The fourth series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on BBC Three on 22 September 2022.[1][2][3] RuPaul returned to his role as main host and head judge, and was again joined on the judging panel by Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, all of whom returned for their respective fourth series. The series was filmed in Pinewood Studios in February 2022.[4][5] The cast for the fourth series was revealed on 7 September 2022 on social media.[6][7] The cast also featured Dakota Schiffer, the first out trans woman to compete in the British version of the show.[8][9]
RuPaul's Drag Race UK | |
---|---|
Series 4 | |
Hosted by | RuPaul |
Judges | |
No. of contestants | 12 |
Winner | Danny Beard |
Runner-up | Cheddar Gorgeous |
No. of episodes | 10 |
Release | |
Original network | BBC Three / BBC One (UK) WOW Presents Plus (International) |
Original release | 22 September 24 November 2022 | –
Series chronology | |
The winner of the fourth series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK was Danny Beard, with Cheddar Gorgeous as the runner-up.
Production
editOn 27 October 2021, it was announced via the shows official Instagram page, that casting for the fourth series was now open.[10] Applications remained open for two weeks until closing on 10 November 2021.[10] Hannah Waddingham revealed herself to be first celebrity guest judge during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, hosted by RuPaul.[11] The fourth series was the first regular series of the show to be broadcast on BBC Three following RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World earlier in the year, with the show's success being credited in the decision to bring back the previously defunct television channel.[12][13] On 30 August 2022, a ten-second teaser was released by the BBC to promote the series premiere with the caption "Bring it to the RUNW4Y".[14] The BBC released the list of celebrity guest judges the following day.[15][16][17][18]
Judge Graham Norton revealed in an interview with Gay Times that the competitors that appeared on the fourth series were "some of the best queens we've ever seen".[19] Norton said because the series was a post-COVID-19 season, the queens had a lot more freedom[19] and that 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!"[19] It was revealed that executives had recruited former The Jeremy Kyle Show bodyguard known as "Big Steve", to work on the show.[20] On 1 September 2022, the BBC announced the series would premiere on 22 September, to coincide with the conclusion of the third season of Canada's Drag Race and the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.[2]
In September 2022, the BBC reported that Series 2 contestant, Cherry Valentine, had died at the age of 28.[21][22][23] Subsequently, the second episode from Series 4 was dedicated to Cherry Valentine in their memory on 29 September 2022.[24] RuPaul missed filming during Episode 7, therefore Visage took over as main judge and host, whilst Raven took Visage's spot on the judging panel.[25][26] It subsequently made it the first episode RuPaul has missed from across all Drag Race franchises hosted by RuPaul himself.[27] Coincidentally, it made Raven the first former Drag Race contestant to judge on a RuPaul fronted franchise.[28]
Contestants
editAges, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.
Contestant | Age | Hometown | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Danny Beard | 29 | Liverpool, England | Winner |
Cheddar Gorgeous | 38 | Manchester, England | Runner-up |
Black Peppa | 29 | Birmingham, England | 3rd place |
Jonbers Blonde | 33 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
Pixie Polite | 29 | Brighton, England | 5th place |
Dakota Schiffer | 22 | Horsham, England | 6th place |
Le Fil | 36 | Brighouse, England | 7th place |
Baby | 25 | South London, England | 8th place[a] |
Sminty Drop | 23 | Clitheroe, England | 9th place |
Copper Topp | 38 | Cheltenham, England | 10th place |
Starlet | 23 | Surrey, England | 11th place |
Just May | 32 | Essex, England | 12th place |
Notes:
- ^ Baby quit the competition after the lip sync.
Contestant progress
editLegend:
Contestant | Episode | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1[30] | 2[31] | 3[32] | 4[33] | 5[34] | 6[35] | 7[36] | 8[37] | 9[38] | 10[39] | |
Danny Beard | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | WIN | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | Winner |
Cheddar Gorgeous | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | WIN | WIN | SAFE | Runner-up |
Black Peppa | WIN | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | BTM | BTM | Eliminated |
Jonbers Blonde | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | Eliminated |
Pixie Polite | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | ELIM | Guest |
Dakota Schiffer | BTM | WIN | WIN | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | Guest | |
Le Fil | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | Guest | ||
Baby | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | BTM | QUIT | |||||
Sminty Drop | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | Guest | ||||
Copper Topp | SAFE | WIN | ELIM | Guest | Guest | |||||
Starlet | SAFE | ELIM | Guest | Guest | ||||||
Just May | ELIM | Guest | Guest |
Lip syncs
editLegend:
Episode | Bottom contestants | Song | Eliminated | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1[30] | Dakota Schiffer | vs. | Just May | "Let Them Know" (Mabel) |
Just May |
2[31] | Jonbers Blonde | vs. | Starlet | "About You Now" (Sugababes) |
Starlet |
3[32] | Black Peppa | vs. | Copper Topp | "This Is Real" (Jax Jones ft. Ella Henderson) |
Copper Topp |
4[33] | Baby | vs. | Sminty Drop | "Respectable" (Mel and Kim) |
Sminty Drop |
5[34] | Baby | vs. | Dakota Schiffer | "No Way" (The Cast of Six ft. Renée Lamb) |
Baby |
6[35] | Black Peppa | vs. | Le Fil | "Stop" (Spice Girls) |
Le Fil |
7[36] | Dakota Schiffer | vs. | Pixie Polite | "Miss Me Blind" (Culture Club) |
Dakota Schiffer |
8[37] | Black Peppa | vs. | Jonbers Blonde | "Some Kinda Rush" (Booty Luv) |
None |
9[38] | Black Peppa | vs. | Pixie Polite | "Another One Bites the Dust" (Queen) |
Pixie Polite |
Episode | Final contestants | Song | Winner | ||
10[39] | Cheddar Gorgeous | vs. | Danny Beard | "This Is My Life" (Shirley Bassey) |
Danny Beard |
Guest judges
editListed in chronological order:
- Dame Joanna Lumley, actress[40][41]
- FKA Twigs, singer and actress[40][42]
- Leomie Anderson, model[40][43]
- Alison Hammond, television presenter[40][44]
- Hannah Waddingham, actress and singer[40][11]
- Mel B, singer[40][45]
- Boy George, singer[40][46]
- Raven, drag queen and make-up artist[47]
- Lorraine Pascale, chef[40][48]
- Olly Alexander, singer and actor[40][49]
Special guests
editGuests who will appear in episodes, but not judge on the main stage.
Episode 1
- Guy Levy, photographer
Episode 2
- Cathy Dennis, singer and songwriter[40][50]
- Leland, producer
- Freddy Scott, producer and songwriter
Episode 5
- Dane Chalfin, vocal coach
- Giovanni Pernice, dancer and choreographer[40][51]
Episode 6
- Baga Chipz, contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1 and UK vs. the World Series 1[35]
- Tess Daly, television presenter[40][52]
- AJ Odudu, television presenter[40][53]
Episode 9
- Aisling Bea, comedian[40][54]
Episode 10
- Claudimar Neto, dancer and choreographer
- The Vivienne, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 1
- Lawrence Chaney, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 2
- Krystal Versace, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 3
Episodes
editNo. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
29 | 1 | "ST4RT Your Engines" | 22 September 2022 | |
Twelve new queens enter the werkroom. For the first mini-challenge, the queens do a photoshoot inspired by the Spice Girls' Olympics performance. Black Peppa wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens present two looks on the runway: BBC Keeping It 100 and Ru Are You?
On the runway, Black Peppa, Sminty Drop and Starlet receive positive critiques, with Black Peppa winning the challenge. Copper Topp, Dakota Schiffer and Just May receive negative critiques, with Copper Topp being safe. Dakota Schiffer and Just May lip-sync to "Let Them Know" by Mabel. Dakota Schiffer wins the lip-sync and Just May is the first queen to sashay away.
| ||||
30 | 2 | "Yass-tonbury Festival" | 29 September 2022 | |
For this week's main challenge, the queens write, record, and perform verses to "Come Alive".
On the runway, category is Neon Nights. Team "Queens of the Bone Age" is the winning team, with Cheddar Gorgeous, Copper Topp, Dakota Schiffer, Danny Beard, Le Fil and Pixie Polite all winning the challenge. Team "The Triple Threats" is the losing team. Jonbers Blonde, Sminty Drop and Starlet receive negative critiques, with Sminty Drop being safe. Jonbers Blonde and Starlet lip-sync to "About You Now" by Sugababes. Jonbers Blonde wins the lip-sync and Starlet sashays away.
| ||||
31 | 3 | "Naff-ta Awards" | 6 October 2022 | |
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens vote for a random queen at the Naff-ta Awards, with categories being: Beast in Show, Best Background Actress in a Non-Speaking Role, Best Scene Stealing Attention Grabbing Camera Hog, Best Actress Resting on Pretty and Best Hot Mess. Black Peppa, Copper Topp, Danny Beard, Baby and Sminty Drop win the mini-challenge, respectively. For this week's main challenge, the queens pair up and create a look with the same colors and fabrics.
On the runway, category is Bing-Oh She Better Don't! Baby, Dakota Schiffer, Le Fil and Sminty Drop receive positive critiques, with Baby and Dakota Schiffer both winning the challenge. Black Peppa, Cheddar Gorgeous, Copper Topp and Jonbers Blonde receive negative critiques, with Cheddar Gorgeous and Jonbers Blonde being safe. Black Peppa and Copper Topp lip-sync to "This Is Real" by Jax Jones ft. Ella Henderson. Black Peppa wins the lip-sync and Copper Topp sashays away.
| ||||
32 | 4 | "Catty Man" | 13 October 2022 | |
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens play a game of musical chairs. Pixie Polite wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens team up and improvise on Alan Carr's show "Catty Man".
On the runway, category is The Mane Event - "Love Your Hair, Hope You Win". Cheddar Gorgeous, Danny Beard and Pixie Polite receive positive critiques, with Danny Beard winning the challenge. Baby, Le Fil and Sminty Drop receive negative critiques, with Le Fil being safe. Baby and Sminty Drop lip-sync to "Respectable" by Mel and Kim. Baby wins the lip-sync and Sminty Drop sashays away.
| ||||
33 | 5 | "Lairy Poppins: The Rusical" | 20 October 2022 | |
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens read each other to filth. Pixie Polite wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens perform in Lairy Poppins: The Rusical.
On the runway, category is West End Wonders. Danny Beard, Jonbers Blonde and Pixie Polite receive positive critiques, with Danny Beard winning the challenge. Baby, Dakota Schiffer and Le Fil receive negative critiques, with Le Fil being safe. Baby and Dakota Schiffer lip-sync to "No Way" by The Cast of Six ft. Renée Lamb. After the lip-sync, Baby announces that she will be leaving the competition, due to mental health issues. Because of this decision, Dakota Schiffer is safe.
| ||||
34 | 6 | "Strictly Come Snatch Game" | 27 October 2022 | |
For this week's main challenge, the queens play the Snatch Game. AJ Odudu and Tess Daly star as the celebrity contestants. The cast consisted of:
On the runway, category is Tickled Pink. Cheddar Gorgous and Jonbers Blonde receive positive critiques, with Cheddar Gorgeous winning the challenge. Black Peppa, Le Fil and Pixie Polite receive negative critiques, with Pixie Polite being safe. Black Peppa and Le Fil lip-sync to "Stop" by Spice Girls. Black Peppa wins the lip-sync and Le Fil sashays away.
| ||||
35 | 7 | "Queen Team Makeovers" | 3 November 2022 | |
For this week's main challenge, the queens makeover the Queen Team. On the runway, category is Drag Family Realness. Black Peppa, Cheddar Gorgeous and Danny Beard receive positive critiques, with Cheddar Gorgeous winning the challenge. Dakota Schiffer, Jonbers Blonde and Pixie Polite receive negative critiques, with Jonbers Blonde being safe. Dakota Schiffer and Pixie Polite lip-sync to "Miss Me Blind" by Culture Club. Pixie Polite wins the lip-sync and Dakota Schiffer sashays away.
| ||||
36 | 8 | "The Squirrel Games" | 10 November 2022 | |
For this week's main challenge, the queens overact in the murder mystery movie "The Squirrel Games".
On the runway, category is Ruff and Ready. Cheddar Gorgeous and Danny Beard receive positive critiques, with Cheddar Gorgeous winning the challenge. Black Peppa and Jonbers Blonde receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom two. They lip-sync to "Some Kinda Rush" by Booty Luv. Both queens win the lip-sync and no one goes home.
| ||||
37 | 9 | "Comedy Queens" | 17 November 2022 | |
For this week's main challenge, the queens perform a roast of the judges and the eliminated queens of season 4. On the runway, category is Pretty in Punk. Danny Beard and Jonbers Blonde receive positive critiques, with Danny Beard winning the challenge. Black Peppa, Cheddar Gorgeous and Pixie Polite receive negative critiques, with Cheddar Gorgeous being safe. Black Peppa and Pixie Polite lip-sync to "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen. Black Peppa wins the lip-sync and Pixie Polite sashays away.
| ||||
38 | 10 | "Grand Finale" | 24 November 2022 | |
For the final challenge of the season, the queens write, record and perform their own verse in a mega mix of RuPaul songs. On the runway, category is Grand Finale Eleganza. The eliminated queens all return to the runway. Black Peppa and Jonbers Blonde are eliminated, leaving Cheddar Gorgeous and Danny Beard as the top two queens of the season. They lip-sync to "This Is My Life" by Shirley Bassey. It is announced that Danny Beard is the winner, leaving Cheddar Gorgeous as the runner-up.
|
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