Queens For The Night: What is it, start date and confirmed contestants including Simon Gregson & Chris Hughes

The ITV show will also feature a guest judge panel including Rob Beckett, Courtney Act and Layton Williams

Lorraine Kelly will host Queens For The Night

Queen’s for the night, a one-off special show, will air this weekend. The show will feature some of TV’s most popular faces transforming into drag queens.

Being a drag queen is a notoriously difficult craft, with the hardships and effort put in showcased on shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. To help celebrities out, they will each have their own mentor.

Drag is something that has been present in the UK for three centuries now. Still regarded as quite niche, according to Impact Festival: “The official first drag queen arrived in the 18th century.

“Princess Seraphina, aka John Cooper, was a gentleman’s servant. John was a well known crossdresser around London and even answered to Princess Seraphina when he wasn’t wearing women’s clothes.”

Talking about the show, ITV said: “Our celebrity wannabes will not only have to perfect wearing the highest of the heels but also hone one of the distinctive disciplines that each drag artist will expertly enact, from singing, dancing, lip syncing, impression, comedy or Dragic! (Drag magic).

“Performing live in front of a panel of expert judges and a live studio audience only one celebrity can be crowned the ultimate winner. Viewers will witness every step of the process, from mastering the killer heels, fine tuning their comic timing and bringing to life a breathtaking character through costume and make up.

“The process will culminate for each of the celebrities in a cabaret style performance as they showcase their newly acquired drag talents. Voted by the studio audience, who will capture the hearts of the public to be crowned their Queen For The Night?”

When will Queens For The Night air on TV?

Queens For The Night will air on Saturday, November 5 at 8:30pm on ITV. For those who do not have access to a TV, you’ll be able to watch the show live, or at a later time, on the ITV Hub.

Lorraine Kelly will host Queens For The Night

Queens For The Night cast

Simon Gregson - Coronation Street star, best known for his role as the loveable Steve McDonald. He has been in the show since 1989, and has won 17 awards along the way.

Mr Motivator MBE - The 69-year-old rose to fame in 1993 through appearances on the UK breakfast television show GMTV. On the show, he performed live fitness sessions and offered tips and advice to viewers.

Chris Hughes - Hughes rose to fame on popular ITV 2 show Love Island, where he coupled up with Olivia Attwood in 2017. Since then, he can be seen on ITV presenting some horse races, as well as some other various TV appearances.

Jesy Nelson and Chris Hughes attend the National Television Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena - January, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

George Shelley - Shelley is most known for being a member of the popular boy band Union J. Aside from that, he enjoyed a great stint on ITV’ I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here in 2015, where he finished runner up to Vicki Pattison.

Adam Woodyatt - Most known for his role as Ian Beale on Eastenders, Woodyatt was the show’s longest serving character, initially joining the show in 1985, but left in 2021. He was the centre of multiple high profile storylines, such as his homelessness and the death of his daughter.

Joe Marler - The 32-year-old from Eastbourne  is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Harlequins in the Premiership. He also has a podcast with Tom Fordyce, named The Joe Marler Podcast.

Queens For The Night host

Queens For The Night will be hosted by drag superfan Lorraine Kelly. The Glaswegian has previously been a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

On the show, she said: “I’m so excited to be hosting this show. I am a huge fan of Drag and can not wait to see a host of well known stars embrace this uniquely wonderful and uplifting skill. It’s a show that will have humour, warmth and above all lots and lots of glamour, I can’t wait to get started.”

Queens For The Night guest judges

Alongside Lorraine, the show will also have a star studded celebrity judging panel.

Rob Beckett - The 36-year-old is most known for his stand-up comedy, as well as multiple TV appearances. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! from 2012 to 2014.

Courtney Act - Shane Gilberto Jenek , better known as Courtney Act is an Australian Drag Queen. The 40-year-old came to prominence competing on the first season of Australian Idol in 2003.

Layton Williams - The 28-year-old from Bury best known for playing the role of Stephen Carmichael in the television series Bad Education. His breakthrough came when he was 12, as he played the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical on London’s West End.