Drag Race UK’s Copper Topp says judges didn’t get her drag – and reads Ella Henderson to filth

Oct 07 2022
Written by Charlie Duncan

Copper Topp’s promo image (BBC/World of Wonder/Guy Levy)

Drag Race UK eliminated queen Copper Topp has admitted she felt “misunderstood” by the judges.

After being voted the competitor who was fading into the background by her fellow queens, Copper Topp set out to prove them wrong in the season’s first design challenge.

Sadly, her Barbarella-inspired leotard wasn’t a hit with the judges, who said she paled in comparison to her challenge partner, Cheddar Gorgeous.

The design landed her in the bottom, and she was sent home after a lip-sync against Black Peppa, to Tory Party darling Ella Henderson’s “This Is Real”.

Black Peppa and Copper Topp lip-sync (BBC)

Speaking to PinkNews and other media, Copper said that she “100 per cent” felt misunderstood by the judges.

“Yeah, 100 per cent misunderstood. Walking down the runway, you don’t always expect it to be 100 per cent about fashion. It’s gonna have fashion aspects, but it’s about drag, and there’s so many different sides to drag.

“There’s there’s no rulebook necessarily – it’s about doing what you want.”

Copper had some choice words for Ella Henderson, who recently performed at the Tory Party conference following a string of Pride gigs this summer, after having to lipsync to one of her songs against Black Peppa.

“Do I think it was the wrong move? 100 per cent. It gets a boot from me. I don’t know what her political persuasion is, but if you’re going to be an ally, and also take money from Pride events, then step carefully.”

https://twitter.com/CopperToppQueen/status/1578154065069936640

During this week’s episode, the queens voted for each other in the ‘Naff-tas’, with Copper picking up the title of ‘Best Background Actress in a Non-Speaking Role’. The shade of it all!

Copper thinks this was unfair and said she refused to vote in the category.

“I think they were all shady ladies for voting – I actually refused to vote because I thought it was nasty”.

Copper Topp certainly made an impression in her first episode runway, for the category ‘Ru Are You’. Her look included the words ‘Ginger’ and ‘F*g’, before Copper’s clutch turned the second word to ‘F*gulous’.

“I wanted to walk down the runway with that word, which we all hear, because we live in a heteronormative society, as these words can really drill into you, and you start to believe them,” Copper said.

“I was closeted for far, far too long. I didn’t come out until I was like 25. And yes you come out when you’re ready, but [the delay is] because of those words. And because of that bullying, you aren’t able to kind of be your authentic self.”

Cheddar Gorgeous and Copper Top (BBC)

Copper revealed that going on the show has even helped herself, along with younger audience members, find her own queerness.

“I’m actually starting to find my queerness. And it’s gorgeous. And I think it’s important we talk about it, because there’s many queer and trans youth out there who are being repressed, and who were having to hide, and we need to celebrate them, as drag queens on a platform like this.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by COPPER TOPP (@coppertoppqueen)

As a comedy queen, we were almost certainly robbed of a Snatch Game masterclass by the Cheltenham based performer, who revealed that she would have performed as Anne Boleyn – but a somewhat *ahem* hornier one than we’re taught about in school, taking inspiration from Six: The Musical.

“Think historical looking Anne Boleyn. But with the voice of the personality of Anne Boleyn from Six. Very ‘Sorry, not sorry’. For example: ‘I only get down on my knees for one thing, and it’s certainly not praying.'” That’s not very holy of you Copper!