RuPaul’s Drag Race, the reality show that was turned down by every US network but one before becoming a worldwide hit, is bringing a British version to the BBC next year.
Described by the Guardian as “a pastiche of America’s Next Top Model, part talent contest and part reality TV”, the competition will be shot in the UK and feature 10 contestants.
Damian Kavanagh, the controller of BBC Three, said: “It is one of the biggest entertainment titles in the world and anticipation levels for a UK version have been at feverish levels.”
The show’s host, the 58-year-old drag queen RuPaul Charles, said it was “a dream come true to extend our royal family to the United Kingdom” and that he “would be thrilled to have Meghan Markle join us” when the show relocates to the UK. Previous celebrity judges have included Lady Gaga and La Toya Jackson.
Dubbed by its creator as “the most radical show on TV”, Drag Race has won a cult following for its positivity and bonhomie, favouring “camaraderie over cat fights”.
“It doesn’t have a political agenda in terms of policies in Washington,” Charles told the Guardian earlier this year. “But it has a position on identity, which is really the most political you can get. It has politics at its core, because it deals with: how do you see yourself on this planet? That’s highly political.”
Charles was heavily criticised after he told the Guardian he would “probably not” let a trans woman on Drag Race, adding: “You can identify as a woman and say you’re transitioning, but it changes once you start changing your body.”
He later apologised for his comments.
The show finished its 10th season in the US earlier this year. No premiere date has been confirmed for the UK iteration.
