The winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season four was crowned last night, and Manchester queens completely dominated the final stages.
Both Cheddar Gorgeous and Danny Beard, prolific and well-loved talents based in Manchester, made it to the final two, doing our city proud.
The pair beat out competition from other finalists Black Peppa and Jonbers Blonde and faced off in a lip-sync battle.
The 10-week-long competition has been fierce in all the right ways, but it was Danny Beard – the first bearded contestant in Drag Race UK history and originally from Liverpool – who was eventually crowned victorious.
Following their win, they said: “Thank you for believing in me. I’ve had the wildest dream here meeting the most amazing people.
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Danny Beard after being crowned winner of Drag Race UK. Credit: BBC
“I never thought anyone who did drag like me could be a Ru girl, so this is for all the others out there. I can’t wait to let the world know what Danny Beard is all about.”
Guest judges this year have included Olly Alexander, Boy George, and Aisling Bea, with Michelle Visage stepping in as head judge for the first time.
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Fellow judge Graham Norton told Danny: “My God, you are funny. But what I didn’t expect were all the looks.
“When you’re on stage eyes are drawn to you and that is something you can’t learn, it is something you learn how to use.”
Cheddar Gorgeous on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Credit: BBCDanny Beard on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Credit: BBC
Both Danny and Cheddar are familiar faces on the Manchester nightlife scene, with Cheddar part of the Family Gorgeous troupe made up of some of our most talented queens.
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And Mancs have been delighted to see the local queens get so far in the competition, which has often been dominated by Londoners.
Actress Annie Wallace tweeted: “Huge congrats to @thedannybeard for winning @dragraceukbbc, and commiserations to @CheddarGorgeous… we do things RIGHT in Manchester!!”
Another person wrote: “What I love about Cheddar and Danny obliterating the season is they – along with Manchester queens in general – have largely been snubbed by the Drag Race brand in some shape or form, prior to Season 4. So glad producers are over their meth-like addiction to London queens.”
Another said: “I got so emosh seeing two iconic Manchester queens in the top two. @CheddarGorgeous and @thedannybeard were (and still are) staples in the Manchester drag scene when I was growing up gay. So so SO happy.”
TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT👑🏁
We’re proud to have platformed some of this year’s #DragRaceUK finalists over the years, but we can't help rooting for our MCR Queens this eve 🥹
Manchester Pride wrote: “We’re proud to have platformed some of this year’s #DragRaceUK finalists over the years, but we can’t help rooting for our MCR Queens this eve.
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“@CheddarGorgeous & @thedannybeard, you’ve done Manchester so so proud.”
Someone else said: “Love to @CheddarGorgeous and congratulations to @thedannybeard. BOTH AMAZING ARTISTS. I’ve never thought the race could be so tight for me personally and they smashed it. Manchester smashed it.”
Featured image: BBC
TV & Showbiz
Trailer released for new Netflix drama series starring Michelle Keegan airing in the new year
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new Netflix show starring Michelle Keegan and Joanna Lumley has now been released.
In case you hadn’t heard, the highly-anticipated new crime drama show, which is titled Fool Me Once, is an adaptation of Harlan Coben’s popular novel, and is set to air on the streaming service as soon as 2024 arrives.
But now, the release of the first trailer has proved it looks brilliantly binge-worthy.
How can a dead man appear on a secret camera?
Fool Me Once – a new crime thriller from @HarlanCoben – coming 1 January, starring Michelle Keegan, Adeel Akhtar, Joanna Lumley and Richard Armitage. pic.twitter.com/oSUx44qIyT
The eight-part series follows Manchester-born actress Michelle Keegan’s character, Maya Starn, who is a former special ops pilot struggling with the tragic murder of her husband, Joe, who is played by Richard Armitage.
Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce, who is portrayed by Adeel Akhtar, conducts the investigation into Joe’s death while wrestling with his own hidden truths.
Things start to get interesting though, when she observes via the nanny cam her supposedly deceased husband playing with their baby daughter in her own home.
Meanwhile, Maya’s niece and nephew embark on the journey to seek answers about their own mother’s murder which took place months ago.
But one question remains – could the two mysteries be related?
‘Fool Me Once’ stars Michelle Keegan and is based on a novel by Harlan Coben / Credit: Netflix UK
The first trailer for the show was released by Netflix at the end of last week, and it showcases a star-studded cast with the likes of Dame Joanna Lumley from Absolutely Fabulous, Adeel Akhtar from Sherwood, Emmett J Scanlan from Peaky Blinders, and Dino Fetscher from Paranoid.
The streaming service has unveiled a selection of first look images, showcasing a star-studded cast with the likes of Dame Joanna Lumley from Absolutely Fabulous, Adeel Akhtar from Sherwood, Emmett J Scanlan from Peaky Blinders, and Dino Fetscher from Paranoid.
Filming took place in Yorkshire, where production crews were spotted in the Burdock Way area near the centre of Halifax, but Michelle Keegan was also spotted filming in Manchester city centre back in May.
Fool Me Once will air on Netflix in the UK on Monday 1 January.
Featured Image – GMP
TV & Showbiz
Timothée Chalamet thinks the sexiest British accent is… Hull?
Clementine Hall
Hollywood A-lister Timothée Chalamet has revealed the British accents he finds sexiest, and the results are unexpected.
The 27-year-old star of Wonka said that a Hull accent is up there as one of his favourites, along with Italian and French.
How does Timothée Chalamet even know about Hull’s existence, never mind know what the accent sounds like?
The star, who rose to astronomical fame back in 2017 with his portrayal of Elio in Call Me By Your Name, and has since starred in blockbusters such as Dune and Little Woman, revealed his favourite access on the current Wonka press tour, The Hoot reports.
Chalamet appeared on LadBible TV talking to Keegan-Michael Key, where they discuss the internet’s biggest debates.
In a segment where they debate the British accent, Chalamet goes on to reveal his top three British accents… and the answers are not what you would expect.
Firstly he admits his favourite is the Hull accent, he says: “I like the Hull accent. Hull is sexy”.
We’ve never thought of the Hull accent as particularly sexy before, but we will absolutely take it.