RuPaul’s Drag Race UK studio set to close
The TV studio where Drag Race UK is filmed will close next year. (BBC)
Pinewood studios, known for hosting TV productions including RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, is set to close next year.
Drag Race UK seasons two, four, five and six were filmed in the Buckinghamshire-based studio’s TV department, alongside other light entertainment shows including Channel 4’s Taskmaster, and BBC’s Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars.
The BBC’s comedy panel show, Would I Lie To You? has also been produced at the studio.
Yet following an internal “review”, the Pinewood group has confirmed that the studio will close in 2025.
The company confirmed that productions booked to film in the last few months of 2024 and throughout 2025 will not be affected and can continue with filming as normal.
Drag Race UK season seven, which recently announced that it had begun casting, will likely still be filmed at the studios, as it is set to begin production early next year.
In a statement, the Pinewood group said: “Following a review, during 2025 we are planning to close our TV department which services the light entertainment TV market.
“We have started a consultation process with colleagues who are affected.
“We are very proud of the work the TV team has delivered over the years, having hosted many major titles for the UK’s broadcasters.”
TV productions at Pinewood’s other sites will not be affected by the Buckinghamshire site’s closure.
Pinewood’s other studios have been used to create film productions including the James Bond series and Deadpool 3.
It’s not yet known where Drag Race UK will film following season seven, though other UK-based film studios, including 3 Mills Studio and Manchester Studios, have been used to produce the drag reality show in the past.
Drag Race UK season six began airing on BBC Three and iPlayer last week, with 26-year-old Lancashire-born queen Kyran Thrax winning the first episode, which featured a cabaret talent contest challenge.
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