Baga Chipz is ready to be unleashed once more – only with less sticking her tongue down people’s throats
Baga Chipz caught up with PinkNews from lockdown. (BBC)
It’s been six months since Baga Chipz burst onto screens screaming about tuppences and wanting to be covered in daddies sauce.
Since coming third in Drag Race UK the “queen of the battered sausage” has become one of its biggest successes: selling out tours, landing her own digital spin-off series with series winner The Vivienne and emerging as a regular fixture on TV panel shows.
Drag’s favourite gobs**te has gone mainstream, and this summer would have been her crowning glory full of Pride appearances and nightclub gigs. Until coronavirus happened.
Like many Baga is currently holed up at home, scrolling through social media – where she’s running a competition to host one lucky person’s next Zoom quiz – and waiting to be unleashed upon the world once more.
She told PinkNews all about her lockdown makeover, how the pandemic might change the drag scene and what she’s got planned for the future.
PinkNews: Hi Baga! How’s lockdown treating you?
Baga Chipz: Oh god, I’m climbing the walls — I’ve had to shave all my hair off and bleach it because none of the hairdressers are open. I’ve gone from Sharon Watts to Phil Mitchell!
I’ve just moved into a new flat though, sorting that out. It’s two bedrooms, one’s a big camp dressing room, my bedroom will be where I entertain — not even a lipstick. You don’t want to bring a shag home and have a Dolly Parton wig looking at you, do you?
You’d be gearing up for Pride month by now – it would have been your first since Drag Race UK.
Well the last Pride we did, we all knew, and people were like ‘Baga’s on Drag Race’ but it wasn’t official.
But yeah, this would have been the first Pride since the show aired so we’d have been basking in the glory. I was doing every single Pride so financially it’s been [grimaces].
The Vivienne and Baga Chipz reprised their Snatch Game characters, Donald Trump and Margaret Thatcher. (World of Wonder)
Do you think this is going to change things on the drag scene?
Well you can’t really socially distance in a nightclub can you, and in theatres you’re always sitting next to a person. I think my line of work will be the last to go back – I do a lot of meet and greets, you won’t be able to do that.
Hopefully one day it goes back to normal, but people will be cautious. You’re not going to see loads of queens sticking their tongue down people’s throats!
Hopefully the queer nightlife scene survives this.
Theatres and nightclubs are going to struggle, they’ll be the last thing to open because hundreds of people are in close proximity, especially when you’re in a small pub. Remember Molly Moggs? [A queer pub in Soho, London that closed down in 2017]. Oh my god you’d only be allowed two people in there!
A lot of bars were struggling before this, I can see a lot closing down. Hopefully the government will be a bit kind and help, not make them pay for rent.
How has it affected you in that respect?
I’m quite lucky to be honest, before the lockdown I was, no word of a lie, every day I was performing, so I’ve got some savings. For some queens what they earn that night pays their bills.
So I’m counting my blessings, since I’ve been on the show I get to do online stuff and podcasts and telly programmes – lots of big telly programmes coming up, Baga’s going to be a star!
There’s be more Frock Destroying content as well – new music is on the horizon, and we’ll be going on tour. I’m a live performer, that’s my bread and butter. We will be back, Baga will be back with a bang.
Baga Chipz has teamed up with Misguided and will be joining one lucky fan on their next Zoom quiz.
