RuPaul's Drag Race UK 2026 winner wants future of show to "push against mainstream culture" after BBC drop show

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for RuPauls Drag Race season 8 finale.*

As the BBC crowns its final Drag Race UK – this year’s winner reveals why the move could allow the franchise to "push against mainstream culture", and how she had "prepared to lose" more than her fellow drag race finalists.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK crowned another winner last night, as season 8 came to a close. Finalists Naya Thorn, Flesh, Mocha and Alik competed in the final episode alongside the full cast of the eighth season, who returned to support in the final girl group challenge.

All four strutted their stuff in a megamix of UK Drag Race’s most iconic hit songs from the past eight years, with final critiques from the shows judges – Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr, Graham Norton, Michelle Visage and RuPaul.

After 10 weeks and countless challenges – Ru crowned her newest inductee into the Drag Race UK hall of fame, with Flesh winning the title of the UK Drag Race superstar.

With the show filming all finalists winning at the time of record, and the winner being revealed in real time when the show airs – it’s clear that Flesh’s win was a surprise for her as she watched last night at a viewing party with her fellow finalists and friends and family.

"I was like kind of cool as a cucumber up until she said my name, and then I was like… 'Oh my God', and then my head exploded. I turned around and I was already crying at that point, and then I looked at my parents and I started sobbing," Flesh told Radio Times.

26-year-old Flesh, who is part of the drag family Heavenly Bodies, is not the first winner in her bloodline. Season 7 winner Bones and season 3 winner Krystal Versace both come from the same collective and have supported their sister the whole way through season 8.

Despite the fierce competition from fellow finalists, it was Flesh who was crowned winner – after bringing her unique fashion creations to the show across the series. But despite being in the final, she still was shocked to have taken home the crown.

She said: "Maybe I’d prepared to lose more than other people. I was far less prepared to win, so I was kind of like fumbling my way through that process and figuring out how it felt and everything. But the [runners up] were all really gracious and very sweet. And we all got to have a moment to just like say well done.

"That's just what like warms my heart the most. We all knew each other before going into Drag Race. We are really from the same generation of drag in the UK. So to be able to share the experience with them has been Just incredible."

The celebrations were extra charged – with this being the final finale for the hit show on the BBC.

The broadcaster announced in September that Drag Race UK is to be axed – despite millions of fans worldwide tuning into watch – it wasn’t enough for the BBC to continue the show’s run.

New director general at the BBC Mark Brittin announced earlier this year that he’d be orchestrating £500m worth of cuts, and the decision to cancel Drag Race UK, as well as BBC Three and several shows on BBC Radio 4 as a "tough choice".

Despite the upset across the drag race community – freshly crowned winner Flesh reflects on what this ‘loss’ could mean for the art of drag in the UK, and how it could take drag back to its 'subversive roots'.

 "There are definitely franchises around the world that are branching out into the mainstream in new, creative, inventive ways," Flesh shared.

She added: "I think what Canada's Drag Race does it so successfully is it's super current, and it is responding to what's happening in queer culture… But I actually love the idea of Drag Race UK moving to World Of Wonder and becoming a bit more subversive and maybe countercultural because that's a very essential part of British drag – is that, this shouldn’t fit into the rest of the world."

RuPaul's Drag Race UK is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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