The BBC is facing fresh criticism over the future of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK after announcing that the eighth main series will be its last on the corporation. The UK version of the international drag competition, which launched on BBC Three in 2019, will continue elsewhere, while future seasons and the international all-star spin-off RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World will move to streaming platform Wow Presents Plus.
The decision has prompted disappointment from former contestants including Tia Kofi, Bimini Bon Boulash and La Voix. Kofi argued that removing these programmes from the BBC risks undermining the corporation’s commitment to representing the country’s diverse population, particularly as it pursues substantial savings across its commissioning budget.
A flagship leaves terrestrial television
The announcement, made through the programme’s Instagram account, marks the end of a relationship that helped bring drag into millions of British living rooms. Drag Race UK began on BBC Three in 2019 and has since become a major cultural launching pad for performers who have gone on to appear across television, music and comedy.
Its alumni include Kofi, who competed in the second main series before winning RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World; Bimini, now a musician; Danny Beard, the Celebrity Big Brother runner-up; and La Voix, the runner-up in series six. Other contestants from that second series, including Ellie Diamond, Lawrence Chaney and Tayce, have also built wider profiles since appearing on the show.
Fans reacted with anger and sadness, describing the programme as an important source of visibility for queer and trans viewers. La Voix acknowledged that Drag Race UK will continue on Wow Presents UK, but said the loss of a home on mainstream British television remains significant.
“I loved being part of something that has given so many incredible performers a platform and opened doors that might otherwise have stayed firmly shut.”
Her message added: “I’m incredibly grateful for everything that came from that show and platform, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for this show.” She then made the distinction at the heart of the criticism clear: “I know the show will live on, on WOW Presents UK, but it’s a loss to not have this represented on main terrestrial tv!”
Former contestants warn what the move could erase
Kofi, who appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme to discuss the decision, said the BBC’s approach to smaller audience categories was increasingly difficult to justify. She pointed to the removal of dating programmes I Kissed A Boy and I Kissed A Girl, as well as The Rap UK, which offered emerging rappers a prominent national stage.
“I think the mistake is that they seem to be dropping programmes that they consider to be for more niche audiences which I don’t think makes a lot of sense, because those niche audiences are the ones that are staying on and watching these things.”
Kofi said audiences described as niche often include people who have few opportunities to see their lives reflected on screen. She argued that removing shows made for those audiences creates a cycle in which limited representation becomes even more limited.
“The more marginalised audiences have limited representation in UK media. So having programmes like these offer people a platform when they wouldn’t have that.”
She continued: “Representing the diversity of the UK is part of the BBC’s charter, so dropping the shows feels very counter to that.”
Bimini expressed similar grief on X, writing: “Drag Race UK is leaving the BBC. I’m actually so sad about this.” For the contestant, the significance of the programme extends beyond career opportunities. She described the series as a formative space whose effects remain difficult to articulate.
“Something happened in that room I’ve never been able to explain to anyone who wasn’t in it. I miss it. I miss them. You don’t realise how incredible we had it at the time. So grateful.”
Bimini said the show provided the foundation for her professional life. “Everything I have came from that. The fact I get to do this for a living at all. I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life and I mean it.”
The contestant also stressed the programme’s cultural role at a moment when queer and trans people are the subject of intense political debate. “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.”
Bimini closed with a message to the performers and viewers who shaped the show’s history: “To every queen who came through those doors and everyone who ever watched: thank you. Drag was here before the telly. It’ll be here after.”
Cuts put public-service broadcasting under the microscope
The move comes as the BBC seeks to save £500 million over two years. An internal note sent to staff earlier this year, attributed to chief content officer Kate Phillips, set out plans to reduce commissioning expenditure by £80 million in the 2027 to 2028 financial year.
Television cancellations already announced include Live at the Apollo and Celebrity Mastermind. Radio 4 is also losing several programmes, including the personal-finance show Moneybox Live and The World Tonight.
Those cuts have put the corporation’s editorial priorities under renewed scrutiny. Critics say the BBC’s public-service remit requires it to serve audiences beyond the largest demographic groups, especially where commercial platforms are less likely to provide sustained representation. Supporters of efficiency measures argue, however, that public broadcasters must respond to changing viewing habits and constrained finances.
When approached by The Independent for comment, the BBC repeated its previous statement on the decision but offered no further explanation. Drag Race UK is expected to continue through Wow Presents Plus, leaving questions about its future on BBC television unanswered.
Why it Matters
The departure of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK from the BBC is more than the relocation of one successful format. It raises a fundamental question about who public service media should prioritise as audiences fragment across streaming platforms and broadcasters face pressure to cut costs. A show can survive a move to subscription television yet still lose access to the free, nationwide audience that helped transform drag from a specialist subculture into a mainstream British force.
