Drag Race UK leaves BBC after eight series for Wow Presents Plus

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is leaving the BBC after eight series. The broadcaster confirmed that future series of the UK drag competition, along with its vs The World spin-off, will move to Wow Presents Plus, the streaming platform owned by World of Wonder, the production company behind the show. The BBC cited significant financial pressures.

Why is Drag Race UK leaving the BBC?

A BBC spokesperson cited “significant financial pressures” and said the corporation had “had to make some very difficult choices, none of which have been taken lightly”. The BBC is currently rolling out plans to make £500m of savings. The spokesperson said the broadcaster was “proud” of “this groundbreaking show” and thanked “RuPaul, World of Wonder and everyone involved, both on and off screen”.

Where will Drag Race UK air after it leaves the BBC?

Future series will be broadcast on Wow Presents Plus, a streaming platform owned by World of Wonder, the production company behind the show. Wow Presents Plus said on Instagram that a “new era” of Drag Race UK was on the way. A new series called Drag Race UK All Stars, in which previous fan favourites return to compete again, will premiere in autumn 2027 exclusively on Wow Presents Plus. The current series, which launched in September 2026, continues to air on BBC Three and iPlayer as normal, and all existing series will remain available once the move is complete.

How many viewers did Drag Race UK attract?

At its peak, the UK edition of the international drag competition averaged around 1.5 million viewers per episode. Drag Race UK began in 2019 and made household names of British drag performers including La Voix, Danny Beard and Tia Kofi. Contestants compete in a series of challenges for judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr.

What have performers and fans said about the move?

Tia Kofi, who won RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World series 2 in 2024, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday that the programme had given a platform to performers who otherwise lack mainstream representation, and that cutting it leaves a “marginalised” audience with nowhere to go. “I think the mistake is that they seem to be dropping programmes that they consider to be for more niche audiences,” she said. Elle Vosque, last year’s runner-up, told BBC Newsbeat that taking the show off the BBC, where it is “accessible to everyone”, would make it harder for people to discover drag. Fan Alex Re said the show would now sit “behind something they have to pay for”.

What else has the BBC cut?

Earlier this year the BBC announced it was dropping the LGBTQ+ dating shows I Kissed a Boy and I Kissed a Girl, saying it was “exceptionally proud” of them but had to make “difficult choices in light of our funding challenges”. Jordan Burrow, a contestant on series two of I Kissed a Boy, called the decision an example of “where we’re at within the queer community”. The corporation has also said director-general Matt Brittin told staff that “the scale of savings requires tough choices”, and new hosts on Strictly Come Dancing have said they will share presenting roles rather than replace Tess Daly. The BBC declined to comment on whether future series of other international versions, including Drag Race Canada and Drag Race Down Under, would continue to air.

In a separate development, Esther Rantzen has said she is too fragile to reach the Dignitas clinic.

Frequently asked questions

Why is RuPaul’s Drag Race UK leaving the BBC?

A BBC spokesperson said the corporation is navigating “significant financial pressures” and had to make “very difficult choices”, as it rolls out plans to make £500m of savings.

Where will Drag Race UK be shown after it leaves the BBC?

Future series and the vs The World spin-off will air on Wow Presents Plus, a streaming platform owned by the production company World of Wonder. The current series continues on BBC Three and iPlayer.

How many series of Drag Race UK has the BBC shown?

Eight. Drag Race UK began on the BBC in 2019 and has made household names of performers including La Voix, Danny Beard and Tia Kofi.

When does Drag Race UK All Stars start?

Drag Race UK All Stars, which brings back previous fan favourites, will premiere in autumn 2027 exclusively on Wow Presents Plus.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Carrera Drag CDMX (35450963982) — Ana Karenina / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)