Ru Paul's Drag Race UK: New series of BBC show features two Sussex queens including its first trans contestant

Dakota Schiffer, from Horsham, is the first trans woman to compete in the UK show.

Before the show aired she said: “I’m ecstatic to be making Drag Race herstory as the first trans girl to walk through the doors of Drag Race.”

On why she decided to enter the show she said: “I’ve dreamed of being on the show since I first watched it and being here is quite surreal. I hope everybody likes me!

“I have always loved fashion, hair and makeup and drag allowed me to combine all my favourite hobbies into one amazing profession and I've been doing drag for about four years now. Initially, I struggled to embrace my feminine side and drag gave me the escape I needed to come out as trans and embrace all of my inner femininity.”

Twelve brand new queens entered Ru Paul’s werk room for the new season of the hit BBC Three show.

Dakota isn’t the only Sussex queen to take part.

Pixie Poilte, 29, is based in Brighton.

On how they felt about taking part in Drag Race series 4, they said: “I'm so excited. It's honestly a dream come true. I never thought a big ol’ camp cow like me would make it here but here I am! I'm very excited to get to all those challenges and shake my booty all over that Werk Room, honey!”

Each week, the queens face challenges that test their drag race prowess to the max in the hope that they have impressed head judge Ru Paul enough to avoid being one of the bottom two queens facing a lip sync for their life and elimination from the competition.

The first episode kicked off with a Spice Girls-inspired photoshoot, before the queens had to put their creativity to the test with a double runway challenge, coming up with one look inspired by the BBC’s 100th anniversary and another which encapsulated their signature drag style.

Once all 12 new queens had walked the runway, it was up to judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and guest judge Dame Joanna Lumley to decide which two contestants would have to lip sync for their lives to remain in the competition.

In the first episode Dakota found herself in the bottom two and competed in the lip sync battle again Just May from Essex. Just May found themselves the first queen to be eliminated from the show.

The winner of the show will be crowned the UK’s next drag superstar and gets an all-expenses paid trip to Hollywood to produce a digital TV show.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race is available on BBC iPlayer from Friday and is on BBC Three at 9pm on Thursday.

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