RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: When does it start, how can I watch it and who are the contestants?

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season four will soon return to TV screens, with a new group of queens competing for the coveted title of Best Drag Superstar.

The competition will be presided over by global drag icon and judge RuPaul, as the 12 queens aim to impress RuPaul enough to escape placing in the bottom two.

This year’s line-up will include queens from Belfast to Brighton, as well as other representatives from the UK’s drag scenes.

In a teaser trailer released by the BBC, the network said the fans should expect “more death drops, tricks, splits and stunning looks across 10 fabulous weeks.”

Now that our wait is almost over, let’s take a look at what RuPaul’s Drag season four is all about and how to watch it.

RuPaul is a drag megastar wearing a green suit and orange scarf with a large lamp in the background | BBC/World of Wonder

When can I watch RuPaul’s Drag Race UK?

The award-winning series will return to BBC Three and iPlayer on Thursday, September 22 at 9pm, and will air weekly for the next 10 weeks.

In total, series one, two, and three have been streamed more than 51 million times.

Who are the season four judges?

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World - pictured are Michelle Visage, RuPaul, Jade Thirlwall and Graham Norton. | BBC/World of Wonder/Guy Levy

RuPaul and her loyal sidekick Michelle Visage will be among the constant judges, as will Alan Carr and Graham Norton.

Each week, the regular judges will be joined by a celebrity guest judge, who has previously featured Maya Jama and others.

Who are this year’s celebrity guest judges?

• Dame Joanna Lumley
• Alison Hammond
• Hannah Waddingham
• Boy George
• Lorraine Pascal
• Mel B
• Leomie Anderson
• FKA Twigs
• Olly Alexander

There are extra special guests to help the queens with their challenges in addition to the guest judges.

Aisling Bea will provide some humour to the tournament, while Giovanni Pernice, the 2021 Strictly Come Dancing champion, will get the competitors ready for a task that combines singing and dancing.

Tess Daly and AJ Odudu will do their best to fill in the spaces in Cathay Denice’s songwriting master class to help the aspiring Drag Race winner.

Below is the full list of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestants

RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 4. Picture: BBC/World of Wonder/Guy Levy

• Baby
• Cheddar Gorgeous
• Copper Topp
• Dakota Schiffer
• Danny Beard
• Black Peppa
• Jonbers Blonde
• Just May
• Le Fil
• Pixie Polite
• Sminty Drop
• Starlet

Krystal Versace won season three of Drag Race UK at just 19 years of age, the youngest winner in the franchise.