Entertainment

Michelle Visage reveals celebrity wish list for second series of Drag Race UK

The TV and radio presenter has appeared on both the UK and American series of the show.
The TV and radio presenter has appeared on both the UK and American series of the show.

Michelle Visage has said Julia Davis, Ruth Jones and Mark Gatiss are among the stars she would like to see as guest judges when Drag Race UK returns.

The US TV star has appeared as a judge on both the American and first UK series of the reality show.

The first UK series, which aired on BBC Three, recently crowned The Vivienne as its winner and has been commissioned for a second run.

Visage told the PA news agency: “The response (to the first UK series) was overwhelming and overwhelmingly positive. I know people were a little nervous and thinking we would not have the magic the American one does.

“For me, this has been a pet project of mine for five years, since I did Big Brother. It was the only reason that I did Big Brother, was to get a Drag Race UK made and it’s taken five years.

“I think we did an incredible job. It was quintessentially British, it was beautifully done. When you look at it, it doesn’t look like a cheaper version, a dumbed down version of Drag Race America. It looks like Drag Race and it looks British. So I think it was fantastic”.

The US star, who recently appeared as a guest on Thread Talks at Samsung KX in London’s King’s Cross, revealed her wish list of celebrity guests for the second UK series of Drag Race in 2020.

She said: “Dawn French, who is a friend of mine, she was dying to do it (the first one), but she was out of the country. Julia Davis is an obsession of mine, Ruth Jones, there are so many people who I would love to do it, Mark Gatiss, the list goes on and on.”

The radio presenter, who competed in Celebrity Big Brother 2015, was also part of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line-up.

She and partner Giovanni Pernice were the eighth couple booted off the show.

Despite no longer participating, she is still watching the BBC One series.

She said: “I’ve got friends still on it, so of course I’m watching it. And my best friend in Strictly, Alex (Scott), just went so, after she went, we went and got some pizza and sat there and spent a good two-and-a-half hours at dinner just laughing and talking about our experience.”

Scott and her partner Neil Jones were eliminated following the Strictly quarter-finals.

Visage said she will continue dancing and has lined up a dance teacher to work with when she returns to Los Angeles.