The co-creator of Drag Race has said there is a "crisis of representation" on TV, following the BBC's decision to axe the UK edition of the show. Speaking exclusively to BBC News, Fenton Bailey said he did not believe there was a "hidden agenda" behind the decision, but feared "vulnerable communities are going to be even more vulnerable". The move led viewers to raise concerns about the corporation's on-screen representation, after it also cancelled two LGBTQ+ dating shows.
A spokesperson for the BBC said the decision was down to "significant financial pressures", as it attempts to make £500m of savings. Other shows being cancelled include Celebrity Mastermind, Blankety Blank and Live at the Apollo, and more than 500 job losses have also been announced. World of Wonder (WOW) announced future series of Drag Race UK, including a new All Stars version, will be broadcast exclusively on the company's own streamer, WOW Presents Plus.
BBC News spoke to Bailey, screenwriters, TV critics and former Drag Race contestants about the move and what it means for on-screen representation. When Drag Race UK launched in 2019, co-creator Fenton Bailey, who was born in Portsmouth but now lives in Los Angeles, said working with the national broadcaster felt like a "very special homecoming" for his production company, WOW. The US version of the show, co-created by RuPaul Charles, Bailey and his business partner Randy Barbato, had been on air for more than 10 years and was a runaway success, with dozens of Emmy awards and an international following.
Fans were eagerly awaiting a UK series to showcase the unique British style of drag. Now, eight series and three spin-offs later, the programme will stop broadcasting on the BBC after the current series ends. "Even at the best of times, queer culture is vulnerable and you can't take anything for granted," Bailey told BBC News.
"Just because a door opened yesterday doesn't mean it won't be slammed shut the next." BBC News understands discussions to renew the BBC's deal with the show lasted months, with producers hopeful an agreement could be reached, but talks ultimately failed due to the scale of the savings the corporation is trying to make. Bailey said it was a sign of the "horrible financial situations" broadcasters are currently facing. "The team at the BBC are amazing and so passionate about the show, this is not an easy thing for any of the people I interacted with, or something they wanted to do," he added.
Drag Race UK was consistently one of BBC Three's most popular offerings, but according to Barb Audiences data, while average viewing figures for the series rose between 2022 and 2024, overall they've fallen around 15% over the past four years, against a backdrop of declining TV viewing figures across the board. Bailey said the figures "haven't plummeted," but had instead fallen in line with other terrestrial TV shows, and said the number of viewers watching on social media had risen "because that's where the audience has gone." Following the announcement, some viewers speculated the show could be acquired by another UK broadcaster, but Bailey suggested the show's creators may prefer to go it alone. "We love partnerships, but in this particular moment, having the freedom to make the show the way we want may be preferable to getting into bed with another broadcaster and potentially be in the same situation a few more seasons down the road." A BBC spokesperson said: "As the BBC continues to navigate significant financial pressures and deliver the savings required of us, we have had to make some very difficult choices, none of which have been taken lightly." Scott Bryan, TV critic and author of Out Now: A Queer History of Modern Television, says the move is indicative of just how severe the financial pressures facing broadcasters have become.
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