Drag Race announces first-ever international All Stars edition: UK Versus the World
RuPaul (VH1)
Drag Race: UK Versus the World will see international All Stars battle it out for the crown.
After months of rumours, World of Wonder and the BBC confirmed on Monday (20 December) that Drag Race is going global with the UK as its host nation.
The new spin-off will see RuPaul reunite with the Drag Race UK panel: Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr.
For Drag Race: UK Versus the World, nine queens from British, US and international editions of the franchise will compete for the crown of ultimate Drag Race Superstar.
The spin-off will form the centrepiece of BBC Three’s return as a broadcast television channel, premiering on its launch night in “early February”.
The cast of queens for the new series has yet to be announced. However, the franchise has hundreds of queens to pick from, including from the original American Drag Race, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Canada’s Drag Race, Drag Race Holland, Drag Race Thailand, and more.
WOW Presents Plus will air Drag Race: UK Versus the World internationally, with Entertainment Weekly reporting that it will premiere “in the near future”.
Drag Race fans are currently gearing up for season 14 of the original, American series, the casting for which has sparked some controversy.
It will be the first to include a cis, straight man, Maddy Morphosis.
Numerous show alumni have weighed in on the casting, including Gottmik, from the show’s 13th season, who spoke out in defence of Maddy by opening up about the negativity she faced as the show’s first trans man.
“When I first got announced on the show, I was flooded with people who did not think I should be on the show or I shouldn’t be doing drag,” Gottmik said. “I feel like she’s going through the exact same thing.”
She described drag as an “art form” that is for everyone as “it’s not about your identity”. She also added that anyone’s drag can be “valid” but explained that “it doesn’t mean you’re always good”.
Ultimately Gottmik became a fan favourite and made it to the final four of the show.
