RuPaul's Drag Race UK made it’s long-waited UK debut last night - and the show didn’t f**k it up.
Last night’s episode introduced us to our queens, with Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and extra special celebrity judge Andrew Garfield judging the runway. (Andrew even contributed some truly terrible puns, such as, ‘ 'She puts the sex in Essex’ ‘She takes the man out of Olivia Col-man’ and ‘This is less Dame Helen Mirren and more DAMN Helen Mirren’.)
The winner of the first ep - which we won’t reveal for those who haven’t watched it - was even awarded a cleverly named RuPeter Badge.
It was also announced that the queen who wins the whole contest will get to go to Hollywood to star in a digital series produced by the same team behind the show.
As one fan account tweeted, ‘Tonight’s premiere was SICKENING with @RuPaul, @michellevisage, @AlanCarr and Andrew Garfield serving royal realness! Can’t wait to see what the rest of the series holds... @dragraceukbbc #DragRaceUK’
We can’t wait to see how the show develops!
RuPaul's Drag Race UK Contestants
1 of 10Blu Hydrangea, age 23, Belfast.
'My name comes from the blue hydrangea bush that's in my garden. My nanny taught me that you have to plant it with a rusty nail so that it turns into a beautiful blue hydrangea. I love that story, of like something coming from a rusty, dirty nail into something beautiful — which is kind of like me.'
2 of 10Crystal, age 34, London.
'Crystal is a gender-bending, mess-with-your-brain kind of drag queen. She stands for tearing down gender constructs, and using creativity and looks and fashion and crazy performances to create excitement.'
3 of 10Divina Di Campo, age 35, West Yorkshire
'Drag to me is absolute freedom. You can do anything and everything that you want.'
4 of 10The Vivienne, age 27, Liverpool.
'My style of drag, I always say it's like a scouse wife who's come into money, she's moved to LA, blew it all and then she's had to move back to Bootle.'
5 of 10Cheryl Hole, age 25, Essex.
'I have been described as a lip sync assassin, and I would like to see any of these girls try to out-lip-sync me because this is what I do.'
6 of 10Scaredy Kat, age 20, Wiltshire
'I'm way too young to be here — I'm the youngest queen ever on Drag Race. My persona in drag is cute, pink and scared like a nervous flamingo.'
7 of 10Baga Chipz, age 29, London
'I'm the tart with a heart. Like chips, they can go with anything. [...] I'm not an instagram, makeup drag queen — but throw me on a stage and I entertain the absolute shite out of a room.'
8 of 10Vinegar Strokes, age 35, London
'My drag's influenced by family members and friends, who are really strong working class women who have kind of built their way up and climbed their way up through the mud and the shit to get to where they are.'
9 of 10Sum Ting Wong, age 30, Reading.
'I'm doing things now that I wanted to do as a kid. Drag helped that 12-year-old me finally live out his dream.'
10 of 10Gothy Kendoll, age 21, Leicester
'I think, for a lot of queens my age, RuPaul's Drag Race kind of sets the standard for what modern drag is, so i'm definitely inspired by the show. [...] Being in this competition means the world to me — the fact that I even got cast doesn't feel real.'