‘Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK 4×01’ Review
I don’t think it’s a particularly well-kept secret but I am a massive fan of all things Ru Paul’s Drag Race! I honestly become overcome with excitement whenever a new season is announced but I have to admit that I am not watching as many of the international franchises as I would like to due to the sheer volume of them. Right now, for example, there are four separate iterations of the show running simultaneously (namely Canada’s Drag Race season three, Drag Race Down Under season two, Secret Celebrity Drag Race season two and most importantly for this review Drag Race UK season four). While I don’t have an issue with the volume of Drag Race seasons, I think it is the frequency that stops me from being able to watch as many of the shows as I would have liked to! With the four seasons airing at the same time this would mean that over half the evening every week would be taken up with some form of drag show which is totally not viable for me! This means that I have to prioritise which seasons I watch as they air and which I need to watch on-demand later on but as a proud British drag enthusiast, there was no doubt that the newest season of Drag Race UK was at the top of my urgent list! I do think that the UK show is so different from the American version of the show as the focus is much more on the idea of entertainment and performance than looks/fashion (although there are a few queens this season that give their American sisters a run for their money!)
Before we get to the new queens this season, we would like to take the time to acknowledge the passing of Darlington drag icon Cherry Valentine who was one of our favourite competitors during Drag Race UK season two and in my opinion went home way earlier than anyone expected! Our thoughts and condolences are with their family at this very difficult time!
The first queen to enter the werk room for this season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK was none other than the legendary Liverpool queen Danny Beard who I have been a massive fan of for a long, long time! I discovered Danny during her performance on Britain’s Got Talent in 2016 where they performed an insane rendition of “Sweet Transvestite” from the camp cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show! We have since followed Danny on Instagram where we discovered the wonderful gossip gays podcast they run alongside DJ Billy. Not only was it lovely to see a familiar face but also that ‘face’ is becoming a bit of a trailblazer as she is the first ever bearded queen to ever appear on Drag Race! Even from the brief moment she entered the werk room it is clear that Danny will be the queen of confessionals this season as they had me in stitches throughout! Next up was a queen that I am not so familiar with called Baby, who I have to say looked absolutely incredible in a massive ginger wig and the most stunning make-up! The flowery outfit not only looked great but also showed off her body the perfect amount! These two were then greeted by Pixie Polite who appears to represent a much more classical, cabaret-infused side of drag who hails from Brighton. The seaside town of Brighton has become so what of a controversial place as there is a supposed curse with the last two queens from the previous two seasons of Drag Race UK (namely Joe Black and Anubis) being sent home first from their respective seasons. Following Pixie was yet another queen that we are somewhat familiar with. Almost two years ago I attended my first ever drag show which was headlined by Utica and Denali from Drag Race season 13 but was supported by none other than Gothy Kendol (who was the first ever queen to be eliminated from Drag Race UK) and her haus of queens. Amongst them was none other than Sminty Drop who I was actually lucky enough to have a photo with! It was clear from the moment Sminty entered the werk room that her fashion was going to be a highlight this season with a gorgeous outfit with the most wonderfully spiked shoulders! I have also been an Instagram follower of Starlet (the next queen to enter the race) for a little while and it seems that fashion is also one of her greatest assets. In fact, she let the queens know that she had only ever performed once before entering the show but the champagne called sparkly gown she entered the werk room was enough to strike fear in the most confident queen!
Next up was my favourite personality of the season, Jonbers Blonde, who hails from Northern Ireland. While her werk room entrance look was fairly stripped back, it is her down to Earth and relatable personality that I think people will be drawn to this season. Black Peppa was up next, who entered the werk room with a very unique, almost alien-inspired, pink jumpsuit with the biggest ponytail I have ever seen! Next up was Just May who is known for being a Geri Halliwell impersonator but yet again her actually look was fairly stripped back, with a matching black top and trouser combination and red thigh-high boots! The next queen to enter the race was none other than Dakota Shifer who is Drag Race UK’s first ever transgender contestant. It is already clear that Dakota feels the weight of a whole community of her shoulders which must be very tough to endure on top of this high-stress completion! I thought that Copper Topps entrance line of “I have ginger nuts, turn the kettle and I’ll give you a tea bag” perfectly captured the essence of Drag Race UK perfectly! This queen is supposed a trained actor who has a love of the pantomime dame style of drag (so hopefully she can redeem last year’s disastrous panto dame runway category!) This very British style of drag is always to watch as it is also a bit of home on the big screen! Next up was Le Fill who comes from the same hometown of the iconic Divina De Campo (who we recently met at a show) with the former showcasing a wonderfully exaggerated orange cone bra with match wig and boots for her drag race debut! The final queen to enter the completion was none other than one of the UK’s most well-known drag performers Cheddar Gorgeous who is known for her insane fashion looks. Her futuristic yet avant-garde gender-fluid alien look was absolutely incredible to look at and supported why so many people have been clamouring for her to compete for many years!
After all the queens had entered the werk room, the queen supreme joined them all to announce the first ever mini challenge of Drag Race UK season four. The photoshoot challenge had the queens standing on top of a classic black cab where they were victim to a full scale of intense (man-made) weather conditions akin to the spice girls’ performance during the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony! Conveniently, the queen who has made a career of impersonating the key members of the Spice Girls was first to take on the challenge. Next up was Sminty Drop who is clearly insanely confident in front of the camera as she looked incredible despite the intense wind, “snow” balls thrown at her and the makeshift storm being blown towards her! Black Peppa then joined Ru in the photo shoot where the former decided to pull out everyone possible one of her tricks to impress everyone in the room. She bent and contorted her body in all possible angles and even managed to showcase the splits on top of the taxi which looked incredible! While Le Fil’s entrance outfit was wonderfully impactful when walking it did become somewhat of a hindrance during the more windy sections of this mini-challenge! The long locks were blown in every different direction while on top of the cab which made for a very chaotic photo at the end of the challenge. It came as no surprise when it was announced that Black Peppa was winner of this first-ever mini challenge (although I personally would have chosen Sminty) as her performance in this section of the episode was very innovative and unique!
The main challenge this week saw the queens showcase two separate looks on the runway the first being a homage to the one-hundred-year celebration of the BBC and the other being “Ru Are You?” where the queens had to show their personalities in a complete look. Now if I was to take part in this runway category I think I would have gone for a shimmery blue, Darlek-inspired gown mainly so that I can boast about my family’s connection to the show! Cheddar Gorgeous was up first for the first ever runway walk this episode, where she showcased a very unique clown-inspired look. The reference point was the BBC test card that used to be shown on the channel after the scheduled programming had ended and she used the opportunity to attempt clown-like movements on the runway! Le Fil was next who decided to pay homage to the iconic Pudsey Bear in an adorable spotty outfit which was full of whimsy! However, this runway was absolutely dominated by Sminty Drop, who revealed earlier in the episode that she would be referencing Antiques Roadshow on the runway which defiantly pricked my ears. When she finally graced the runway it was game over for the other queens as she wore the most incredibly over-the-top lampshade that was accompanied by a gorgeous teal and gold outfit that was akin to a priceless China tea cup set you would see on the show! She managed to do something I thought would never be possible and make Antiques Roadshow sexy! Starlet made a very brave decision this week to do Patsy for this category as the originator of the role Joanna Lumley was the guest judge this week! However, this didn’t seem to faze the glamour queen as she showcase a wonderful Chanel suit (complete with a catchphrase from the show on the back) and pants that remained around her ankles for the entire runway presentation! Another thing that I never thought I would say when talking about Drag Race is that we saw the battle of two Mr Blobbies! First up was Danny Beard who did a wonderfully camp pink and yellow polka dot loom with a wonderfully puffy skirt which seemed to be infused with the club kid genre popularised by the likes of Lee Bowery! Black Peppa also opted for Blobby but hers was much more akin to a high fashion alien with dangly fingers that danced beautifully across the line of comedy and beauty!
If I was to personally take part in the second runway category this week “Ru Are You?” then I think I would have gone for a sparkly matching green blazer and skirt with a leather belt and an extremely tight bun as a reference to the intense Mrs Trunchbull from Matilda! I would like to say that this would showcase my love of reading, pop culture and a little nod to the world’s most famous Welsh writer Roald Dahl! I thought that Jonbers Blond recycled motorcycle jacket outfit looked amazing and the boots were absolutely incredible! Her hair and make-up worked beautifully with the look to showcase a complete look. Baby graced the stag in a wonderfully puffed red puffer jacket look which despite being very inflated managed to complete her body perfectly! She decided to showcase a traditional Nigerian hairstyle as a nod to her culture and upbringing which was fundamentally what this challenge was about. Danny Beard was next up with a gorgeous gender-fluid look with the most wonderfully exaggerated shoulder and hips that made for a very dramatic and fierce look. It is clear that Danny brings a very different style of drag than we have seen on the show before, so I hope this is not used against her later in the competition! Starlet took to the runway in a picture-perfect fairy-inspired look that sparkles beautifully under the runway lights. If I was to have any qualm with this look it would be that I thought the blue hue of her train seemed a bit too intense for the gently sparkly look! Black Peppa showed off what can only be described as one of my favourite looks of the week where she walked the runway in a deep purple outfit that complemented her skin tone flawlessly! The presentation of this look did get off to a fairly rough start when her chocolate headpiece fell off her head in front of the judges but she was able to continue with her runway regardless!
I was shocked when it was announced that Sminty Drop was just safe this week as her Antiques Roadshow look was one of the most unique interpretations I have ever seen on the runway but at the same time, it made total sense when it was announced that Black Peppa was the overall winner of the episode! This is a fantastic start for Pepper as she won both the mini and maxi challenge this week and is the first ever winner of this new season! On the other end of the competition, however, were Dakota Shifer and Just May who were forced to battle against one another to “let them know” by Mabel! I was really surprised by Dakota who gave wonderful face throughout the performance and delivered a much more model-esque performance to the number that ended with Just May being told to sashay away!
Overall, this was a very exciting start to the newest season of Drag Race UK with some of the best runway performances I have seen in a very long time. It is fantastic to see some familiar faces on the show but also are some new queens that have captured my heart!
