RuPaul's Drag Race UK, a popular competition series that brought British drag into the mainstream, will no longer air on the BBC after eight seasons. The broadcaster confirmed the move, citing "very difficult choices" necessitated by "significant financial pressures."
Future series of Drag Race UK, along with its spin-off "vs The World," will be broadcast on Wow Presents Plus, a streaming platform owned by World of Wonder, the production company behind the show. The current season, which premiered in September 2026, will continue to air on BBC Three and remain available on iPlayer, and all existing series will still be accessible.
The BBC stated it was "proud" of the show and thanked RuPaul and everyone involved. Drag Race UK, which began in 2019, has been credited with making household names of performers such as Danny Beard, La Voix, and Tia Kofi, and has been praised for its distinctive portrayal of British drag culture. The show features drag queens competing in challenges judged by RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton, and Alan Carr, often with celebrity guest judges.
This decision comes as the BBC aims to achieve £500 million in savings. BBC director-general, Tim Davie, has previously indicated that the scale of these savings would require tough decisions. A BBC spokesperson reiterated that "difficult choices" were made as the corporation navigates financial challenges.
Wow Presents Plus announced the move on Instagram, calling it a "new era" for the show. A "Drag Race UK All Stars" series, featuring returning fan favorites, is slated to premiere exclusively on Wow Presents Plus in Autumn 2027.
At its height, the UK version of the international drag competition averaged approximately 1.5 million viewers per episode. The BBC declined to comment on the future broadcast plans for other international iterations of the franchise, such as Drag Race Canada and Drag Race Down Under.