Not all drag queens are created alike. RuPaul’s Drag Race was in danger of becoming a little bit safe, until she (legendary queen RuPaul Charles) and the producers (World Of Wonder) sent it to the UK. No judgment, but to me, it felt like our American sisters on their shows were more about looks, glamour and girlieness, whereas in Britain, we have a far more subversive tradition. It’s there in panto, itself an extension of the European “commedia dell’arte”, and in the slightly cheeky gender fuckery we all enjoy, from adopted Brit Leigh Bowery, to the tongue lashings from David Hoyle, Lily Savage and Julian “fisting with Norman Lamont” Clary. Alternative comedy and punk has a lot to answer for, but so too, does music hall. “Put yer ‘ands out, ya naughty boy”…
The first couple of Drag Race UK series were good: highlights include Baga Chipz; Divina De Campo and Vinegar Strokes bringing real heart and humour to the challenges. And of course, I was so delighted when fellow Scot Lawrence Chaney won Series 2 outright. He’s unassuming and hilarious, with a self-deprecating wit. But so far, nothing for me touches Series 4. It’s next level.
This series marked the arrival of the first trans lady to compete: the beautiful Dakota Schiffer, whose aesthetic was dreamy psychedelic sixties, a la Catherine Deneuve and Sharon Tate. She always looked impeccable, but proved she not only knew Hollywood references from way before her tine, but was kind and funny. She never got involved in the shade, apart from Reading Challenges,of course. Her Pete Burns in the Snatch Game was brilliantly rendered.
Copper Topp took the sting out of her school bullies with her costume, which read, “Ginger Fag” to which she’d added “-ulous”. Brava! Le Fil was adorable, a bit of a smiling assassin with hidden depths, but many viewers felt she was overlooked for being Asian and expected to just “do cute” by the judges.
Sad to say, but also watching someone’s hubris get pricked can be quite fun. Baby has a songwriting degree, but couldn’t bring that to an improv setting. I watched her deflate like a balloon through my fingers. And Jonbers Blonde, the Irish queen, bragged about her talent frequently, but only really excelled playing a drunk politician in the Comedy Roast. Sminty Drop sad-twerked her way out, surely the funniest exit ever.
Pixie Polite was funny, likewise winner Danny Beard, but my absolute favourite was the incomparable Cheddar Gorgeous. Her quips were genius, and her looks always otherworldly, but for me, she epitomises everything I love most about drag. She’s really Dr Michael Atkins, originally from Birmingham, and has a degree in anthropology. She understands that drag is not just a pretty frock.
It is storytelling; transcendence, spectacle that makes people think and feel. She’s vaudeville theatre, punk rock, performance art, and only she can make statements about Act-Up and The Pansy Project (a charity for survivors of queer-bashing) integrating activism into her runway looks. Now that’s what it’s all about for me. Cheddar Gorgeous sugars these pills. She’s also a unicorn, psilocybin mushroom, giant wasp, and in her own words: “I’m clearly… A post-industrial, non-binary alien warrior deity! “
Finalists Black Peppa, Cheddar Gorgeous, Danny Beard and Jonbers Blonde.
Photos: BBC/World Of Wonder.
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