Interview - Alan Carr
Why do you think the UK has fallen in love with Drag Race?
With Drag Race you can enjoy it on so many levels, you can watch it on an emotional level, a bitchy level or on a really shallow level… Whether you come to it to watch the heart-warming journeys the queens have been on, simply to enjoy the theatricality of the drag - or just revel in the glitter of it all… There is literally something for everyone.
“I didn’t realise how complex British drag was and how many sub-genres there are. If you think drag is just about popping on a wig and some lippy, you are seriously underestimating the drag scene.”
Last series was aired over lockdown and so many people have said it got them through it. How does that make you feel?
Drag Race was a lifesaver for me too, obviously filmed during lockdown and at that time where, I think, as a country we were all feeling that slump…. wondering if ‘is this pandemic is ever going to end?!” We all needed escapism and to get away if not physically, but mentally. For me Drag Race was on the ‘green list’, no hassle, no paperwork and no queues at Heathrow. It was the perfect antidote to this mad and quite depressing world we were living in.
What were your favourite or standout moments from last series?
I loved the stand up comedy week. Lawrence was, as you’d expect, brilliantly self-deprecating. I also loved Bimini’s performance, they were so funny and of course - looked stunning! My phone went crazy at Awhora’s joke when the punchline was bleeped out. Everyone was asking “What did he say? What was bleeped out?” You really get an idea of how popular Drag Race when your phone doesn’t stop buzzing all night with people desperate to know!
Did you have any predictions when you saw the cast of series two for the first time?
Obviously as a judge I only get to see the runway looks, I have no idea what’s going on backstage. Who’s being a bitch? Who’s having a hard time? Who is the group villain? I only judge the outfits I see, so I only see 10 percent of what the queens are like. I didn’t ‘get' Tia Kofi til after the show went out and then I saw her in her entirety, her personality, her brain and her humour - not just her runway looks and I was like ‘oh I see - you’re more than a depressed dinosaur!” People assume I have inside information - I don’t! Like everyone else I watch the series with fresh eyes once it’s out.
But I must say that Tayce, Bimini and Laurence were definitely in my top three. You could see they were special and its telling how well they are doing now, post the Drag Race final, and the world is their oyster. Books, live shows, modelling contracts, TV shows, appearing in Vogue magazine - they should be so proud!
Is there anything you’ve learned about British drag over the course of the last three series?
I didn’t realise how complex British drag was and how many sub-genres there are. If you think drag is just about popping on a wig and some lippy, you are seriously underestimating the drag scene. It all lies, I think, in subversion. Drag is everything: it can be punk, it can be political, it can be funny and historical. For me the best drag queens are magpies - stealing bits of pop culture past and present to create some amazing looks.
What is the talent like from the queens this year?
So much talent! Obviously I can’t give anything away but if anyone is worried that we have run out of drag talent in the UK - get ready to hold on to your wigs because you are going to get blown away!!
RuPaul’s Drag Race Series 3 airs weekly on BBC iplayer.
Interview courtesy of our friends at the BBC.
Imagery credit BBC, World of Wonder, Guy Levy