BBC axes RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, but why?
The BBC has confirmed that it's axed RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has been axed by the BBC.
The long-running reality series - which sees drag queens battle it out against each other in various challenges - has been axed due to declining viewing figures and cuts across the BBC.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster told The Sun newspaper: "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.
"We can therefore confirm together with World of Wonder, that RuPaul’s Drag Race UK will be leaving the BBC and moving to WOW Presents Plus.
"The BBC is incredibly proud of all eleven series of this ground-breaking show and we would like to thank RuPaul, World of Wonder and everyone involved, both on and off screen.
"We are certain that viewers will enjoy the eighth series, which is currently airing on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three."
An insider noted that many of the TV show's current stars are now struggling to find work off screen, owing to changes in the broader landscape of the entertainment business.
The source said: "Years ago Drag Race UK contestants earned big money from lucrative tours and corporate gigs, but now the showbiz world is saturated with drag queens, so there isn’t as much work to go around."
Meanwhile, RuPaul previously explained that television has played a huge role in his life ever since his childhood.
The 65-year-old star - who launched the Drag Race franchise in the US, before bringing it to the UK - told Good Morning America: "Everything I learned was from television.
"Television is a community … it's a tribal community of laughter, and of shared experiences. And so, there's something about that flicker of the television set that we can all share."
RuPaul admitted, also, to being shocked by his own level of fame.
He said: "I knew that it was important for me to open myself up.
"I always, always had protection from angels. I've always been protected. I knew that from an early, early age."
