RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 8 is back on Thursday 3 September, with iPlayer showing the new run from 7pm and Three airing it at 9pm. RuPaul will once again be joined by celebrity guests as they judge a fresh batch of queens, while Alan Carr, Graham Norton and Michelle Visage return as resident judges.
The return matters because the show is landing with its lineup already set, giving viewers something concrete to watch for as autumn begins. Rather than one single splashy twist, this season’s draw is the stack of names around the table, and Anne-Marie is among the guests saying it was a dream to be part of Ru’s Drag Race and that she loved being surrounded by beautiful people all day.
That guest list stretches across TV, music, fashion and design. Thandiwe Newton is among the guest judges, and she said her drag name would be Hannibal Trewartha. Cat Burns said hers would be Kitty Kat First Degree Burns, Kadiff Kirwan described the experience as a queer fever dream, Michèle Lamy imagined dancing in bracelets and powder before RuPaul, Michelle de Swarte chose Michelle de Barge, Rick Astley went with Miss Rickety Splits, and Erin O'Connor said one of the pleasures of Drag Race UK is watching the design challenge come to life on the runway.
That is the shape of the new season: a return date, a familiar judging panel and a guest list built to keep the show moving week by week. The open question now is not whether RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is coming back, but which of those guests will land where once the episodes begin to roll out.
