Fans have been left shocked by the news that the BBC has dropped RuPaul’s Drag Race UK from its schedule, with the hit show no longer set to air on the broadcaster.

The show has aired on the BBC since its launch in 2019, with eight main seasons of Drag Race UK and three editions of UK vs the World, bringing the franchise to 11 series in total. Along the way, it has helped bring British drag further into the mainstream and introduced audiences to stars including the late The Vivienne, Northern Ireland’s Blu Hydrangea, Baga Chipz, Danny Beard and Tia Kofi.

The currently airing eighth season, which premiered this September, will continue as normal on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. Existing seasons will also remain available following the move.

Confirming the decision, a BBC spokesperson said: “As the BBC continues to navigate significant financial pressures and deliver the savings required of us, we have had to make some very difficult choices, none of which have been taken lightly.

“We can therefore confirm, together with World of Wonder, that RuPaul’s Drag Race UK will be leaving the BBC and moving to WOW Presents Plus.” The decision comes as the BBC is trying to save £500 million over two years.

However, it is not the end of Drag Race UK. World of Wonder has confirmed that a new chapter of the franchise will begin on its streaming service WOW Presents Plus, with the first-ever RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: All Stars set to premiere in autumn 2027. This format will see previous favourites from the UK franchise return to compete for the crown.

 

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Season two finalist Bimini was among those reacting to the BBC’s decision, saying the news had left them “very sad”. Reflecting on the importance of having drag represented on mainstream television, Bimini said: “That show was on in living rooms where drag was not welcome, and it changed something in those living rooms. At a time when queer and trans people in this country are being legislated about and shouted about more than ever, that matters. It still does.”

This announcement is another setback for LGBTQ+ shows on mainstream TV. Earlier this year, the BBC also said its popular queer dating shows I Kissed a Boy and I Kissed a Girl would not come back, again because of funding problems.

This long-running pattern of cancelling queer shows, and with them, important LGBTQ+ representation, has become an increasingly worrying topic of discussion. While Drag Race UK will live on through WOW Presents Plus, the news that the BBC has dropped the show from mainstream, free-to-air television marks the end of an era for a show that brought drag into millions of homes across the UK.

There could, however, be one silver lining for future contestants. Fans have already begun speculating over whether the move to WOW Presents Plus could finally see Drag Race UK introduce a substantial cash prize for its winner. The BBC’s public-service rules restrict cash prizes, which have long set the UK edition apart from several international versions of the franchise. With the show moving away from the broadcaster, viewers are now wondering whether that could be about to change.