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Aired autumn 2022 · Filmed at Pinewood Studios

Series 4 (2022)

The fourth series settles the panel at four chairs — RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton — and makes history before the finale even arrives, with the franchise's first out trans woman contestant.

Filmed
Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, England
Filmed at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire
Premiered
Sep 22, 2022
BBC Three · iPlayer, September 2022
Episodes
10
10 episodes, one without RuPaul in the chair
Format
Standard format · 10 episodes
12 queens, panel settled at four chairs
Host
RuPaul Charles
RuPaul, fourth series at the helm
On this page6 sections
  1. 01The take
  2. 02The shape of the season
  3. 03Where it sits in the canon
  4. 04What to watch for
  5. 05Adjacent in the canon
  6. 06In this canon
01The take

Series 4 (2022).

A season that made history in the workroom and, for one episode, ran without RuPaul at all — the first time any Drag Race edition anywhere had to.
02The shape of the season

A rhythm worth tracking.

Series 4 is where the UK edition's panel finally settles at four chairs — RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton — and where the season makes history before the finale even arrives. Dakota Schiffer becomes the first out trans woman to compete on the UK edition, and Michelle Visage steps into the host's chair for an episode, a first for the franchise anywhere. Watch it for a season unafraid of firsts.

03Where it sits in the canon

The #02 slot.

Slot #02 of 7 in the RuPaul's Drag Race UK Editor's Canon. Series 4 earns the runner-up slot for two firsts that matter beyond the UK edition alone. Dakota Schiffer becomes the first out trans woman to compete on the British version, a landmark casting moment the season treats as simply part of the workroom rather than a headline. Later in the run, Michelle Visage steps into the host's chair for an episode in RuPaul's absence, the first time any Drag Race edition worldwide has had to run without him. The panel, now a settled foursome of RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, holds steady through both moments. It's a season defined by how naturally it absorbs genuine firsts.

No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
04What to watch for

3 moments, no spoilers.

  • Ep 1 · a historic cast takes the workroom

    Dakota Schiffer becomes the first out trans woman to compete on the UK edition, a cast milestone worth watching on its own terms rather than as a subplot to anyone else's story.

  • Ep 7 · the chair sits empty

    Michelle Visage steps in as head judge in RuPaul's absence, the first time any Drag Race edition worldwide has run an episode without him. Watch how naturally the panel absorbs it.

  • Ep 8 · a double shantay

    Both queens in the bottom two are held over the same week, a rare call that resets the elimination math without sending anyone home. A good showcase of the format's flexibility.

06In this canon

Its Editor's Canon entry.

RuPaul's Drag Race UK S4 — Series 4 (2022) — tiered.tv