RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season 2 cast: meet the queens including Elie Diamond, Ginny Lemon - and when it’s on BBC

The contestants for series two of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK have been revealed, ahead of the show’s broadcast.

12 drag queens have been announced as taking part in the programme, including the first two Scottish contestants in Drag Race history.

The series is “even bigger than the first” according to the BBC, with judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton, and Alan Carr returning alongside extra special celebrity guest judges (actress and model Elizabeth Hurley is the first).

The broadcaster has also announced RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Queens On Lockdown, a special one-off episode that will air mid series and uncover how the cast members spent their time during the break in filming because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Here is everything you need to know:

Who are the contestants?

Lawrence Chaney, 23, Glasgow

One of two of the first Scottish queens in Drag Race history, Chaney describes herself as “a mix of Rab C. Nesbitt and Susan Boyle”.

“Every single stereotype that you are thinking right now about a Scottish person is, is true for me! I love Irn-Bru, and a caramel wafer. I’m almost the Austin Powers “fat bastard” of drag!

Her real name is Lawrence, with “Chaney” coming from prolific 1920s silent movie star, Lon Chaney: “He was known as the man of a thousand faces and I’m known as the queen of a thousand faces, because I’m good at impersonation, stupid voices and general buffoonery.”

Cherry Valentine, 26, Darlington

Cherry Valentine says viewers can expect her drag to be “insidious glamour - a beautiful lady possessed by the devil.

"I’m not always a drag queen, I’m a drag artiste, there’s a subtle difference. Cherry Valentine is everything… a club kid, she’s dark, she’s gothic, she’s a dancer, she’s flippy. I’m a high fashion queen. I look fierce, and my body is hourglass perfect - as there’s nowt worse than a saggy boob.

Valentine had been doing drag for less than a year when I applied to be on the show, and is also a fully qualified mental health nurse too who believes “everyone could do with a bit of therapy (especially now).”

Bimini Bon Boulash 26, London (via Norfolk)

Bimini Bon Boulash grew up in Norfolk (“the a***hole that sticks out at the side… I don’t know what that says about me!”), but is now a regular fixture of the East London drag scene.

Boulash says she incorporates “many sources” of inspiration into her act, and likes to mix “the ridiculous with a bit of topical news”, calling on her degree in journalism.

"I’ve got a lot of different acts,” she says. “Some are political, some are me being covered in oat milk, with a strong vegan message behind it.”

Ginny Lemon, 31, Worcestershire

Ginny Lemon describes herself as “the hairiest woman in show-business”, and is proudly the only non-binary drag queen in the UK.

Lemon’s look is one of a ”90s daytime TV presenter”, and for her, “it’s not about makeup. It’s all about the performance.”

"Someone once said I was too fat and ugly to wear yellow, so I thought well I’m going to make it my signature colour! For me it’s a spiritual sign of happiness. Plus, I like to look absolutely bat s*** crazy.”

Joe Black, 30, Brighton (via Portsmouth)

If you “imagine you’ve found yourself in some seedy 1920s Berlin cabaret joint where we will have a dark, delicious and deviant time”, you’ll get some idea of what to expect from Joe Black’s act.

"I bring all the wonky eyebrows and eyeshadow of the traditional seaside drag with a bit of haunted glamour… the nannas love me.”

Black is excited to take on the series' signature Snatch Game challenge, being “an expert in clownery” who is looking to channel their “inner thespian and take on an acting challenge.”

Tia Kofi, 30, London (via Essex and Nottingham)

"The queen of Clapham,” Tia Kofi describes herself as “very camp and very British” (her name is literally pronounced, “Tea or Coffee?”).

Describer her act as “a mashup of the drag styles”, Kofi says she loves “comedy, camp, old school, contemporary, and cultural references”, and “as there aren’t a huge number of POC queens on the scene, I’ll often throw in something from my Nigerian heritage too.”

"You know when people come on drag race and they say, ‘I don’t sew’, and you’re like ‘girl, you should have learnt to sew if you’re going to come on Drag Race’? That’s me. I can’t sew.”

Veronica Green, 34, London (via Rochdale)

Originally from Rochdale in Lancashire, Veronica Green takes her name from that of the supervillain of a run of comic books she and her brother used to make in childhood.

"Veronica is a sweet and innocent Lancashire rose, with many petals and a few little thorns. If you come to one of my shows, you’re going to get gorgeous, goofy and professional, multi-skilled and multi- layered.

She counts “cinema, supervillains, and femme fatales and musicals" among her drag influences, and says “in competition, I aim to be the best at everything I do!”

Sister Sister, 32, Liverpool

Like "most people”, Liverpool’s Sister Sister got into drag after a breakup: “I kicked him out, bought some makeup and started painting. I started with a big blue circle on my face!”

"I love being experimental with paint. I started in art school and went from painting on canvases to painting on my face instead. I think I am the underdog, lowkey, multi-tasker. I know I can turn a look and my makeup is strong.

Sister’s gameplay is simply to be “cheery”, but says she has “personality in abundance”, a sure fire way to “keep the cameras on you at all times!”

Tayce, 26, London (via Newport, Wales)

This series’ only Welsh contestant, Tayce says she wants to be “the next Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey or Catherine Zeta Zones, and give ‘em the razzle dazzle.”

Tayce has been “prancing around in little skirts and wigs” since she was born, and says, “Honestly, I can’t believe I’m here right now. I’m here, I’m queer, I’m here to let these girls have it and show them what Wales has to offer.

"I do have a bit of a reputation for being late to the odd gig, but, honey, when I get out of that cab I come with heels on and eyes beat. Get me on that stage with the music on and watch me work!”

Ellie Diamond, 21, Dundee

Scotland’s other representative this series is Ellie Diamond, who says “Scottish queens are different to every other queen in the scene in that we are self-sufficient – we do our own hair and outfits and we do everything ourselves and so we’re very independent with our drag.”

Not only this series' youngest competitor, Diamond is also the tallest, standing at 6'4" tall out of heels: “I take inspiration from my favourite movies, cartoons, anime and put it altogether to create this beautiful 6ft 8 drag queen that you see before you.”

Diamond admits she has only performed outside of Dundee once, and says she is “slightly intimidated from going to only performing in Dundee to performing on the world’s biggest drag stage.”

Asttina Mandella, 27, London

Hailing from East London where “we love to play on being trashy and be a mess”, Asttina Mandella loves to “get ugly and be silly.”

"East London allows you to explore and go crazy with no rules,” she says, and “’I’m an everyday streetwear fashion queen. I like to wear hooded stuff and trainers. I don’t believe that you need big hair and expensive gowns. As long as my legs are out!

She’s previously worked with superstars like worked with Little Mix, Pussycat Dolls, Melanie C, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Fleur East, Kayne West at the Brits, but says “now it’s my time to be on the poster.”

A’Whora, 23, London (via Nottinghamshire)

A’Whora says she is “well known as a fashion queen”, but is joining the Drag Race ranks to “prove she’s so much more than that.

"She is different to anyone you will ever meet. She is striking, she has presence, and you will never see her in a High Street dress. I’m gagging at the thought!”

She’s only been performing drag for a relatively short two years, but says ”you can’t put a time frame on talent. At the end of the day, if you’re dedicated, talented, and immerse yourself in your craft, you can do anything.”

When can I watch RuPaul’s Drag Race UK series two?

Series two of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK begins on 14 January at 7pm on BBC iPlayer.