baby
The four finalists of Drag Race UK. (BBC Three)
Lawrence Chaney, the wisecracking and always cheerful Glaswegian queen, was crowned Thursday night (18 March) the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
Lawrence fought off competition from Bimini Bon Boulash, Tayce and Ellie Diamond to snatch the crown following a tense final lip sync to Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing”.
Her success is a sickening rebuke against the online trolls that targeted the queen earlier in the season, pushing her to unplug from Twitter altogether.
Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney: ‘Scotland, I’ve brought the crown home’
Speaking after being crowned Drag Race UK‘s next drag superstar, Lawrence Chaney reflected: “This is incredible. Scotland babes, I’ve brought the crown home.”
In an emotional speech on why she deserves the crown, she explained: “I started drag in Scotland and I was never the best dancer, the best lip syncer.
“But what I started with was making connections, making people laugh and being that escapism for people.
“I want to offer my drag as escapism for all those people. I want to show that no matter how bullied you are and how weird you look, you can do anything.
“And I want to show the UK and the world everything I have to offer because I really think I can make a difference.”
Known off-stage as Lawrence Maidment, Chaney drew inspiration for her drag from the silent movie legend Lon Chaney.
“He was known as the man of a thousand faces and I’m known as the queen of a thousand faces, because I’m good at impersonation, stupid voices and general buffoonery,” she told Metro.
Touting herself as a “legend” just like the Loch Ness Monster, Chaney delighted fans with her boisterous and upbeat attitude – and the judges agreed, with her notching up three wins in the show’s first five episodes.
She briefly stumbled in the Snatch Game and found herself in the bottom two in episode six, but she ended up vaulting herself back into the spotlight easily.
She’s a drag superstar, after all.
Lawrence becomes Drag Race UK‘s second-ever winner, following The Vivienne.
