Graham Norton has teased the return of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK despite being “totally under oath.”
The comedian and presenter revealed how the fourth season of the reality tv competition would compare to its predecessors and admitted that it's "really impressive" with "some of the best queens we've ever seen."
Speaking to Gay Times, he said: “It’s a post- Covid season. It was very hard for the (season three) queens in Covid because they weren’t making any money and lots of the dressmakers had stopped working. I think it was really hard during Covid, so this is definitely a post-Covid season and it’s great. You can look forward to it. You don’t need to worry.”
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The latest season was officially announced back in October last year by BBC Three via Instagram. Online forums quickly filled up with a potential cast list based on drag queens who disappeared from social media and in-person gigs during the time of filming, starting late February of 2022. However, many fans believe no Liverpool-based queens are to be featured this season.
The Eurovision commentator went on to credit RuPaul’s Drag Race UK for educating audiences on how “no one’s path is the same”. The 59-year-old added: “You look at a drag queen being fabulous, being wonderful and a bit of your brain goes, ‘How did that happen? What decision, what series of sliding doors happened to get them to that point? I think one of the things that really makes me love drag is that, often, it’s difficult decisions and it’s people deciding not to be crushed. ‘Not only am I not going to be crushed, I’m going to do this. I’m going to do this extreme manifestation of my fabulousness,’ and I love that.
“Even in the show you hear stories and they are heartbreaking; about their families, about their communities and where they live. Yet, they can create the spectacle that they do and can perform and entertain in that way. There is something about that dichotomy in show business that I love.”
Other than what Graham has said, we also know Spice Girl Mel B will join boss RuPaul and regular Michelle Visage on the panel as one of the extra special guest judges. The Spice Up Your Life singer filmed her appearance on the BBC Three series earlier this year. Mel will be the fourth Spice Girl to have a guest judge role, following in the footsteps of Mel C, Geri Horner and Emma Bunton, meaning Victoria Beckham is the only member left before RuPaul has a full set.
A show insider said: “It took a while, but they’ve finally got Mel B to be on. It’s always a big deal to have one of the Spice Girls involved. She is the most famous star on the new series by a mile. Mel is a big fan of the show, so she gets what it’s about. That will come across on screen. Producers reckon she is one of the best guest judges they’ve had. Her episode is likely to go down a storm.”
Mel is just one of the few big names rumoured to be on season four as Alison Hammond and Tess Daly are also believed to make a cameo appearance. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season four will also launch later this year on BBC iPlayer.
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