Drag Race UK judge Graham Norton says the queens ‘don’t give a s**t’ what he thinks
Graham Norton says the queens on Drag Race UK don’t put the same weight on his critiques. (BBC)
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK judge Graham Norton has joked that the contestants “don’t give a sh*t” about his or and Alan Carr’s critiques.
Graham Norton has appeared on the panel of Drag Race UK, alongside RuPaul and Michelle Visage, since the spin-off’s first season in 2019, alternating weekly with fellow comedian and icon Alan Carr.
Although he has provided more than 50 contestants with advice and a fair few brutal reads (and is currently giving another 12 his 50 pence on the show’s sixth series), he’s not sure the queens have taken him all that seriously.
Speaking to author Jack Guinness on Thursday’s (3 October) episode of the Queerphoria podcast, Norton joked that the glamazons only pay attention to what Ru and Michelle have to say.
“On Drag Race [UK], I’m just there because I have the best seat in the house,” Norton joked.
“The drag queens don’t care what me and Alan say. Ru and Michelle, they’re just like [hanging on every word], and when me and Alan speak, it could be anything, it could be traffic noise being played in.
“They couldn’t give a sh*t what we think of them – and rightly so.”
Later in the episode, Norton added that sitting on the Drag Race panel hasn’t “ruined” his experience as a viewer.
“The extra weird element of Drag Race UK is watching it on TV because, of course, we’re just on the panel, we just see the runway,” he said.
“Sometimes, there are contestants who sort of passed me by [on the runway], but then watching the show, I fall in love with them. What’s great is that being part of Drag Race hasn’t ruined it for me as an audience member.”
Norton is appearing alongside Ru, Visage and Carr as the judging mainstays on season six of Drag Race UK along with a selection of dazzling guest judges, including musician Alison Goldfrapp, actress and presenter Amanda Holden, actress and singer Beverly Knight, Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon, model Kristen McMenamy, Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney, and presenter AJ Odudu.
The season premiered on BBC iPlayer last week, with Lancashire-born queen Kyran Thrax winning the episode, which featured a cabaret-themed talent show challenge.
Queerphoria is available on all podcast providers.
Drag Race UK continues on BBC iPlayer and at 9pm on Thursdays on BBC3.
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