RuPaul to sashay onto ITV with star-studded new game show
RuPaul. (YouTube/RuPaul’s Drag Race)
Queen of Drag Race RuPaul is going to host an absolutely gag-worthy celebrity spin-off of ITV’s game show Lingo.
Mama Ru has been announced as the host of Celebrity Lingo, which will pit renowned personalities against each other in a word guessing game. Think of it as a fast-paced Wordle and bingo mash-up where celebrities compete to fill in the blanks to figure out missing words.
Lingo first aired on ITV for a short stint in 1988 and was based on a US game show of the same name. It was revived by the broadcaster in 2021 with a new format, with British comedian Adil Ray as host.
Celebrity Lingo will be screened later this year on ITV and the ITV Hub and will feature an initial seven hour-long episodes, the Mirror reported.
RuPaul promised that the new show will be a great addition to the ITV line-up for those who just “want to have fun”.
“Now, more than ever before, people want to have fun, and Celebrity Lingo is here to serve it up generously,” RuPaul said.
Adil Ray, who will return for a third series of the daytime game show, which features members of the public, welcomed the queen of drag to the Lingo family.
He thanked all the people – including fans – who have made the game show a hit.
“I’m so grateful to everyone watching at home, the entire crew and our fab contestants for giving me another chance to host one of the best shows on TV,” Ray said.
“Even to those who shout four-letter Lingos at me in the street! Welcome to the team, RuPaul.”
In February, RuPaul was announced as the host of a US version of Lingo.
RuPaul has dominated TV screens as the gorgeous ruler of the Drag Race empire as it has expanded from its home in the US to the UK and ‘Down Under’.
The show has also reached destinations including Thailand, Holland, the Philippines and Spain, albeit without Ru as host.
Just last week, Drag Race announced it would be expanding its horizons yet again as it is set to sashay into Belgium.
Not much is known about the Belgian spin-off of the successful drag franchise, but it has been confirmed that fans outside Belgium will be able to watch the new series on WOW Presents Plus.
Drag Race hopefuls in Belgium only have a few more days to apply for the show as applications are accepted until 8 May, according to the show’s official Twitter.
It's chocolate!🇧🇪 #DragRaceBelgique is coming soon to @wowpresentsplus (worldwide outside Belgium), casting is open through May 8 at https://t.co/OKtaH54ntN 👑 pic.twitter.com/TE8BKqjaDX
— Drag Race Belgique (@dragrace_be) April 29, 2022
RuPaul and Tom Campbell will be executive producing the show along with WOW founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.
