The highly-anticipated cast for the next series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has been announced, and there’s a famous Manchester face on the lineup.
With the fourth series of the popular reality competition show set to return to our TV screens this month, global drag icon RuPaul and BBC Three have today revealed that Manchester-based drag queen Cheddar Gorgeous is forming part of the lineup of 12 of the nation’s most fabulous queens, who will compete over 10 weeks to be crowned the UK’s next Drag Race Superstar.
Born in Birmingham 488 years ago, but calling Manchester home for the last 16 years and becoming a well-known name on the local circuit, Cheddar Gorgeous is described as being a “living spectacle” and a “cultural icon”.
Cheddar is usually dressed as a “Mancunian busy bee” to demonstrate a real love for the city.
With a name referencing the iconic British landmark Cheddar Gorge, and an act combining a collage of makeup, costume, performance, audiences usually come prepared for anything at a Cheddar Gorgeous show as her drag is known for being “otherworldly and ethereal”.
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Cheddar says she’s been doing drag for “hundreds of years”, but in reality, she started out when she was about 13 or 14, and admits that she was a bit of a geek growing up who was enamoured by aliens, gods, goddesses, and strange monsters – which is why, in her drag, she likes to “harness the energy of science fiction, fantasy and magic”.
Drag has allowed Cheddar to travel around the world, and she has worked in the clubs, cabarets, museums, and all over the streets.
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Cheddar Gorgeous confirmed for next series of Drag Race UK / Credit: BBC
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK series four is set to air later this month.
One of the most-popular shows on BBC iPlayer, the first three series of the reality competition show have been streamed over 51 million times now, and the premise sees the queens face challenges each week that test their drag race prowess to the max to impress Ru and the panel of judges enough to avoid being one of the bottom two queens.
The two queens who find themselves in the bottom two then face a lip sync for their life and elimination from the competition.
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Ru then has the final say on who shantays or sashays away.
Featured Image – BBC
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One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right about now.
With just under two weeks to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Clearly, the moral of the story here is , enjoy yourself… but just not too much.
Featured Image – The OurWhiskey Company (via Pexels)
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Half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner, new survey reveals
Emily Sergeant
Christmas dinner is one of the key parts of any festive celebration.
No matter whether you choose to tuck into a traditional roast with all the trimmings and lashings of gravy, or you prefer to go for something a little different like a curry or a Chinese instead, your Christmas dinner is a chance to gather round with your loved ones and enjoy one of the heartiest meals you’ll likely have all year.
However, some shocking new figures have revealed that half of Manchester residents have no clue how to even cook a Christmas dinner.
Through a major study by the UK’s leading electrical retailer, AO.com, it was revealed that the majority of our city’s residents are “losing confidence” in preparing even the simplest of British dishes – with a traditional roast or Christmas dinner being one of them.
A new survey has revealed that half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner / Credit: Freepik | GoodFon
As part of its new campaign to get Brits back into the kitchen, AO found that just 57% of respondents reckon they would be able to make a roast dinner, 52% could whip up a classic shepherd’s pie, 58% could cook bangers and mash, merely 61% could prepare a full English breakfast, and again, only 57% could tackle fish and chips.
Classic desserts are clearly a struggle for us Mancs too, according to the survey, as only 19% of respondents said they’d feel confident cooking a Christmas pudding.
The survey also found that nationwide, it was Gen Z – those between the age of 16 and 27 – that are the least confident in their ability to cook great British classics, while on the other end of the spectrum, Baby Boomers are the most capable, proving that culinary confidence increases with age.
Our region’s residents are apparently ‘losing confidence’ at cooking simple British classics / Credit: Freepik
Commenting on the results, Jay Lockton, oven expert at AO.com, said: “Kitchens should be a place of creativity and joy, but our data shows that a lot of people in Manchester are losing confidence in preparing even the simplest of British dishes.
“Based on our findings, many younger people may be opting for convenience foods or takeaways due to their busy schedules and the perception that cooking from scratch is time-consuming or difficult.
Emily Sergeant -
7th September 2022 
