// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
BBC drops Drag Race UK after eight series
The show has been broadcast on the BBC for eight series
RuPaul's Drag Race UK is leaving the BBC after eight series, the broadcaster has confirmed.
A spokesperson for the channel said it was facing "very difficult choices" in the face of "significant financial pressures".
The show is currently broadcast on BBC Three and iPlayer. Future series - as well as its spin-off vs The World - will be broadcast on Wow Presents Plus, a streaming platform owned by the production company behind the show.
At its peak, the UK version of the international drag competition averaged at around 1.5 million viewers per episode.
A spokesperson for the BBC said it was "proud [...] of this groundbreaking show" and thanked "RuPaul, World of Wonder and everyone involved, both on and off screen".
Started in 2019, Drag Race UK brought British drag into mainstream entertainment in the UK, and has made household names of drag performers such as La Voix, Danny Beard, and Tia Kofi.
The show sees drag queens compete in a series of challenges to impress judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr, and often features big name celebrity guest judges.
It has become a staple of LGBTQ+ culture and has been praised for its portrayal of the distinct style of British drag.
The corporation is currently rolling out plans to make £500m of savings, with director-general Matt Brittin previously telling staff "the scale of savings requires tough choices".