From Suranne Jones to Victoria Scone, here are some of the most iconic faces to grace our screens
BY GEORGIA SWEET, IMAGES BY BBC THREE
With the reveal of the next guest judges set for the new series of UK RuPaul Drag Race, we think it’s time to take a walk down memory lane. We’ve picked out some of the best queer icons that we couldn’t get enough of on our screens.
Unfortunately, this piece had to be strictly surrounding just UK contestants and judges… otherwise, we fear you would be scrolling for days with all our favourites!
Victoria Scone
She was the first cis woman to walk the runway as a drag king in 2022, making Drag Race history! She really made her mark. But Victoria didn’t stop there, she also proposed to her girlfriend on the show, winning the hearts of the nation with her pure display of love.
Michelle Visage
Obviously, we couldn’t make this list without mentioning the Queen herself. Michelle has been a permanent judge on RPDR since the third season, as well as being a judge in All Stars, UK and Down Under.
She earned the name as one of the harshest judges for picking up on poor fabric and ill-fitting clothes, and we love her for bringing the drama! Luckily for us, she is set to be a permanent judge on the next UK series!
Dakota Schiffer
Yet another amazing lady making history in the UK show. Dakota was the first openly trans woman to compete in the UK spin-off of RuPaul. Unfortunately, she was also the first ever contestant in all 28 seasons of RuPaul to be asked to “Sashay away” by Michelle Visage instead of RuPaul, due to unforeseen circumstances deeming him unavailable for the show.
Yasmin Finney
The beautiful Yasmin, best known for her role as Elle in Netflix’s Heartstopper, excited us all by starring as a guest judge on last year’s Drag Race. She was seen to be absolutely loving the lip sync between Alexis Saint-Pete and Miss Naomi Carter.
Yasmin is openly trans and she was described by viewers as the perfect guest judge with many requesting for her return. She is not confirmed to be coming back to this series, but we can keep our fingers crossed for the future!
Suranne Jones
Yasmin was not the only icon to star on our screens in season five. Suranne Jones also gave us a little appearance. After starring as Anne Lister in Gentleman Jack, the legendary lesbian from the 1800s, she appeared as one of the judges.
On the show, she shared with us the best advice she’s heard from Dame Judi Dench: “If they ain’t paying your bills, pay those b*tches no mind.” I think a lot of us could take this advice on board!
Cara Melle
The trans queen won us all over in her emotional speech last year, with some viewers saying they teared up watching her speak about her dreaming of this opportunity her whole life. Unfortunately, her time on the show came to an end after she tumbled on stage whilst lip-syncing and singing with Michael Marouli.
The excitement doesn’t stop there as our screens are soon to be full of the colourful queer craziness RuPaul brings to us. There are some exciting guest judges to look forward to including the comedian Katherine Ryan, the iconic Kim Petras, and Adwoa Aboah who is best known for her role as the lesbian character Becks in Top Boy!
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