Vanessa Feltz has hit out at the BBC after the broadcaster dropped RuPaul's Drag Race UK following 11 series over seven years, as part of the channel's latest round of cuts. In a passionate Instagram video, Feltz, wearing a crimson sequinned dress and a feathery headpiece, demanded: "BBC, what are you doing?"
Feltz's Furious Reaction
"How can you possibly not continue to make RuPaul's Drag Race?" she asked. "I am heartbroken and I'm also outraged, I'm furious. Because what is the BBC supposed to be for? To educate, inform and entertain, those are the Reithian values. How can you decide to leave such a vast swathe of the community neglected in your broadcasting?"
She praised the show as "the most inclusive viewing, it was family viewing, it was LGBTQ+++ viewing, it was viewing for everybody with a heart, a soul, an imagination, creativity, sensitivity." Feltz added: "It's been such a unifying force for the entire country, grandmas and grandsons and everybody have united in watching this wonderful spectacle of human endeavour, achievement, frustration and absolute flourishing human beings. I am distraught that the BBC has left its initial values so far behind it that it can't see that this is a short-sighted and actually a very unkind move. BBC, shame on you!"
Fans and Stars Show Support
The post attracted 3,343 likes, with Drag Race star Baga Chipz commenting with three heart emojis and Lorraine Kelly writing "Yep!!" Another fan commented: "I have to say I was not expecting this. Actually quite moved. Thank you Vanessa for speaking up - so passionately."
The British version of the hit reality show, which has made stars of drag acts including Strictly Come Dancing favourite La Voix, Baga Chipz and Danny Beard, has aired eight regular series and three series of spin-off RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World since it launched in 2019.
BBC Confirms Move
On Wednesday evening, it emerged that the programme had been dropped from BBC schedules and will move to WOW Presents Plus. 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.
"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 groundbreaking 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."
A source told The Mirror: "It's a huge surprise that the BBC axed it because it's been doing so well and it's the only show of its kind. Staff were told that there was nothing that could be done."
