DIVA sat down with the directors of this new film to learn more about why queer people have flocked to the Alternative Miss World
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE PROVIDED
What happens when you combine the Crufts dog show with the iconic Miss World beauty contest? Sculptor and performance artist Andrew Logan doesn’t just know the answer, he created it. Carving out a space for a different kind of beauty, he threw the very first Alternative Miss World in 1972. Six years later, he rented out Clapham Common to throw an extravagant circus for the event, attended by celebs from far and wide.
It’s likely that you might not have heard this story before. But filmmakers Maya Avidov and Savannah James-Bayly are here to change that. In their new documentary Too Disgusting To Be Confused, they take a look at the incredible events which led to the creation of the Alternative Miss World. With name drops including David Hockney, Leigh Bowrey and Tony Blair, this documentary is a celebration of all things different, camp and queer.
We sat down with Maya Avidov and Savannah James-Bayly to find out more.
What led you both to this story?
Maya: Savannah and I both really wanted to make a film that would inspire people to create for the fun of it rather than for the professionalism of it.
Savannah: We wanted something that was a story about pure creativity and overcoming some challenges put against it by a capitalist commercial antagonist. We were reading about the competition and came across the court case that involved Tony Blair. It seemed to perfectly hit the brief that the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund gave.
That moment was so brilliant in the doc. Were there any nuggets of information that surprised you?
Maya: The amount of names we don’t drop is extensive! We have so many cultural renegades that are continuously involved. It’s just amazing.
Savannah: Andrew himself is amazing. There were some scenes that made us gasp behind the camera. It was hard to keep him on track because we wanted to hear about everything he was saying.
While Alternative Miss World isn’t just for the queer community, it has been a safe space for them. Why do you think it’s so important for the LGBTQIA+ community to have these spaces?
Savannah: It’s important to remember that Andrew set up his first event in 1972 – only four years after homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK. He’s never run it as an explicitly queer event, but a huge part that excites me is the fact that it’s the first “beauty” competition where gender doesn’t matter. People performed across the gender spectrum. A lot of queer people are involved, but it was more of a celebration about transformation than a pure focus on sexuality. I think finding those safe communities that are celebratory and uplifting during a time when there’s a lot of prejudice and oppression around you is fundamentally important.
Maya: I also think the event is very unique in terms of allyship. Most of the time when you saw allies [in that period] they were marching. This was for the pure fun of it. It wasn’t about making a political or social statement. It was so matter of fact. No one was tapping themselves on the back for coming to the event.
What do you hope people take away from this documentary?
Maya: I really hope people feel like they can do things for the fun of it. I don’t want people to say “London used to be so cool and now it sucks”! I want people to feel empowered, even if they can’t rent Clapham Common for £200 anymore. Let’s just organise! Hang out! Let’s make things happen in real life or virtually or whatever works for you.
Savannah: Expanding on that, I think it’s important to do this in community. Find the people that will help you be creative and make things happen.
Too Disgusting To Be Confused was created as part of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund 2025. The films will be available on Netflix’s YouTube Channel, Still Watching, on Friday 27th June.
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