RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Sister Sister has said the drag community was destined to end up on mainstream television.
The queen, who stars in the upcoming series of the programme, said drag performances are well suited to the format.
She told the PA news agency: “If you connect the dots, it was always going to end up on mainstream TV. Something as big and fantastic and ridiculous as this, it was kind of meant for TV.”
She added that “one thing the queer community is fantastic at is providing entertainment”.
Sister Sister added that “visibility is key” for the drag community and the programme could provide a boost to some young people.
“The show is so much bigger than we can kind of get to grips with right now because there are the untold stories of kids sat in their bedrooms, maybe feeling a little bit different to the rest of their family and feeling a little bit like they are on the outside, who will crave going up to their rooms knowing that the show is on and they can just close the door and have that little bit of escapism,” she said.
“It is one of those things you literally can’t put a price on.”
Sister Sister, who is from Liverpool, added there are “similarities” with the US format the programme is based on.
However addressing the differences between the UK and US versions of the show, she said: “It is the attitude of the queens that go in, we have all got the same end goal, we all want to win.
“I think what sets the UK season apart and makes it just so special is we really know how to make fun of ourselves.”
January 14th. 7PM. @BBCiPlayer.
You’re going to be gooped, gagged and gobsmacked. pic.twitter.com/rLNtFJrV8U
— RuPaul's Drag Race UK (@dragraceukbbc) January 4, 2021
The second series of the programme begins on iPlayer at 7pm on Thursday.
The show features drag artists from around the UK and challenges them with weekly tasks designed to test their drag skills.
Their make-up skills, fashion sense, sewing abilities, comedy, singing, acting dancing and, famously, their lip sync skills will all be under close scrutiny.
All the queens will be assessed on their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. The bottom two queens have to lip sync their way to survival.
Judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr are all making a return for season two, which will last for 10 weeks.
Norton and Carr will join RuPaul and Visage on a rotational basis, alongside a celebrity guest judge.