RuPaul is returning to the UK ready to crown the next drag superstar this autumn as the line-up is confirmed
Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK is back this Autumn(Image: BBC)
BBC RuPaul’s Drag Race UK full line-up as 12 new queens revealed as the new series will be released this autumn.
The first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK began airing back in 2019, and has since had six successful seasons. Each series welcomes twelve new drag queens hoping to become to ultimate star and impress RuPaul.
Fans of the show may recall that The Vivienne won the first ever series of the UK spin-off of the hit US version. Known as James Lee Williams, The Vivienne sadly died earlier this year from a cardiac arrest caused by taking ketamine.
Kyran Thrax was crowned the winner of 2024’s series, where the runner-up was La Voix.
Fans of La Voix can watch her on a whole new dancefloor as she takes on Strictly Come Dancing 2025. “I’ve performed for royalty, RuPaul and Simon Cowell, but nothing fills me with more excitement (and quite a bit of terror) than the thought of dancing in front of millions on live Saturday night TV.
“Strictly is a national institution and I can’t wait to get started. All that’s left to say is: good luck to my partner! Here’s hoping they can help me go from La Voix into La Danse”, she quipped.
Now, the BBC have confirmed the 12 new queens ready to take on sizzling challenges, be the best dressed for every occasion, and to try and conquer those deadly lip-sync battles.
The International drag icon, RuPaul, returns to BBC Three and BBC iPlayer this Autumn for series seven of the smash hit series RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Twelve fierce and fabulous drag queens are raring to go in their bid to snatch the crown and become The UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar.
Over ten weeks, the award-winning cult series sees twelve hopeful queens compete in a variety of spicy challenges and iconic games designed to test their drag skills, with the winner of the week being awarded a much-coveted RuPeter badge, and the bottoms of the week facing a Lip Sync For Their Life and the risk of elimination.
RuPaul, affectionately revered as Mama Ru, leads an esteemed judging panel that includes regular judges Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, as well as a host of special celebrity guest judges. Together they deliberate the fate of the queens, but it is Mama Ru, queen of queens, who has the final word on who stays or sashays away from the competition.
RuPaul will reveal the 12 brand-new hopefuls in Meet the Queens: Series 7, which is available now on BBC iPlayer and will air on BBC Three on Sunday 24th August. The series premiere date will be revealed in due course.
Here are all 12 contestants:Catrin Feelings
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The 26-year-old “blonde bombshell” promises: “You’re going to get all the camp classics, and you’re going to get a bit of nana humour. Expect a lot of sparkles.
“There’s one thing you all need to know about Catrin Feelings, she’s not going nowhere near a stage without a feather or a sparkly gown.”
Tayris Mongardi
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The 27-year-old “Titan from Brighton” admitted: “There’s truly nothing that I cannot do. I can host, I can rap, I’ll come out and give you splits, dips, kicks, the whole lot, and then I’ll switch to a nice classical ballad. I can literally do anything.
“I think the reason my drag is celebrated in Brighton is because it really does everything: I have the comedic skill and performance gifts to charm and captivate an audience, and I’ve got so much heart and authenticity that you can’t help but fall in love with me!”
Sally TM
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27-year-old South Shields star wants the crown, as she declared: “Because no-one does it like Sally TM. I’m a true original. It’s like I’ve been carved from the stars and sent down to Earth. I’m here to prove that the weird and creative girls can get it done. Let’s go!”
Sillexa Diction
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As the first Leeds contestant, Sillexa gushed: “Honestly, it has been a crazy fever dream getting here. I am the first Leeds girl on Drag Race, and it just feels correct. There’s no girl like me in Leeds, let alone the world.
“You don’t really get many gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, conceptual queens that are also funny. I think that’s why Ru chose me to be here. I’ve graced the Earth with my presence. I’ve floated down from above, and I’m here to make you chuckle and laugh.”
Pasty
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The 30-year-old from Cornwall shared: “I really wanted to do drag because I grew up watching Mrs. Doubtfire and Hocus Pocus. I’d say that my drag personality was ready to burst out from a very young age. I loved Hocus Pocus’ lead witch, Winifred Sanderson, so much that when I was a little kid, I used to put clothes pegs on my fingers to act out my very own Winifred fantasy. So, I think that’s my drag origin story!”
Nyongbella
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Nyongbella is ready to win over the judges, as she said: “I’m a very proud Cameroonian and being able to combine my heritage and culture with my aesthetic and weave it into my drag is just fab. I know for myself that I rarely saw anyone like me – a second-generation person from an African household. I think it’s important to see people from similar circumstances as you: to know that they can exist, they can thrive, they can be great and that they can be absolutely gorgeous.”
Paige Three
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The 28-year-old “stunner” teased: “I’ve waited a long time to be here. I have honed my craft, and I’m ready to do it even better! You’ve been turning those pages and now it’s time to stop turning because you’re on Paige Three, baby, and I’m ready to take this crown!”
Elle Vosque
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Elle is ready to switch things up, and promises: “When you come to an Elle Vosque show the looks will be turned. I will be singing live, I will be doing a bit of dancing, and mostly you’re going to have fun.
“The most important part of my drag is to have fun. I’m sick and tired of drag queens who think it’s all about looking like a supermodel. That’s boring, just go out and have fun!”
Viola
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Ready to take on the other queens, Viola revealed: “I want to be the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar because I’m fresh, I’m unique, and I’m super sophisticated. I cannot wait to show the whole world what kind of drag queen I am.
“This has been a long time coming babes, and I can’t wait to get stuck in. I look ready, I feel ready, I am ready.”
Chai T Grande
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The 32-year-old “spicy” contestant shared: “From a Chai T Grande show, you’re going to get beauty, choreo and I’m going to take you to a different world because my favourite thing about drag is losing yourself. It’s also important for me to represent my Thai heritage in my drag.
“Growing up in London as a mixed-race English and Thai person, I didn’t really feel that connected to my ‘Asian-ness’. Now, I’m more confident and I have a stronger sense of my identity, so I can bring forward those elements into my performances, looks and references. I am completely unapologetic about who I am, because being mixed race is fantastic!”
Bonnie Ann Clyde
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The 30-year-old hailing from Belfast, admitted: “I’ve not competed in a drag competition in years, mainly because I’ve never won a single one – I know, shock horror! I’m here obviously to win badges and snatch the crown and all that, but also, I’m here to show myself off and have a good time!”
Bones
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Last but not least, Bones declared: “I am very competitive. I like to be on top, it’s where I belong! I don’t need to shout about how good I am, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want this. I’m a bit of a slow burn, but the kind of fire I bring to my drag is an inferno!”